Overview
As of April 4, 2022, the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) used across the federal government changed from DUNS Number to the Unique Entity ID (generated by SAM.gov). Entities that intend to receive federal funding after April 4, 2022, must use the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov to obtain a UEI.
If your entity is registered with SAM.gov, this new UEI has already been assigned and can be accessed in SAM.gov. If your entity does not have a UEI from SAM.gov, you will need to request a UEI at SAM.gov. Obtaining a UEI is free. You may receive emails offering to assist with the registration process for a fee but those are not from SAM.gov.
Some entities only have a UEI and some entities have a UEI that is registered with SAM.gov.
- Check out What does it mean to get only a UEI and not register? to determine what is required of the business entity.
- The Different Registration Statuses is another resource to check out.
Requesting a UEI with SAM.gov
You will need the following information to request a UEI with SAM.gov:
- legal business name (refer to the IRS documentation);
- physical address (including ZIP + 4); and
- Sam.gov user account (sign-up at SAM.gov).
To check your entity’s registration status, visit the SAM.gov Status Tracker. A login with a SAM.gov account is required to view entity registration status.