To prevent unscrupulous individuals from posing as Chartered Accountants, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), has introduced the concept of Unique Document Identification Number (UDIN).
As per the prior notification, the start date to use UDIN was 1st of January 2019. However, it was recently announced that the use of UDIN on all attested documents would be required from the 1st of February 2019.
The attestation of a Chartered Accountant on any document, in his professional capacity, has great value. This signature gives an assurance that there exists no misrepresentation by the entity submitting such a document.
A welcome move by ICAI, alloting UDINs to CAs will ensure greater transparency. It will help secure attested and certified documents, trace forged signatures, and single out manufactured documents.
