How to Get Your UEI

Your Unique Entity Identifier, which is required to register in SAM.gov and bid on government contracts.

What is a UEI?

A UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) is a 12-character alphanumeric code that the federal government uses to track your business across all contracts and grants. It replaced the old DUNS number in April 2022. You cannot register in SAM.gov without one, but here's the key thing: you do NOT get a UEI before SAM.gov. You get it AS PART OF the SAM.gov registration.

Still not sure? Do you need a UEI before SAM.gov? →

What you need before you start SAM.gov registration

1. 1

   Your EIN

   From the previous step, see the EIN guide if you don't have it yet.

2. 2

   Your business legal name and address

   Your legal name and physical address are validated against your formation documents (this is SAM.gov's entity validation). Separately, your taxpayer name and EIN are validated against IRS records.

3. 3

   Your NAICS code

   You already have this from the quiz.

4. 4

   A login.gov account

   The federal single sign-on: create one free at login.gov if you don't have one.

What happens during SAM.gov registration

• When you start a new entity registration at sam.gov, the system will assign your UEI in the first section
• It usually appears within minutes, but if SAM.gov cannot validate your business automatically, you may be asked for documents and wait several days (this is called entity validation)
• Write it down. You'll see it referenced throughout SAM.gov and on any contracts or grants you apply for

How long does SAM.gov registration take after you have your UEI?

• Completing all the registration fields: our estimate is about 1-3 hours (it's long)
• Government processing and activation: up to 10 business days (allow at least ten) after submission