Source & Authority Information
- •Entity Registration | SAM.gov(accessed August 26, 2026)
- •Entity Validation | SAM.gov(accessed August 26, 2026)
- •Entity Information | SAM.gov(accessed August 26, 2026)
AI-assisted and automatically checked against the linked primary sources.
What are the steps to register in SAM.gov?
According to SAM.gov, you need a registration if you want to apply for federal awards as a prime awardee; that registration lets you bid on government contracts and apply for federal assistance, and SAM.gov assigns the Unique Entity ID during the registration process. If you do not want to apply directly for awards, or you only conduct certain transactions such as reporting as a sub-awardee, SAM.gov says you may only need a Unique Entity ID. The site also says to set up a SAM.gov account through Login.gov, prepare your entity data using the Entity Registration Checklist, and then select Register Entity or Get a Unique Entity ID. SAM.gov’s alert page says entity validation is the first step in getting a Unique Entity ID or registering, and the registration page says validation can take longer if additional documentation is needed. After submission, SAM.gov says active registration can take up to 10 business days, and existing registrants must renew every 365 days to keep the registration active.
Process
- 1Decide whether you need full registration
If you want to apply for federal awards as a prime awardee, SAM.gov says you need a registration. If you do not apply directly for awards, you may only need a Unique Entity ID.
- 2Set up or use your SAM.gov account
SAM.gov says to set up a SAM.gov account and sign in through Login.gov to complete your profile.
- 3Prepare your information
Use the Entity Registration Checklist. SAM.gov says registration requires a lot of entity information, while a Unique Entity ID only request needs the legal business name and physical address.
- 4Start the right option
On SAM.gov, choose Register Entity for full registration or Get a Unique Entity ID if you only need the identifier.
- 5Watch validation and activation
SAM.gov says entity validation is the first step, review time depends on whether it can match your documents, and active registration can take up to 10 business days.
If you choose only Get a Unique Entity ID, SAM.gov says you cannot apply directly for federal awards.