How to Check, Generate or Download Your URA TIN Number Online in Uganda

You can check or recover your URA Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) online in minutes using the AskURA app or the Search TIN tool, or generate a brand-new one for free in about five minutes with your National ID number through the Instant TIN service at ura.go.ug. As of October 2026, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) still doesn't charge anything for a TIN, whichever route you use — and it's now also asking every existing taxpayer to confirm their National ID details on file, which we cover below.

Quick facts

A TIN is a 10-digit number URA uses to identify you as a taxpayer, "allocated and issued free of charge by URA to identify a person as a registered taxpayer" (URA, TIN application, checked October 2026). You need one to file any return, register a business or NSSF account, open certain bank and mobile money merchant accounts, import goods, pay stamp duty, or bid for government tenders.

How to find or check your existing TIN number online

If you've registered before and just need your number again, you don't have to visit an office or reapply. URA gives you three self-service options:

1. AskURA app. Open the app, enter the email address or phone number you registered with, choose Individual or Non Individual, and tap submit. Your registered TIN details appear on screen straight away (URA, Search TIN, checked October 2026).
2. Search TIN on the web portal. On the Search TIN page, fill in your date of birth, mobile number, mother's maiden name and registered email address, then submit. Get all four right and URA emails your TIN to the address on file.
3. WhatsApp. Message URA's line on 0772 140 000 and ask for your TIN.

None of these work if the phone number or email URA holds for you is outdated — that's the usual reason a lookup fails. In that case, you'll need to visit a URA office in person with your National ID to have your contact details corrected before you can recover anything online.

How to generate a new TIN online (Instant TIN)

This is the route for individual Ugandan citizens with a National ID already linked to NIRA. It takes about five minutes and "is not subject to verification or approval by URA staff" (URA, Instant TIN Application, checked October 2026):

1. Go to ura.go.ug and open Get a TIN.
2. Click Instant TIN Application.
3. Choose Individual.
4. Enter your National ID number (NIN) exactly as it appears on your ID.
5. Fill in your title, marital status, surname and first name.
6. Select your source of income, then add your address, email and phone number.
7. Tick the "I'm not a robot" check.
8. Click Submit.

Your TIN arrives by SMS and email straight away. If any detail — your name, date of birth or address — doesn't match what NIRA has on file for your National ID, the instant route rejects the application and you'll need the standard Individual TIN form instead. This route is only open to individuals with a NIN; URA's own page doesn't extend it to companies, even ones already registered with URSB, so a business always applies through the Non-Individual route below.

No National ID yet? Use the standard Individual TIN form

If you're not eligible for the instant route — a non-citizen, a minor, or a Ugandan without a National ID yet — you register through URA's Individual TIN application instead. This one is "done online by completing and uploading an excel Template" (URA, Individual TIN Application, checked October 2026), and URA checks it before issuing your TIN. What you attach depends on who you are:

Because a URA officer checks this route rather than it being issued instantly, expect it to take longer than the five minutes an Instant TIN takes — URA doesn't publish a fixed turnaround, so don't assume same-day.

Registering a company or organisation

Companies, partnerships, NGOs, trusts and government entities use the separate Non-Individual TIN application, also completed online with an excel template. Unlike the individual route, "applications undergo verification and approval by URA staff" before a TIN is issued, with required documents varying by entity type — a certificate of incorporation and Company Form 20 for a private company, for instance, or a certificate and constitution for an NGO (URA, Non-Individual TIN Application, checked October 2026). If you're setting up a small business rather than a company, our guide to starting a mobile money agent business in Uganda walks through the registration steps you'll need alongside your TIN. A registered cooperative needs a Non-Individual TIN too — if you're setting one up, see our guide to registering a SACCO in Uganda for the full process and costs.

Uganda is moving from TIN to NIN — what this means for you

A 2025 amendment to Section 4 of the Tax Procedures Code Act makes your National ID number (NIN) your tax identifier if you're an individual, and your Business Registration Number (BRN) your identifier if you run a company — URA says this took effect on 1 July 2025 (URA, "Mandatory update of taxpayers' registration details", checked October 2026). On 21 May 2026, URA followed up with a public notice requiring every registered taxpayer to update their NIN or BRN, active phone number, physical address and nature of business on their TIN account. If your details are out of date, the portal "prompts" you to fix them before you can file a return, generate a payment slip or process a refund.

This doesn't mean the TIN disappears — individuals and companies still register and receive a TIN exactly as described above, and URA was still issuing and using TINs as of this check. What's changing is that your TIN account now has to be tied cleanly to your actual NIN or BRN, so don't ignore a prompt to update your details next time you log in — it can block you from transacting until you do. If you've recently changed your phone number or renewed your National ID, log in and update your profile rather than waiting to be locked out.

How to download your TIN certificate

Once you have a TIN, you can pull a PDF copy of your certificate yourself, without visiting a URA office:

1. Go to the URA web portal and click Login in the top right.
2. Enter your TIN as your Login ID. First time logging in? Check the email address you registered with for a default password.
3. Under e-Services, open Taxpayer Profile.
4. Click Print TIN Certificate.

The certificate downloads as a PDF you can save or print (Beyonic Help Center, "How to download my URA TIN certificate", checked October 2026). Keep it somewhere safe — banks, landlords and some employers ask to see it, and it's far quicker to attach a PDF than to log back into the portal every time.

What to watch out for

• Don't pay anyone for a TIN. Registration is free on URA's own site. An agent, cyber café or "tax consultant" charging you a fee for the registration itself is charging you for something that costs nothing.
• Match your National ID details exactly. A misspelt name, wrong date of birth or address that doesn't match NIRA's records is the most common reason the Instant TIN route fails and bounces you to the slower manual form.
• One TIN per person, for life. Don't apply again because you've forgotten your number or changed jobs — use the AskURA app or Search TIN instead. Having two TINs linked to you causes real problems when you file returns.
• Don't ignore the NIN/BRN update prompt. It's new, it's easy to dismiss as spam the first time you see it, and URA can hold up your next transaction until you've confirmed your details.
• Keep your login and OTPs private. URA staff will never ask you to share your portal password or a one-time code over the phone.

If you're setting up a new venture and working through what else needs registering, our guide to starting a small bakery in Uganda covers the wider business-plan side, and if mobile money fees are part of your costing, see what you'll actually pay in MTN MoMo and Airtel Money charges in Uganda. Uganda isn't alone in linking a national ID to tax registration — Tanzania runs a similar NIDA-linked model for its TRA TIN. Once you're earning a salary or paying one, see the exact PAYE tax bands and worked examples for Uganda, or run your own numbers with our Uganda PAYE calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really free to get a TIN from URA?

Yes. URA states plainly that a TIN is "issued free of charge" to every registered taxpayer, whether you apply through the Instant TIN route or the standard Individual or Non-Individual forms. Don't pay anyone who tells you otherwise.

How do I find my TIN if I've already registered but forgotten it?

Use the AskURA app (enter the email or phone you registered with, pick Individual or Non Individual, and submit) or the Search TIN tool on the web portal, which needs your date of birth, mobile number, mother's maiden name and registered email. You can also message URA's WhatsApp line on 0772 140 000.

How long does the Instant TIN process take?

About five minutes if your National ID number matches NIRA's records exactly. Your TIN arrives by SMS and email the same moment you submit, since the Instant TIN route isn't reviewed by a URA officer.

Can I get a TIN without a National ID?

Yes, but not instantly. Non-citizens use their passport, and Ugandans without a National ID yet still register through the standard Individual TIN form, which URA staff check before issuing a TIN. This route doesn't have a published turnaround time.

Is URA really replacing TIN with NIN?

Not entirely, and not yet in full. A 2025 law change makes your NIN your tax identifier as an individual and took effect 1 July 2025, and URA's May 2026 notice requires you to update your NIN on your TIN account — but URA was still issuing and operating TINs as of this check, so register and keep your TIN; just don't ignore any prompt to confirm your NIN or BRN when you log in.

How do I get a copy of my TIN certificate if I've lost it?

Log into the URA portal using your TIN as your Login ID, go to e-Services, open Taxpayer Profile, and click Print TIN Certificate to download a fresh PDF. You don't need to visit an office or reapply.