NCAGE + SAM registration from Japan
The two federal identifiers a company needs before it can do business with the US government — an NCAGE code and a SAM.gov registration — organized from what SAM.gov, NSPA, and Japan's ATLA (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency) publish about the process and timelines. Confirm anything that requires interpretation against the official pages themselves.
Verified against official sources: 2026-09-01
This guide quotes and organizes official sources. It is not advice.
This guide quotes and organizes primary material that a government or official body already publishes, translating it only where the source is in Japanese. It contains no views or advice of Hashike's own. Check how it applies to a specific opportunity against that solicitation and the responsible agency's own information.
Order: NCAGE first, then SAM registration
NAVFAC Far East's official guidance for local contractors sets out three steps in this order: obtain a 5-digit NCAGE code via Japan's ATLA, use that NCAGE code to register in SAM.gov, then search SAM's Opportunities module (which absorbed FedBizOpps in November 2019).
SAM.gov's FAQ for international entities states that since November 2022, SAM.gov no longer requests an NCAGE code from non-DoD applicants. Read together with NAVFAC Far East's own guidance above, that means an NCAGE code is still required for DoD work — which covers the Navy and DLA contracting this guide is written for.
① Obtaining an NCAGE code
ATLA acts as Japan's Tier-2 National Codification Bureau within the NATO Codification System, and processes Japanese companies' NCAGE requests and updates. The application itself, however, is filed through NSPA's own tool, not directly with ATLA: "Please go to the NCAGE Code Request Tool when creating or updating NCAGE Code." Processing takes "maximumly 10 business days," usually reflected "the next business day afternoon or later."
A step-by-step guide published by Marine Corps Installations Pacific lays out the request flow as follows.
- Go to the NSPA e-portal (https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/public/default_eportal.aspx)
- Under "Public Apps," choose "Codification," then open "NCAGE Request"
- Enter the company name and search to confirm no existing registration exists
- Select "Request New" and follow the instructions in the email that follows
ATLA also publishes a Japanese-language contact point: email japan-ncage@atla.mod.go.jp, phone 03-3268-3111 (ext. 27062), with a note to "make contact via e-mail except in case of emergency." It also notes that registering certain product data may first require "approval from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry" under Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act.
② SAM.gov registration
SAM.gov's guidance for international entities frames registration as three required steps.
- Create a login.gov account (multi-factor authentication required)
- Complete entity validation to obtain a UEI (Unique Entity Identifier)
- Complete SAM.gov entity registration
Source: SAM.gov — Entity Registration ↗
On timing: entity validation takes "up to 45 business days" (recent average roughly 14), with a further "up to 10 additional business days" to complete registration. Any government information request must be answered "within 5 business days," or the ticket closes after five days. The guidance also warns that "if not completed within 90 days, the process restarts from Step 3."
Source: SAM.gov — FAQs for Registration for International Entities ↗
Common reasons the same FAQ gives for a registration being sent back.
- Company name or address doesn't match across submitted documents
- No English translation attached, or the translation isn't dated within 30 days of submission
- The document is more than five years old
- Low-quality scans or incomplete uploads
- No single document less than five years old contains both the correct legal name and a physical address (not a PO box)
Source: SAM.gov — FAQs for Registration for International Entities ↗
Sources
See US federal opportunities performed in Japan
Hashike tracks US federal contract opportunities performed in Japan and shows the comparable award history behind each one. Every account includes a 14-day free trial.
Get updates on new opportunities
This page is informational only, not legal advice. Confirm eligibility and procedural details against the official solicitation and the relevant agency.← Back to all guides