For a practising Chartered Accountant, generating a Unique Document Identification Number (UDIN) is not merely a portal task. The important questions are who should generate it, when it should be generated, which details must be checked before submission, and what to do if an error is discovered later. This guide brings those steps together in one practical workflow based on ICAI's current UDIN guidance.
Who should generate UDIN?
ICAI's current Sixth Edition of the UDIN FAQs explains that UDIN is meant for Chartered Accountants in practice holding a full-time Certificate of Practice. In a firm assignment, the Partner or Proprietor who actually signs the document is responsible for generating the UDIN. If more than one partner signs the same document, each signing partner has to generate a separate UDIN for that document.
This distinction matters because UDIN is linked to the member who signs the professional document. A member working in industry does not generate UDIN merely because the member is a Chartered Accountant, and a member holding only a part-time Certificate of Practice is not eligible to generate UDIN under the current ICAI FAQ position.
When should UDIN be generated?
The cleanest control is to generate UDIN at the time of signing. ICAI permits generation within 60 days from the date of signing, counting both the signing date and the generation date. However, the 60-day period should not be treated as a universal waiting period. ICAI's official 60-day announcement specifically notes that where a regulator or other stakeholder requires UDIN immediately or within a shorter period, that shorter requirement must be followed.
For firm controls, this means the internal rule should normally be “generate on signing day,” while the 60-day window is treated as an outer ICAI limit rather than a routine target date.
What should you keep ready before opening the portal?
- Correct signing capacity: confirm whether the document is being signed under a firm FRN or in the member's individual capacity, as applicable.
- Correct document category: identify the portal category and sub-category that matches the signed assignment rather than choosing a convenient nearby option.
- Actual date of signing: use the date appearing on the professional document.
- Underlying values and particulars: keep the signed document or final working papers open so that the mandatory figures, parameters and description entered on the portal match the document exactly.
- Clear document description: use a description that lets the firm later identify which signed document the UDIN belongs to.
ICAI's FAQ also states that the document itself is not uploaded for generating UDIN. The portal captures the prescribed particulars instead. This is a useful distinction for teams that mistakenly assume a signed certificate or report must first be uploaded to ICAI.
How to generate UDIN: step-by-step workflow
- Open the ICAI UDIN portal and sign in. The current ICAI DigiCA UDIN Portal User Manual uses the member's SSP credentials for login.
- Select the relevant firm or individual capacity. Where the portal asks for FRN or capacity, make sure the selection corresponds with the capacity in which the document has actually been signed.
- Choose the correct category and sub-category. The current portal manual groups generation under the applicable professional-document categories. Complete the category-specific fields shown by the portal rather than reusing data from an earlier assignment.
- Enter the signing date and mandatory particulars carefully. Pull the values directly from the final signed document or approved working papers. A wrong date or key value can create a mismatch that cannot simply be edited later.
- Complete authentication and preview the entry. The portal workflow provides a preview before final submission. Use this as a control point: verify the member, FRN or capacity, category, signing date, values and description.
- Submit and record the generated UDIN. The current portal manual states that successful submission generates an 18-digit UDIN. Record it against the corresponding signed assignment in the firm's file so that the signed document and portal record can be traced together.
A short worked example
Assume a firm partner signs a net-worth certificate on 5 September. The preferred process is to generate the UDIN on 5 September itself. If operationally delayed, the ICAI rule allows generation within the applicable 60-day window, but a bank, regulator or other stakeholder may prescribe an earlier requirement and that shorter requirement must be respected.
Now assume the partner generates the UDIN and, the next morning, notices that a key value was entered incorrectly. The solution is not to edit the existing UDIN, because ICAI's current FAQ says a generated UDIN cannot be edited. If still within the permitted revocation window, the member can revoke it with a reason and then generate a fresh UDIN within the permissible generation period.
What if you discover an error after generation?
The current Sixth Edition FAQ provides two important controls. First, a UDIN cannot be edited after it has been generated, which is why the preview step deserves real attention. Second, revocation is available within 48 hours from generation, with the reason for revocation recorded on the portal.
If the 48-hour revocation window has already passed, the FAQ states that a fresh UDIN may be generated within the otherwise permissible time limit while referring to the earlier UDIN in the document description. Because the treatment of the related professional document can depend on why a fresh UDIN is required, the member should also follow any regulator, client, bank or filing-platform requirement that applies to that document.
Firm-level UDIN control checklist
- Make UDIN generation part of the signing checklist, not a separate month-end task.
- Assign responsibility to the actual signing partner or proprietor.
- Cross-check the document date, FRN or signing capacity, category and mandatory values before submission.
- Use the portal preview as a mandatory second check where practical.
- Maintain an assignment-wise record of the UDIN, generation date and the signed document reference.
- If a UDIN is revoked or replaced, retain the reason and cross-reference the old and fresh UDIN in the engagement file.
- Where a regulator or stakeholder prescribes a shorter timing requirement, flag that requirement in the engagement checklist instead of relying on the general 60-day limit.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Generating for the wrong person: UDIN should follow the member who actually signs the document.
- Treating 60 days as the normal timeline: it is an outer ICAI limit and can be overridden by a shorter stakeholder or regulator requirement.
- Using the wrong signing date: the portal entry should track the date of the signed professional document.
- Assuming the document must be uploaded: ICAI's FAQ says document upload is not required for UDIN generation.
- Submitting without preview: a generated UDIN cannot later be edited.
- Ignoring an old incorrect UDIN: if the error is discovered after the 48-hour revocation window, follow the current ICAI FAQ process for a fresh UDIN and reference the earlier UDIN as required.
Practical takeaway
The safest UDIN workflow is simple: generate it when the document is signed, let the actual signing member generate it, verify every field before submission, and maintain a clear engagement-file trail. Use ICAI's UDIN Directorate page and the current Sixth Edition FAQs as the first reference point whenever the portal process or a special case is unclear. The 60-day rule is useful protection against delay, but strong practice management should make same-day generation the norm wherever possible.
