Verify an ISO certificate
How to check whether any ISO certificate is genuine — ours or anyone else's — in under a minute, without taking the holder's word for it.
Check it on IAF CertSearch, not here
The authoritative check is IAF CertSearch, the global registry of accredited certifications run by the International Accreditation Forum. Search it by company name or by certificate number.
We are deliberately sending you somewhere other than our own website. A verification box on a certificate holder's own site proves nothing — it is their page, returning their answer. The registry is independent of both of us, which is the entire point.
Every certificate we issue is listed on IAF CertSearch. If one of ours does not appear, tell us — that is a problem worth knowing about immediately.
What the result actually tells you
A certificate that does not appear is not automatically fraudulent. Listings can lag a freshly issued certificate. But the burden shifts back to whoever is presenting it, and a supplier who cannot explain the gap has told you something.
- Listed and active — the certificate is accredited and currently valid
- Listed but suspended or withdrawn — it exists, but it is not valid now, whatever the printed expiry date says
- Not listed — the certificate is not accredited, or the listing is lagging a very recent issue
- Listed with a different scope — the most common surprise, and the one worth reading carefully
Read the scope, not just the logo
The scope statement names the activities and sites the certificate covers, and it is where most problems hide. A contractor certified for 'general trading' is not certified for the fabrication work you are buying. A multi-site business may hold a certificate covering one site.
Compare the scope against the work in your contract, line by line. A valid certificate for the wrong activity is a valid certificate that does not apply to you.
Four checks before accepting any certificate
- Look it up on IAF CertSearch by company name or certificate number
- Ask which accreditation body stands behind it — not which body issued it
- Read the scope statement and compare it to the work you are actually buying
- Confirm it is still active: certificates can be suspended or withdrawn without the printed date changing
These take minutes and filter out the overwhelming majority of unverifiable certificates. Most procurement teams perform none of them.
Why unaccredited certificates exist at all
They are cheap, fast, and visually indistinguishable from the real thing — same layout, same seals, often an official-looking logo belonging to a body that accredited itself.
They survive because most buyers check whether a certificate exists rather than whether it means anything. The registry closes that gap, which is why it is worth using even when the certificate in front of you looks impeccable.
Verifying a certificate we issued
Search IAF CertSearch first. If you need something the registry does not show — confirmation of a current surveillance cycle, or a scope question that needs a human answer — email us with the certificate number and we will confirm it.
Clients with a portal account can also see their own certificates, current status and renewal dates after signing in.