Accredited or not accredited
Who accredits the certification bodies, how to check a certificate against the register, and what an unaccredited one is worth.
What to know
- Accreditation checks the certification body, including its auditors' competence and certification processes. For ISO 42001, the assessment is based on ISO/IEC 42006.
- UKAS, ANAB, RvA and JAS-ANZ are all signatories to the IAF multilateral agreement. Certificates issued under their recognised accreditation arrangements can receive international recognition.
- Accreditation applies to a specific standard. A body accredited for ISO 27001 is not automatically accredited for ISO 42001, so "UKAS accredited" is incomplete unless it names the standard covered.
- An unaccredited certificate is not automatically fraudulent. It carries less weight, though, and most enterprise and public-sector procurement processes reject certificates without recognised accreditation.
- UKAS says a second tranche of twelve organisations is progressing towards ISO 42001 accreditation. Those organisations have not been named, so the list of accredited bodies is expected to grow.
Why accreditation matters
Anyone can print a certificate. The question for a buyer is who checked the organisation that issued it.
Accreditation tests the certification body's competence against ISO/IEC 42006, including its auditors, impartiality, certification decisions and complaint handling. For ISO/IEC 42001, those accreditation arrangements came after the standard was published, once the rules for assessing certification bodies were in place.
A certificate from a certification body with recognised accreditation gives customers an external basis for trusting the issuer. UKAS, ANAB, RvA and JAS-ANZ are signatories to the IAF multilateral agreement, so certificates issued under their relevant accreditation are recognised internationally.
An unaccredited certificate is not automatically fraudulent. It asks the customer to place trust in an issuer that an accreditation body has not assessed for ISO/IEC 42001. That can make acceptance harder, particularly where an enterprise or public-sector buyer requires accredited certification.
The accreditation bodies that count
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01
UKAS · United Kingdom
The UK's government-appointed national accreditation body. UKAS granted the first UK accreditations for ISO/IEC 42001 in 2026, including BSI. UKAS accreditation is the reference point most often expected in UK procurement. -
02
ANAB · United States
The ANSI National Accreditation Board accredited Schellman for ISO/IEC 42001 in September 2024. It was the first accreditation for this standard worldwide. ANAB is an IAF signatory, so certificates issued under its accreditation have international recognition. -
03
RvA · Netherlands
The Netherlands' national accreditation body. RvA accreditation for ISO/IEC 42001 is held by BSI and TÜV NORD, alongside their other accreditations. Its certificates sit within the same IAF recognition arrangement as UKAS certificates. -
04
JAS-ANZ · Australia and New Zealand
The joint accreditation system for Australia and New Zealand. JAS-ANZ granted ISO/IEC 42001 accreditation to Intertek globally in 2025. It is an IAF signatory, so the accreditation is internationally recognised. A UK customer may still need UKAS where a procurement requirement names UKAS specifically. -
05
Other IAF signatories
National accreditation bodies that participate in the IAF multilateral agreement recognise certificates covered by the arrangement. If a certification body names another accreditation body, check that body against the IAF member list and confirm that its accreditation covers ISO/IEC 42001 before accepting the certificate. -
06
Everything else
A mark outside the IAF arrangement does not carry the same mutual recognition. It may belong to a legitimate national scheme, or it may be a mark created by the certification body itself. Check the accreditation body and its ISO/IEC 42001 scope before relying on it.
What accreditation actually buys you
The audit process and certificate may look similar on paper. Accreditation gives the certificate external credibility by adding independent checks on the certification body.
| Question | Accredited by an IAF signatory | Unaccredited |
|---|---|---|
| Who checked the auditor? | A national accreditation body, against ISO/IEC 42006 | Nobody outside the firm |
| Does procurement accept it? | Usually, including public sector | Rarely |
| Recognised in other countries? | Yes, through the IAF multilateral agreement | No |
| Impartiality enforced? | Yes, audited | Self-declared |
| Auditor competence assessed? | Yes, witnessed on real audits | Self-declared |
| Complaints route beyond the body? | Yes, via the accreditation body | No |
| Can you verify it publicly? | Yes, on the public register | No |
How to check a certificate in five minutes
Start with the certificate itself. A genuine accredited certificate usually names the accreditation body, displays its mark and includes a reference number. If it names no accreditation body, it is not an accredited certificate.
Check that the accreditation mark covers ISO/IEC 42001. A body can hold accreditation for ISO 27001 or other standards without holding it for ISO/IEC 42001. The mark may appear on official stationery rather than on the certificate itself, so check the supporting documents too.
Find the accreditation body's published schedule for the certification body. It should list ISO/IEC 42001 and show the scopes covered by the accreditation. If the standard does not appear on that schedule, the accreditation does not cover ISO/IEC 42001.
Most certification bodies publish searchable certificate registers. Use the reference number or organisation name to find the issued certificate, then compare its scope with the document you received. The registered scope should match the presented scope.
Read the scope carefully. A certificate may cover one product line rather than the whole organisation. Product-line coverage does not establish company-wide certification, and unclear presentation can create a misleading impression without proving that anyone deliberately lied.
The list will change
UKAS has completed its ISO/IEC 42001 pilot programme and has started awarding accreditations. Seven certification bodies completed the first tranche. Twelve more organisations are progressing through the second, although UKAS has not disclosed their names.
That means some bodies currently described as "in accreditation" may gain accreditation within months. Accreditation registers, and any comparison based on them, can therefore become out of date.
Each entry in our list carries a date showing when its accreditation status was checked. We re-check accreditation registers monthly and update the list when the position changes.
Questions people ask
A body says it is UKAS accredited. Is that enough?
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No. Check that the accreditation covers ISO/IEC 42001 specifically. A body may hold UKAS accreditation for ISO/IEC 27001 while lacking accreditation for ISO/IEC 42001. Ask for the relevant scope and check it against the UKAS register.
Is an unaccredited certificate worthless?
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No. An unaccredited certificate may still be based on a sound audit. It carries less weight where a customer, procurement team or other party requires independent confirmation of the certification body. Ask the recipient what level of accreditation they require before choosing an unaccredited route.
Our body is mid-accreditation. Should we wait?
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Ask when the body expects to receive accreditation and what will happen to your certificate afterwards. Some bodies reissue certificates once accreditation is granted. Get the proposed arrangement, including any reissue terms, in writing before the audit.
Does an ANAB certificate work in the UK?
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Usually, yes. ANAB and UKAS are both signatories to the IAF multilateral agreement, which supports recognition of certificates issued under their accreditation. A UK customer that asks specifically for UKAS may still want to discuss an ANAB certificate before you proceed.
Who accredits the accreditation bodies?
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Accreditation bodies peer-evaluate one another through the IAF multilateral agreement. That mutual recognition system supports the acceptance of certificates issued in one country by organisations in another. It is why an appropriately accredited ANAB certificate can usually be considered in the UK.
See which bodies are accredited for ISO 42001
Accreditation status and accrediting authority on every entry, checked against the register.