In a bid to further strengthen the integrity and authenticity of documents certified by Chartered Accountants (CAs), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has introduced a crucial change in the process of generating Unique Document Identification Numbers (UDINs).
CAs are now mandatorily required to disclose the Auditor’s Opinion while generating UDINs under two major categories — ‘GST & Tax Audit’ and ‘Audit & Assurance Functions.’
The UDIN, an 18-digit alphanumeric number, is issued for every document certified or attested by a full-time practising CA. Introduced to combat the growing menace of document forgery and impersonation by non-CAs, the UDIN system ensures that only genuine and authorised professionals certify financial documents. It is now mandatory for a wide range of certifications, including GST and tax audit reports, assurance engagements, and other attestation services.
The new requirement calls for the disclosure of the auditor’s opinion — a formal statement by the auditor on the accuracy and fairness of a company’s financial statements — at the time of UDIN generation. This data, however, will remain confidential and inaccessible to third-party verifiers such as banks and regulatory bodies, who can only use UDIN to validate the authenticity of the document and the credentials of the signing CA.
ICAI aims to further safeguard the credibility of audit reports and prevent misuse of CA certification by unqualified individuals.
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