What Is a UEI Number? How to Get One and Look One Up

A UEI number, or Unique Entity ID, is the 12-character code of letters and numbers that SAM.gov assigns to identify your business to the federal government. It's free, it never expires, and you can get one on its own or as the first step of a full SAM.gov registration. You'll need it to bid on federal contracts, apply for grants and show up in federal spending records.

What is a UEI number?

The Unique Entity ID is the federal government's main ID for any business, nonprofit or other organization it deals with. SAM.gov calls it the "Unique Entity ID (SAM)," the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) calls it the "unique entity identifier," and most people just say UEI or UEI number. Federal grant rules define it as "the universal identifier assigned by SAM.gov to uniquely identify an entity."

Three things set it apart:

• The government owns it. The General Services Administration (GSA), which runs SAM.gov, describes it as "managed, granted, and owned by the government." The DUNS number it replaced belonged to a private company, Dun & Bradstreet.
• It never expires. Your SAM.gov registration must be renewed every 365 days, but your UEI stays with your business even if the registration lapses.
• It isn't private. GSA says the UEI "is not in itself considered PII" (personally identifiable information), unlike your Employer Identification Number (EIN). You can print it on your capability statement and website.

What does a UEI number look like?

Every UEI is exactly 12 characters long, made up of letters and numbers. GSA's format rules add two details: the letters O and I are never used, to avoid confusion with zero and one, and the first character is never zero. If a form asks for your "12-digit UEI," it means these 12 characters. A 9-digit number is an EIN or an old DUNS number, not a UEI.

How to get a UEI number

You get a UEI on SAM.gov. There are two paths, and both start with the same validation step.

Here's how it works:

1. Create a Login.gov account and use it to sign in to SAM.gov.
2. Choose to get a UEI only, or start a full registration. Choose full registration if you want federal contracts.
3. Enter your legal business name and physical address exactly as they appear on official documents. SAM.gov may also ask for the year you started and your state of incorporation.
4. Let SAM.gov validate your business. When it finds a match, it assigns your UEI.

SAM.gov's own checklist is clear: "There is no charge to get a Unique Entity ID." If you get a UEI only and decide to bid later, you go back and register the same entity record rather than starting over.

Applying for grants? You need a UEI too, plus a full SAM.gov registration before you apply. Grants.gov explains the steps in its applicant registration guide.

How long does it take to get a UEI number?

Often no time at all. GSA said in 2021 that when you request a UEI only, "successful entity validations will occur immediately." Most businesses match right away at the start of a full registration too.

If SAM.gov can't match your name and address automatically, you'll upload documents for a manual review by the Federal Service Desk (FSD). Simple cases may be resolved in as few as five days, and complicated ones can take several weeks. As of February 2025, the FSD said the average manual review took two business days.

For the whole process and common document rejections, see how to register on SAM.gov.

UEI number vs. EIN, CAGE code and DUNS number

• UEI vs. EIN. Your EIN is your IRS tax ID, "managed and issued by the IRS and not SAM.gov," as GSA puts it. SAM.gov uses your EIN (or a sole proprietor's Social Security number) to confirm your business with the IRS. The UEI doesn't replace it on tax forms. You need both.
• UEI vs. CAGE code. A Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code comes from the Defense Logistics Agency. GSA says it directly: "The Unique Entity ID (SAM) and the CAGE code are separate identifiers." The UEI identifies your legal entity, and the CAGE code ties it to a physical location. Contract awards need both. See what a CAGE code is.
• UEI vs. DUNS. The UEI replaced the DUNS number on April 4, 2022, and SAM.gov no longer stores DUNS numbers. You can't search SAM.gov by DUNS, and GSA said there would be no DUNS-to-UEI lookup service. A form that still asks for a DUNS number is out of date.

How to look up a UEI number

Find your own UEI number

Sign in to SAM.gov and open your workspace. Your UEI is on your entity record, even if you got a UEI only or your registration has lapsed. SAM.gov's "Check Entity Status" page also accepts a UEI, though you need a role with the entity to see its status.

Look up another company's UEI number

• SAM.gov entity search. Plan on signing in with a free SAM.gov account. Grants.gov says that to search SAM.gov for a registered organization, "you'll need accounts with SAM.gov and Login.gov." You can search by name, UEI or CAGE code. Companies can opt out of public display, and in mid-2025, SAM.gov began removing registration data more than 10 years old.
• USAspending.gov. No account needed. Search the recipient profiles by company name to see its UEI. The site only lists organizations that have received federal money, so a new business won't be there.
• The company itself. Many businesses list their UEI on their capability statement.

Where you'll use your UEI number

• On your bids. Both the current FAR and the FAR overhaul text tell you to write "Unique Entity Identifier" followed by your UEI in the name-and-address block on the cover page of your offer. Your registration must also be active when you submit and at award.
• When you get paid. Your SAM.gov registration holds the bank account the government pays by electronic funds transfer. If the registration goes inactive, no awards or payments can be processed.
• During a contract. You must keep your UEI current and tell the contracting officer about any change within 30 days. A changed UEI "does not necessarily require a novation" (a formal transfer of the contract).
• As a subcontractor. Prime contractors often ask subs for a UEI because subcontract awards are reported to the government. The UEI-only option exists for cases like this.
• For grants. The UEI is "the universal identifier for Federal financial assistance applicants, as well as recipients and their direct subrecipients." Subrecipients can get one without a full registration.
• On your capability statement. List it with your CAGE code and NAICS codes so buyers can check you quickly. See how to write a capability statement.

In a free FedReady account, you can enter your UEI and FedReady fills in your business profile from SAM.gov data, then recommends open opportunities that match it.

Can one business have more than one UEI number?

Sometimes. GSA says "uniqueness is based on an entity being a separate legal entity and/or associated with a separate physical address," and that a UEI "will not be shared across registrations." In practice:

• A single business at one address has one UEI.
• A subsidiary that's its own legal entity gets its own UEI. Registration asks for your immediate and highest-level owners, which links related companies.
• A separately registered location can have its own UEI.
• A business that works from several sites or a virtual office registers "the address where you keep the books and records."

What if your business changes its name, moves or is sold?

• New name or address. Update your SAM.gov registration. GSA says "updates to name or address will require re-validation of the entity," so have documents ready.
• Active contracts. Tell the contracting officer within 30 days of any change to your UEI.
• Sale or merger. Official guidance doesn't clearly say whether a UEI carries over. A new legal entity would normally get its own. Ask the Federal Service Desk before the deal closes, and an APEX Accelerator can go over it with you for free.

Next steps

No UEI yet? Follow how to register on SAM.gov and choose full registration if you want contracts. Then learn how your CAGE code fits in, and put both IDs on a one-page capability statement. For a quick definition later, the government contracting glossary has one.

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules and thresholds change, so confirm details on SAM.gov and the official agency sites linked above before you act. FedReady is an independent company and is not affiliated with any government agency.