What Is a UEI (Unique Entity ID)? How to Find Yours in SAM.gov
The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is your business’s federal ID number — a free, government-owned 12-character alphanumeric code assigned through SAM.gov. Every contract you bid on, every federal grant you apply for, and every payment you receive from a federal agency is tied to this number. If you don’t know yours, or aren’t sure how to find it, this guide covers everything you need.
Prior to April 2022, SAM.gov used a DUNS number — a nine-digit code issued by Dun & Bradstreet — for the same purpose. The DUNS is no longer used in any federal system. The UEI replaced it entirely.
What the UEI is and what it looks like
The UEI is a 12-character code made up of letters and numbers. It looks something like JF1KP39RE4Z7. It’s assigned automatically when you register your business in SAM.gov — you don’t apply for it separately. It’s part of the registration flow.
A few important things to know about the format:
- It is always exactly 12 characters
- It contains both letters and numbers (alphanumeric)
- It does not start with a zero (SAM.gov generates codes that avoid leading zeros to prevent data entry confusion)
- It is permanent — the UEI itself never expires, though your SAM.gov registration does (annually)
Plain English: UEI (Unique Entity Identifier)
The UEI is your business’s federal ID number — a 12-character code like JF1KP39RE4Z7. It’s free, permanent, and assigned automatically when you register in SAM.gov. You’ll put this number on every federal form, contract, and grant application for as long as your business exists. Any website charging you money for a UEI is a scam.
Why the government moved away from DUNS
For decades, federal agencies used the DUNS number — a nine-digit identifier owned and managed by Dun & Bradstreet — to track entities doing business with the government. The problem: the government was dependent on a private company’s proprietary system to manage public data. Dun & Bradstreet owned the numbers and charged fees for related services.
GSA decided a government-owned identifier made more sense. The result was the UEI: free, managed inside SAM.gov, and not tied to any commercial credit database. If you encounter a form, system, or guide that still asks for a DUNS number, it is outdated.
How to find your UEI in SAM.gov
There are three ways to look up your UEI, depending on whether you have a login.
Option 1: Log into SAM.gov directly (fastest if you have an account)
- Go to SAM.gov and sign in with your Login.gov credentials
- Click your name in the upper right corner and select “Entity Management”
- Your entity registration will display your UEI at the top of the record
Option 2: Search the public SAM.gov entity database (no login required)
- Go to SAM.gov and click “Search” in the navigation
- Under “Entity Information,” enter your business name, CAGE code, or old DUNS number in the search bar
- Click on your entity in the results to view the full profile — your UEI appears near the top
Anyone can search the public entity database. No SAM.gov account needed.
Option 3: Check your registration status page
- Go to SAM.gov and use the entity status check tool
- Enter your UEI to confirm your current registration status
This only works if you already have your UEI, so it’s more useful for status checks than initial lookups. Use Option 2 if you’re starting from zero.
Key format detail: If a government form has a field for a DUNS number but no UEI field, the form is outdated. Contact the issuing agency and ask for the current version. Any federal system that requires a vendor identifier today will accept — and expect — the UEI.
How to get a UEI if you don’t have one
You get a UEI by registering in SAM.gov. There is no separate application process.
When you start a new entity registration at SAM.gov, the system automatically checks whether your business already has a UEI. If one exists, it surfaces it. If your business has never been registered, the system generates a new UEI for you during the process.
There is also a “UEI only” option for organizations that need the identifier for grant applications but aren’t doing full contract registration yet. This is available through the SAM.gov entity registration flow — look for the option to register for grants only during setup.
For the full SAM.gov registration walkthrough — including the notarized letter, NAICS codes, and entity validation — see the complete guide to registering for government contracts.
Plain English: CAGE code
Your CAGE code is a separate five-character identifier assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency. It identifies your business in Department of Defense systems, while the UEI identifies you across all federal systems. Both are free and both are assigned automatically through SAM.gov. For the full breakdown, see our CAGE code guide.
How to share your UEI
When someone — a prime contractor, a contracting officer, a grant program officer — asks for your UEI, give them the 12-character code directly. There’s no formatting required: no dashes, no spaces, just the 12 characters.
Common places you’ll need to enter your UEI:
- SAM.gov entity registration (where it lives)
- Federal grant applications (Grants.gov pulls from SAM.gov)
- Capability statements (list it prominently alongside your CAGE code)
- Proposal cover pages and bid forms
- Subcontractor onboarding paperwork from primes
Update any template documents that still reference a DUNS number. Proposals and capability statements with a DUNS field instead of a UEI look outdated to contracting officers.
Common problems
“I can’t find my entity in SAM.gov.”
Search by your legal business name exactly as the IRS has it — not your DBA, not your trade name. If your business changed names or legal structure since the last registration, your old record may not surface on a name search. Try searching by your old DUNS number or CAGE code instead. If you still can’t find it, contact the Federal Service Desk at fsd.gov.
“I have a DUNS but no UEI.”
Having a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet does not automatically give you a UEI. The UEI was only assigned to entities that had active SAM.gov registrations. If your business had a DUNS but was never registered in SAM.gov — or if your registration had lapsed — you’ll need to register from scratch to receive a UEI. Go to SAM.gov and start a new entity registration.
“I see duplicate entries or my CAGE code isn’t linking correctly.”
Contact the Federal Service Desk with your entity details and ask them to resolve the duplicate. Do not create a new registration to work around it — that makes the problem worse.
“A company is charging me for a UEI.”
That’s a scam. The UEI is free. SAM.gov registration is free. The FTC has issued warnings about fraudulent solicitations related to SAM.gov. If you receive a letter or email demanding payment for a UEI or SAM.gov renewal, report it to the FTC and do not pay.
What the UEI does not do
The UEI identifies your business in federal systems. It does not, by itself, make you eligible to bid on contracts. You also need:
- An active SAM.gov registration (UEI is part of this, but the full registration must be complete and current)
- A CAGE code (assigned automatically through SAM.gov)
- Selected NAICS codes that match the type of work you do
- Annual registration renewal (registration expires every 12 months)
The UEI is the starting point, not the finish line. A lapsed SAM.gov registration means your UEI is effectively inactive for contracting purposes — contracting officers checking vendor eligibility will see your registration as expired.
Set a calendar reminder 60 days before your SAM.gov registration expiration date. Renewal takes 48-72 hours for a clean renewal but can take longer if anything needs to be updated.
If your registration is approaching expiration, the SAM.gov renewal guide covers exactly what to update and when to start. And if you’re new to government contracting vocabulary, the CAGE code guide explains that five-character identifier, and the acronym glossary covers every abbreviation you’ll run into in the federal contracting world.