How Do I Get a National Stock Number (NSN)?
National Stock Number or North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Stock Number (NSN) assignment is:
- A government-to-government function; only government agencies can request an NSN assignment.
- Only assigned by a National Codification Bureau (NCB).
Example:
A United States (U.S.) based company has a contract to sell a system to the Italian Air Force. The Italian Air Force works with the Italian NCB to ensure codification/cataloging of the spare parts for the system is completed:
- The U.S. company provides technical data to the Italian Air Force or the Italian NCB so that the items can be properly codified/cataloged.
- The Italian NCB sends a request along with all associated data to the U.S. NCB for assignment of the NSNs.
Note: To conduct business with a government, a company must have a NATO Commercial and Government Entity Code (CAGE/NCAGE). This is a five-digit code assigned by the NCB of the country where the company is physically located or by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) (Non-DLA Web Site) if the country does not have an NCB.