{
  "schema_version": "citation-answer/v1",
  "answer_key": "get-a-cage-code",
  "artifact_slug": "get-a-cage-code",
  "query": "how to get a cage code",
  "citation_slots": 2,
  "canonical_path": "/guides/get-a-cage-code",
  "title": "How to Get a CAGE Code — SAM.gov Registration Path",
  "description": "How a CAGE code is assigned through SAM.gov entity registration and maintained through DLA's CAGE program, with dated official sources and limitations.",
  "answer_capsule": "A CAGE code is assigned through SAM.gov entity registration rather than a separate application. You register the entity at SAM.gov, and the Defense Logistics Agency's Commercial and Government Entity program assigns the code. DLA's CAGE portal, accessed 2026-07-22, is the named channel for CAGE search, request, and update actions, and 1 registration covers 1 entity.",
  "scope": "This guide covers how a U.S. entity obtains a CAGE code through the current SAM.gov registration flow and where the code is searched or updated afterward. It does not cover NATO NCAGE requests for foreign entities in detail, and it does not assess any entity's registration or exclusion status.",
  "methodology_version": "citation-answer/v1",
  "reproducibility_note": "Re-derive this answer from the cited government file; no Fonteum account is required.",
  "limitations": [
    "This page describes the process as published by DLA and GSA on the access date; agency workflows can change without notice.",
    "Foreign entities follow the NATO NCAGE path before SAM.gov registration; that path is out of scope here.",
    "Nothing on this page is a statement about any specific entity's registration, eligibility, or exclusion status."
  ],
  "related_links": [
    {
      "label": "CAGE code definition",
      "href": "/glossary/cage-code"
    },
    {
      "label": "SAM exclusion list",
      "href": "/gov/sam-exclusion-list"
    },
    {
      "label": "CAGE code lookup",
      "href": "/gov/cage-code-lookup"
    }
  ],
  "data_as_of": "2026-07-22",
  "source_artifacts": [
    {
      "source_key": "dla-cage-program",
      "kind": "upstream",
      "file_name": "Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Program portal",
      "file_url": "https://cage.dla.mil/",
      "publisher": "Defense Logistics Agency",
      "published_date": null,
      "retrieved_date": null,
      "data_as_of": "2026-07-22",
      "sha256": null
    },
    {
      "source_key": "sam-entity-registration",
      "kind": "upstream",
      "file_name": "SAM.gov entity registration",
      "file_url": "https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration",
      "publisher": "U.S. General Services Administration",
      "published_date": null,
      "retrieved_date": null,
      "data_as_of": "2026-07-22",
      "sha256": null
    }
  ],
  "published_date": "2026-07-22",
  "modified_date": "2026-07-22",
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_key": "dla-cage-program",
      "name": "Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Program portal",
      "publisher": "Defense Logistics Agency",
      "official_url": "https://cage.dla.mil/",
      "source_date_kind": "accessed",
      "source_date": "2026-07-22",
      "limitation": "The CAGE portal covers code search, request, and update workflows. It does not establish that an entity is award-eligible, responsible, or free of exclusions."
    },
    {
      "source_key": "sam-entity-registration",
      "name": "SAM.gov entity registration",
      "publisher": "U.S. General Services Administration",
      "official_url": "https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration",
      "source_date_kind": "accessed",
      "source_date": "2026-07-22",
      "limitation": "SAM.gov registration status is self-maintained entity data. Registration alone does not establish award eligibility, past performance, or exclusion status."
    }
  ],
  "facts": [
    {
      "fact_key": "assignment-path",
      "label": "Assignment path",
      "value": "CAGE codes are administered by the Defense Logistics Agency's Commercial and Government Entity program; the portal at cage.dla.mil carries the search-and-inquiry and request-or-update workflows, observed 2026-07-22.",
      "source": {
        "source_key": "dla-cage-program",
        "name": "Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Program portal",
        "publisher": "Defense Logistics Agency",
        "official_url": "https://cage.dla.mil/",
        "source_date_kind": "accessed",
        "source_date": "2026-07-22",
        "limitation": "The CAGE portal covers code search, request, and update workflows. It does not establish that an entity is award-eligible, responsible, or free of exclusions."
      }
    },
    {
      "fact_key": "sam-registration",
      "label": "Where registration happens",
      "value": "SAM.gov entity registration is the U.S. entry point; the CAGE assignment rides on the SAM.gov registration record rather than a standalone CAGE application, per the SAM.gov entity-registration page accessed 2026-07-22.",
      "source": {
        "source_key": "sam-entity-registration",
        "name": "SAM.gov entity registration",
        "publisher": "U.S. General Services Administration",
        "official_url": "https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration",
        "source_date_kind": "accessed",
        "source_date": "2026-07-22",
        "limitation": "SAM.gov registration status is self-maintained entity data. Registration alone does not establish award eligibility, past performance, or exclusion status."
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Do I apply for a CAGE code separately from SAM.gov?",
      "answer": "No. For U.S. entities the CAGE code is assigned as part of SAM.gov entity registration. DLA's CAGE portal then handles search, inquiry, and update requests against the assigned code."
    },
    {
      "question": "Where do I look up an existing CAGE code?",
      "answer": "Use the CAGE Search & Inquiry workflow on DLA's portal at cage.dla.mil, or the entity's SAM.gov record. Both reflect the registration data the entity itself maintains."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does having a CAGE code mean an entity is award-eligible?",
      "answer": "No. A CAGE code is an identifier tied to a registration record. Eligibility, responsibility, and exclusion status are separate determinations recorded in other federal systems."
    }
  ]
}