UDIN – Say No to Forgery

UDIN (Unique Document Identification Number) is basically a method to secure the authenticity of documents issued by the Chartered Accountants. When a Chartered Accountant attests a document, it is considered as an assurance that there is no misrepresentation by the entity issuing/submitting such a document but it was being observed that certain unethical individuals are forging signatures while posing as Chartered Accountants to issue certificates and other such documents with the intent of misleading the authorities. Considering the said constraint the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), has developed a method of securing the documents issued by a Chartered Accountant by issuing a Unique Document Identification Number (UDIN).  

What is UDIN & how to generate UDIN?

UDIN is a unique number generated on the UDIN portal for every certificate and other such documents that have been attested by a Chartered Accountant who’ve registered themselves on the UDIN portal. Any Chartered Accountant who has COP needs to register themselves on the UDIN portal in order to generate the UDIN for every document that is to be attested.

Nomenclature of UDIN:

UDIN is an 18 digit number which is generated in the following format :

• First two digits are the last two digits of the current year
• Next six digits are ICAI membership number of the CA attesting the document
• Next ten digits are alphanumerically generated randomly by the system

Applicability of UDIN

It is mandatory to obtain UDIN for all the certificates issued where the information is certified as True & Fair w.e.f. 1^st February 2019 except, Auditor’s Report issued under any Statue w.r.t. any entity or any person, Valuation Reports, Quarterly Review Reports, Limited Review Reports, Information System Audit, Forensic Audit, Revenue/Credit/Stock Audit, Borrower Monitoring Assignment, Internal Audits, Transfer Pricing Report, Viability Study Report, Diligence Report, Due Diligence Report, Management Report etc, on which it became mandatory to obtain UDIN w.e.f. 1^st July 2019. It is applicable on both manually as well as digitally signed certificates.

Verification of Documents using UDIN

With the UDIN, authorities such as banks, RBI, Income Tax Department, etc. can check the validity of the documents issued by the Chartered Accountant. Since the UDIN can be generated by the Chartered Accountants only via the UDIN portal, the validity of the attested document can be checked by using its UDIN. The document can also be found by using the Firm Registration Number (FRN), Client Reference Code, Date of Document, etc. through the UDIN portal. There may be a situation where the document may either require certain changes or cancellation altogether. In such a situation, the UDIN may be revoked by searching for the document on the UDIN portal and clicking on ‘Revoke’. However, the reason for revocation will need to be provided.

Steps for generating UDIN

UDIN can be generated after the following steps:

• Go to udin.icai.org website and then log in using the credentials
• Click on ‘Generate UDIN’.
• Enter the required details such as Membership Registration Number, Name, E-mail ID, Firm Registration Number, Firm Name, Client Reference Code / Number, Document Description, Date of Document, Keywords, and values and click on ‘Send OTP’.
• The OTP will be sent on the e-mail address and mobile number registered with ICAI. After entering the OTP, a preview of the details entered will be available for verification. In case there are any changes in the details, press ‘Back’, else click on ‘Submit’.
• The UDIN will now be generated.

UDIN is to be generated at the time of signing the Certificate. However, the same can be generated within 15 days of the signing of the same.

Update issued on 19-Sep-2019

In response to the various representations received from Members at large for inability in generating UDIN due to floods in many parts of the Country and related internet issues, the Council at its 386th Meeting held on 18th and 19th September 2019 has decided to permit generation of UDIN within 30 days in place of 15 days. This one relaxation has been given on the Certificate / Report / Document signed between 20th August 2019 to 31st December 2019. Further, UDIN so generated has to be communicated to “Management” or “Those Charged with Governance” for disseminating it to the stakeholders from their end.   Last Updated: 4th October 2019 This article is contributed by:  Aditi Maheshwari Article Assistant, Audit & Assurance

Tag: UDIN. Unique Document Identification Number