About us
Accreditations & Recognitions
Accreditation is the single most important thing to check about a certification body, and the thing buyers check least often. Here is what it means and how to verify it.
Verify this, do not take our word for it
Accreditation matters more than most buyers realise. A certificate issued without accreditation by an IAF MLA signatory body is a private document — it may look identical, but it carries no international recognition and many customers will not accept it. Always check the accreditation mark on a certificate, and always check the certification body’s accreditation status directly with the accreditation body. That applies to our certificates as much as anyone else’s.
Oversight
Accreditation bodies we work with
Certificate numbers and scope schedules are being confirmed against our current accreditation certificates and will be published here in full.
National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies
Management system certification — scope as per accreditation schedule
NABCB accredits certification bodies in India against ISO/IEC 17021-1 and is a signatory to the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement, which is what gives an accredited certificate international standing.
TODO: certificate number
International Accreditation Forum
Multilateral Recognition Arrangement
The IAF MLA is the mechanism by which a certificate accredited in one economy is recognised in another. Certification that is not accredited under an IAF MLA signatory carries no such recognition, whatever the certificate says.
International Register of Certificated Auditors
Auditor training scheme alignment
Our lead auditor training is structured to CQI and IRCA certified training criteria, covering course duration, content, continuous assessment and examination.
What accreditation actually is
Accreditation is the assessment of the certification body itself. A national accreditation body examines whether we conform to ISO/IEC 17021-1 — our impartiality arrangements, auditor competence records, audit-day calculations, certification decision process, complaint handling and record keeping — and grants accreditation for specific standards within specific technical sectors.
It is not a one-time event. Accreditation bodies conduct periodic office assessments and, importantly, witness assessments: an assessor from the accreditation body attends one of our client audits and evaluates how we actually audit, in the field, on a live engagement.
Why the IAF MLA is the part that matters
The International Accreditation Forum operates a Multilateral Recognition Arrangement. Accreditation bodies that are MLA signatories have peer-evaluated each other against a common set of requirements, and each undertakes to recognise certificates accredited by the others.
That arrangement is the entire mechanism by which a certificate accredited in India carries weight with a buyer in Germany or a regulator in the Gulf. A certificate accredited by a body that is not an MLA signatory — or not accredited at all — carries no such recognition, whatever the certificate itself claims. Many international customers reject it outright.
Accredited versus unaccredited certification
| Accredited certification | Unaccredited certification | |
|---|---|---|
| Oversight of the certifier | Certification body assessed against ISO/IEC 17021-1, including witness audits | None, or self-declared |
| International recognition | Recognised via the IAF MLA | None — a private document between two parties |
| Audit duration | Governed by IAF MD 5; minimum days cannot be waived | Set at the certifier’s discretion |
| Decision independence | Mandatory separation of auditor and decision-maker | No requirement |
| Typical customer acceptance | Accepted in tenders, export supply chains and vendor onboarding | Frequently rejected on inspection |
| Relative price | Higher | Lower — because it is worth less |
Common questions
Accreditation — common questions
Yes. Transfer is a defined process under IAF MD 2. We review your current certificate, the accreditation status of the issuing body, your most recent audit reports and the status of any open nonconformities. Where the existing certification is accredited and in good standing, transfer is usually straightforward and does not require a full initial certification audit.
Three reasons, in order of importance. First, whether the certification is accredited — unaccredited certificates cost less because they are worth less. Second, whether the audit days match the IAF MD 5 calculation. Third, whether surveillance audits are included in the quoted figure or charged separately later. Compare the three-year total for accredited certification with correctly calculated audit days, and the range narrows considerably.
Every GMSCPL certificate carries a unique certificate number and can be verified through the certificate verification page on this site, or by contacting us directly. Anyone may verify a certificate; no authorisation from the certified organisation is required, because a certificate that cannot be independently checked is not doing its job.
It means the certification body itself has been assessed by a national accreditation body against ISO/IEC 17021-1, and that the accreditation body is a signatory to the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement. That MLA signature is the mechanism by which a certificate issued in India is recognised elsewhere. A certificate without accreditation from an MLA signatory is a private document — it may look identical and many customers will not accept it.
Question not answered here? Ask a certification specialist — we answer technical questions without requiring an enquiry first.
Next step
Certification that will survive your customer’s scrutiny
If a certificate cannot be verified independently and traced to an MLA-recognised accreditation, it is not doing the job you bought it for.