What Is a Unique Entity ID and How Do You Get One?

A Unique Entity ID is a 12-character alphanumeric code the federal government assigns to every organization registered in SAM.gov, and you need one to bid on federal contracts, receive grants, or otherwise take part in federal award programs. You get it free by registering your organization at SAM.gov, where the General Services Administration issues the identifier directly.¹ The UEI replaced the older DUNS number in April 2022, so there is no longer a separate third-party step before SAM registration.²

What the UEI Actually Is

The code is 12 characters of letters and numbers, and it stays with your organization permanently even if your name or address changes later.³ SAM.gov is the federal government’s central directory of organizations eligible to do business with agencies, and the UEI is how each organization is identified inside that directory.

Who Needs One

Two separate rules create the requirement. For grants, cooperative agreements, loans, and other federal financial assistance, 2 CFR Part 25 requires every applicant and recipient to have a valid UEI and an active SAM.gov registration before an agency can make an award.⁴ For procurement contracts, Federal Acquisition Regulation clause 52.204-7 requires every offeror to be registered in SAM and to include its UEI on the cover page of its offer.⁵

In practice, that pulls in almost every kind of organization that touches federal money:

For-profit businesses bidding on contracts or receiving subcontracts
Nonprofits and universities applying for research grants or federal assistance
State and local government agencies managing federally funded programs
Sub-recipients who receive federal funds passed through a prime awardee and need a UEI for reporting

If you apply for a grant without a valid UEI and active SAM registration at the moment the agency is ready to make the award, the agency can find you unqualified and give the award to someone else.⁴ For contractors, the registration has to remain active throughout the performance period, not just at bid time.

Full Registration or UEI-Only

SAM.gov offers two paths, and choosing the wrong one is a common early mistake.

A full registration is what you need if your organization will directly bid on contracts or apply for federal assistance as a prime awardee. You enter detailed information about the entity, including financial data, points of contact, and representations and certifications, and the registration can take up to 10 business days to become active.¹ A UEI is assigned automatically as part of that process.

UEI-only is a lighter option for organizations that do not need to apply for awards directly, such as sub-recipients who need an identifier only for reporting. You provide your legal business name and physical address, and SAM.gov validates the details and issues the UEI without asking for the rest of the registration information.¹ A UEI on its own does not let you bid on contracts or apply for grants, so if you are actually a prime contractor or grantee, picking UEI-only by accident will delay your application and can cost you an award.⁶

What to Gather Before You Start

The most common cause of delay is mismatched information. SAM.gov validates what you enter against outside databases, and any discrepancy can stall the process or send it into manual review. Have the following ready before you sign in:

Your legal business name exactly as it appears on your formation documents or IRS records. A trade name or DBA that differs from the legal name will fail validation.⁷
A physical address (a P.O. box will not work) that matches what appears for your organization in government or commercial databases.⁷
The month, day, and year your organization was formally established.⁷

For a full registration, you will also need your Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN or SSN), banking information for electronic funds transfer, and details about the organization’s size and structure. The SAM.gov Entity Registration Checklist covers each field.

How to Request Your UEI

Go to SAM.gov and create a Login.gov account if you do not already have one. Sign in, choose full registration or UEI-only, enter your legal business name and physical address, and submit for validation.

SAM.gov runs an entity validation service that searches millions of records from government databases and other official sources to confirm your organization exists and that your information is consistent.⁸ If everything checks out automatically, your UEI shows up in your SAM.gov workspace. A full registration still takes up to 10 business days to become active after the UEI is assigned, because the rest of your information also has to be reviewed.¹

When Automated Validation Fails

Automated validation does not always succeed on the first try. Newer organizations, entities that recently changed their name, and organizations with limited presence in commercial databases often need to submit supporting documents by hand.

When that happens, SAM.gov generates an incident number and prompts you to upload documents proving your legal name, address, or incorporation date. Articles of incorporation, official state filings, and other records showing a government stamp or filing receipt are acceptable.⁹ A few things trip people up here:

Upload the documents through your Entities Workspace in SAM.gov, not through the Federal Service Desk directly.
If the validation team emails you asking for more documents, respond within five days. Otherwise the incident closes automatically and you have to start over.
Expect about seven calendar days for resolution once you have submitted the correct documents. Wrong or incomplete uploads stretch that out considerably.⁸

After uploading, add a comment in FSD.gov under “My Incidents” so the validation team knows new documents are waiting.

Keeping Your Registration Active

The UEI itself is permanent. The full SAM.gov registration around it must be renewed every 365 days.¹ An expired registration means your organization cannot submit new bids, receive new awards, or, in some cases, continue to receive payments on existing awards.¹⁰ You can update your information at any time between renewals; you do not have to wait for the annual window to correct an address or change a point of contact. A calendar reminder about 30 days before the expiration date leaves enough buffer to work through any validation issues that come up during renewal.

Registration Is Free

There is no fee to register in SAM.gov, to get a UEI, or to renew. Government help with your registration is also free.¹¹ A number of companies send emails and letters offering to handle registration for hundreds of dollars, and some imitate official government correspondence closely. If you receive one asking for payment, it is not from the federal government. For legitimate help, contact the Federal Service Desk at FSD.gov or call 866-606-8220.

If Your Organization Is Based Outside the United States

Foreign organizations can register in SAM.gov, but there is an extra step first. Before starting SAM registration, you must obtain an NCAGE (NATO Commercial and Government Entity) code. The legal business name and physical address on the NCAGE code must match exactly what you enter in SAM.gov when requesting your UEI.¹² International registrants who do not pay U.S. taxes should leave the Taxpayer Identification Number field blank.

1
SAM.gov. Entity Registration
2
CDFI Fund. CDFI Fund Transitions from DUNS to Unique Entity Identifier
3
U.S. Department of Defense. Implementing the Unique Entity ID
4
eCFR. 2 CFR Part 25 – Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management
5
Acquisition.gov. FAR 52.204-7 System for Award Management
6
U.S. Department of Education. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Fact Sheet
7
SAM.gov. Entity Registration Checklist
8
U.S. General Services Administration. SAM.gov Entity Validation
9
U.S. General Services Administration. SAM.gov Entity Validation Stakeholder Forum
10
Federal Emergency Management Agency. What Is the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and How Is It Related to the System for Award Management (SAM)
11
HUD Exchange. Is There a Fee Involved With a SAM.gov Registration and How Do I Register My Organization
12
U.S. Embassy Ankara. How to Register an International Entity in SAM