What is UDIN?
In order to prevent businesses/ clients from the fraudulent acts of non-CAs, practicing and certifying as CAs, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has come up with the concept of UDIN.
Primarily, UDIN secures certificates, reports, documents, etc. certified by the practicing CAs. Additionally, it enables regulators, banks as well as third parties to check the genuineness of the issued certificates, reports, documents, etc.
The present article highlights each and every point which one needs to know about UDIN.
Page Contents
Implementation and Format of UDIN-
UDIN is an abbreviation of ‘Unique Document Identification Number’. The same is introduced in a phase-wise manner as follows-
| Phase | Coverage | Date of implementation |
| 1st | UDIN got mandatory for all the certificates issued by Chartered Accountants. | 1st February 2019 |
| 2nd | UDIN got mandatory for GST and Tax audit report | 1st April 2019 |
| 3rd | UDIN got mandatory for all other audits, attest and assurance functions | 1st July 2019 |
Further, it is an 18 digits long system generated number. The formation of UDIN is explained in the table below-
| Digits | Particulars |
| First 2 digits | Last 2 digits of the current year |
| Next 6 digits | Membership number issued by ICAI |
| Last 10 digits | Alpha-numeric system generated code. |
How to Register on the UDIN portal?
Before generating UDIN, one needs to first obtain registration on the UDIN site. Steps for obtaining the registration are stated hereunder-
STEP 1 – Visit site https://udin.icai.org/.
STEP 2 – Click ‘First time Sign Up? Click Here’ available on the right-hand side of the page.
STEP 3 – Enter the following details-
- Membership Number,
- Date of Birth, and
- Year of Enrolment.
STEP 4 – Send OTP.
STEP 5 – OTP will be received on the mobile number and e-mail ID registered with ICAI. Enter the OTP received and click ‘Continue’.
On following the above steps, ‘username’ and system generated ‘password’ will be received on the registered mobile number and e-mail ID.
HOW UDIN can be generated?
Post registration on UDIN site, one needs to follow the below steps for generation of UDIN-
STEP 1 – Visit site https://udin.icai.org/.
STEP 2 – Enter appropriate ‘Username’ and ‘Password’. Enter Captcha and click ‘Login’.
STEP 3 – Select the ‘Generate UDIN’ option.
STEP 4 – Select document type from the drop-down list.
STEP 5 – Enter requisite details like-
- Client Reference Code/ Number,
- Date of a document,
- Document issued,
- Document description,
- Keyword/ values within the document, etc.
STEP 6 – Click ‘Send OTP’ and OTP will be received on the registered mobile number and e-mail ID.
STEP 7 – Enter the OTP and click the ‘Preview’ option.
STEP 8 – Click ‘Submit’ to generate UDIN.
Other important points-
1. Mentioning of UDIN-
UDIN needs to be mentioned on the certificate either by printing (by watermarked) or by handwritten/ printed. In case the UDIN is handwritten/ printed, the same needs to be mentioned after signatures and membership number.
2. Revocation/ cancellation of UDIN-
Generated UDIN can be revoked/ cancelled without any time limit. However, a reason for revocation/ cancellation of UDIN needs to be provided.
3. Steps to Verify UDIN-
Regulators, banks or third parties can verify the UDIN mentioned, on any of the documentsissued by CAs, by following the below steps-
- Visit site https://udin.icai.org/.
- Click ‘Verify UDIN’.
- Enter name, mobile number, UDIN and captcha.
- Click ‘Send OTP’. Accordingly, OTP will be received on the mobile number.
- Enter the OTP.
4. Consequence of non-generation of UDIN-
UDIN is made mandatory as per the decision of the Council. Accordingly, the non-generation of UDIN will quantify as non-adherence to the Council’s decision. Hence, the same will be treated as professional misconduct in terms of Part I, II and III of the First Schedule and Part I and part II of the Second Schedule.
Resultantly, the non-generation of UDIN will attract disciplinary proceedings under Second Schedule Part II of The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949.
1. What is UDIN for?
UDIN is an initiative taken by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to curb/ limit misrepresentation by the third person posing as Chartered Accountants.
2. Is UDIN compulsory?
Yes, UDIN is compulsory for all the certificates, GST and tax audit as well as all audits and assurance functions issued by the Chartered Accountant.
3. Is UDIN mandatory for the balance sheet?
Yes, it is mandatory for the balance sheet in case the financial statements are subject to statutory audit.
4. Can UDIN be generated back dated?
Generally, UDIN is generated at the time of signing the respective document. However, UDIN can also be generated within a period of 15 days (extended to 60 days) of the signing the documents.
5. What is the purpose of UDIN?
UDIN is a unique process adopted by the ICAI to curb misrepresentation by any third person, posing as CA, who generally forge signatures on the documents to mislead various authorities.
6. What is UDIN No. for CA?
UDIN is a unique number being generated on the UDIN portal for every certificate and such other documents that have been attested by a CA.
7. What is the validity of UDIN?
Time limit for generation of UDIN has been extended from 15 days to 60 days.
8. For which certificates UDIN is mandatory?
From 1st February 2019, all the certificates issued by the Chartered Accountant should mandatorily have UDIN.
9. From when is UDIN mandatory?
UDIN is mandatory for all the certificates from 1st February 2019; for GST and Tax audit reports from 1st April 2019 and all other attest functions from 1st July 2019.
10. What is the requirement of UDIN?
UDIN on any certificates/ documents/ reports verifies that it is certified by a Chartered Accountant.
11. When should UDIN be generated?
Generally, UDIN is generated at the time of signing the respective document/ certificates/ reports etc. But, UDIN can be generated within a period of 15 days (extended to 60 days) of the signing the documents.
12. How can I verify my UDIN number?
To verify UDIN number, one needs to follow the below steps-
STEP 1 – Visit https://udin.icai.org/search-udin.
STEP 2 – Enter following details-
- Name,
- Mobile No.,
- E-mail,
- UDIN,
STEP 3 – Click ‘Send OTP’.
13. What happens if UDIN is not generated?
In case the UDIN is not generated, the same will amount to professional misconduct and accordingly disciplinary proceedings can be initiated as per the Second Schedule Part II.
Author Bio
Please ,share procedure to update udin of audit report on new income tax portal- single and bulk