Executive Order 14203: Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court

What does Executive Order 14203 do?

The order created designation criteria rather than automatically sanctioning everyone associated with the ICC. Treasury implemented it through 31 CFR part 528, designations and general licenses. OFAC’s current program page records designations and licensing activity continuing through August 2026.

Reading the operative provisions of Executive Order 14203

EO 14203 establishes criteria for sanctions against people the administration determines are involved in specified ICC actions against the United States or its allies. It does not automatically sanction every ICC employee, judge, witness, or member state. Treasury, in consultation with State, must make the individual designation; OFAC then administers blocking rules, licenses, and compliance instructions. State and Homeland Security separately handle entry restrictions where applicable.

Once a person is designated, U.S.-jurisdiction property may be blocked and U.S. persons generally may be prohibited from transactions, subject to any general or specific license. Those are significant consequences, so the designation notice and OFAC regulations matter. A sanctions order is not a criminal conviction, and the criteria do not themselves determine whether the ICC has jurisdiction in a particular case.

OFAC’s current program page records continuing designation and licensing activity. The page’s listed dates help distinguish the President’s initial policy from Treasury’s later actions. A license can authorize conduct that would otherwise be prohibited, while a court may separately consider constitutional or statutory challenges. Use the designation notice and current license terms when checking whether a transaction is permitted. Read Executive Order 14203 in the Federal Register.

The order’s criteria are connected to the administration’s foreign-policy position on the Court’s jurisdiction, but a designation under this EO is a U.S. sanctions decision. It does not alter the Rome Statute or direct the ICC to change its cases. A designation notice should identify the person and the factual basis; a license may authorize specific transactions, and OFAC’s FAQs explain compliance. U.S. persons should check the current notice and license before assuming a payment, legal service, or other activity is allowed.