SAM registration: requirements, cost, renewal, status.

What it costs: nothing

GSA’s entity registration checklist says SAM.gov is free to use, with no charge for a Unique Entity ID, for registering or for keeping a registration active. The Federal Service Desk says all of its systems and help are free, and that paid third-party help is optional, not a requirement. It warns about look-alike sender addresses, and says a payment made in error can be disputed with your bank. Never give a third party your own SAM.gov login; GSA policy forbids sharing it.

What you need

• Legal business name and physical address. Exactly as on your formation documents, with the date and state of incorporation. No PO boxes.
• Taxpayer ID. Your EIN (or SSN for a sole proprietor) and the taxpayer name, matching your latest IRS document exactly. If your EIN is new or changed, wait five weeks before registering.
• Bank details for electronic payment: routing number, account number and account type.
• NAICS codes for the work you do.
• Points of contact. Accounts receivable, electronic business and government business.
• Representations and certifications if you will bid on contracts.
• Purpose. “All awards” covers contracts and financial assistance; “financial assistance only” cannot be used to bid on contracts.

You do not need a CAGE code in advance if you are a US entity: the Defense Logistics Agency assigns one after you submit. Foreign entities need an NCAGE code before they start.

How to register, step by step

1. Sign in to SAM.govCreate your user account and start a new entity registration.
2. Validate your entityEnter your legal name, physical address and incorporation details. They must match a record in the entity validation service exactly, or you upload documents for a manual review. This step gives you your Unique Entity ID, a 12-character code that replaced the DUNS number on 4 April 2022.
3. Complete the registrationTaxpayer ID, bank details, NAICS codes, points of contact, and the representations and certifications.
4. Submit and wait for the checksThe IRS taxpayer match takes 2 to 5 business days; DLA assigns or validates your CAGE code. If either fails, you get an email.
5. Confirm it is activeOnce active, data can take another 24 to 48 hours to reach other government systems.

A registration left as a work in progress is deleted after 90 days.

How long it takes, and how to check status

GSA’s own figures differ. The status tracker says an average of up to three business days, and up to ten if an external review is needed; the checklist says allow at least ten business days; a help-desk article says 10 to 15 business days on average, and to contact the Federal Service Desk if a registration has sat at “Submitted” for more than 14 days. Plan for two to three weeks.

To check, sign in and use Check Entity Status; you can only see entities linked to your account. Since February 2026, registered entities can no longer opt out of SAM.gov’s public entity search.

Renewal

• Every 365 days. A registration stays active for 365 days from the date you submitted it.
• Reminders. The entity administrator gets emails 60, 30 and 15 days before expiry, and on the day.
• If it lapses. The registration goes inactive and payments can be blocked. Under the FAR you need an active registration when you submit an offer and at award, and you must keep it active through final payment.
• No extensions. The help desk cannot extend a registration case by case.

Why registrations get stuck

• The physical address check. Entity validation rejects PO boxes and mail-service addresses, and documents whose name or address does not match exactly.
• Old or foreign-language documents. Recurring documents such as bank or utility statements more than five years old are rejected, as are documents not in English without a certified translation.
• IRS mismatch. The taxpayer name or number does not match the IRS record exactly.
• CAGE formatting. Your name or address formatted differently in SAM.gov and in DLA’s CAGE records. DLA needs the ZIP+4 and emails your government business point of contact.
• Other errors. Wrong bank numbers, wrong NAICS codes, and incorrect self-certifications.

Notarised letters. A new registration does not ask for one. A notarised entity administrator appointment letter is needed when an entity has no administrator, the administrator has left, or access was lost. Remote or online notarisation is not accepted. An international entity that uses non-US banking needs no notarisation; one that uses a US bank account does.

What changed in 2026

• New screens. A redesigned registration flow went live on 24 March 2026; GSA says requirements and processing times did not change.
• No public-search opt-out. Removed for new registrations and renewals in February 2026.
• Representations are moving. Under the FAR overhaul GSA plans for SAM.gov to keep only entity-level representations and to move procurement-specific ones into solicitations. As of October 2026 SAM.gov still collects them.

Questions people ask

Does SAM registration cost anything?

No. GSA's entity registration checklist says SAM.gov is free to use, with no charge for a Unique Entity ID, for registering or for renewing. Paid third-party help is optional, and the Federal Service Desk warns that any email or site asking for money is not a government message or site.

How often do I renew my SAM registration?

Every 365 days. A registration stays active for 365 days from the date you submitted it, and the entity administrator receives reminder emails 60, 30 and 15 days before it expires. If it lapses, it becomes inactive and payments can be blocked.

How long does SAM registration take?

GSA's figures range from an average of up to three business days on the status tracker to 10 to 15 business days in a help-desk article; the checklist says allow at least ten business days. The IRS taxpayer match alone takes 2 to 5 business days.

Why was my SAM registration rejected?

Common reasons are an address or name that does not exactly match your documents, PO boxes or mail-service addresses, validation documents more than five years old or not in English, a taxpayer name or number that does not match the IRS record, and CAGE records formatted differently from SAM.gov.

Do I need a notarized letter to register in SAM?

Not for a normal new registration. A notarized entity administrator appointment letter is needed when an entity has no administrator, the administrator has left, or access was lost. Remote or online notarization is not accepted.

Primary sources

• SAM.gov, Entity Registration, and Check Entity Status, read 12 October 2026.
• GSA, SAM.gov Entity Registration Checklist, November 2024.
• Federal Service Desk knowledge articles: KB0016860 (third-party services, 5 February 2026), KB0016540 (TIN match, 24 February 2026), KB0059705 (entity validation documents, 5 March 2026), KB0016379 (renewal reminders, 12 March 2026), KB0098525 (common mistakes, 14 July 2026), KB0016652 (entity administrator letter, 5 March 2026).
• Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, Part 4 (SAM registration, 4.203-1 and 4.304), updated 28 September 2026.

General information, not legal advice. BSJ Ventures publishes methods; it never publishes clients, cases or verdicts, and it claims no relationship with any agency or maker named here.