How long does the ISO certification Last?

How long does ISO 9001 Certification Lasts

 

Procedure for ISO certification worldwide

ISO is a Non-Governmental Organization that produces the ISO Standards such as ISO 9001, ISO  14001, ISO 45001, ISO 22000, ISO 27001 etc. that is common all over the world. The ISO certification is issued upon Audit which is conducted by the Certification body which is accredited.When an organization decides to be a certified ISO, the Organization contacts the certification body and gets the application for the certification. After the review of the application the certification body comes up with the Agreement for the certification. On an agreed date the certification body carries out the Stage 1 Readiness audit. The observation points raised by the Auditor in the Stage 1 audit is closed and an intimation of Stage 2 audit is given on an agreed date. The certification body Conducts the Stage 2 Certification audit where the effectiveness of the implemented management system. Once the Non conformities given by the Lead auditor in the Stage 2 Audit is closed the ISO certificate is awarded.

3 Year certification Cycle

The ISO certification cycle is determined as 3 years. The first year is called the certification audit, The second and the third year of certification is called the Surveillance and the next cycle of ISO certification starts with recertification process

Certification Vs Surveillance audit

A certification audit which is carried out initially when an organization applies to the ISOcertificate

The purpose of the certification audit is to

·        Performance appraisal (monitoring, measurement, report and review)

·        Assess your legal compliance, prompt process monitoring, internal audit, management review and policy

·        Assess the relationship between regulatory requirements, policies, goals and objectives of performance, responsibilities, competencies of employees, operations, procedures and performance data.

·        Identify all areas for potential management system improvement

A Surveillance audit is the audit performed in the next 2 consecutive years of an certification / Recertification cycle

The purpose of the Surveillance audit is to

·        Make sure your management system continues to meet the requirements between audits

·        Applications require internal audit and management review

·        Consider inconsistent actions identified in previous audit

·        Validate application of complaints

·        Evaluate the ongoing effectiveness of the management system in achieving its goals

·        Rate and evaluate your legal performance

·        Evaluate the progress of the planned activities that are constantly being improved

·        Guarantees continuous operational monitoring

·        Review any changes in your organization from a previous audit

·        Make sure the accreditation marks are used correctly

·        Identify all areas for potential management system improvement

Validity of your ISO 9001 Certificate

Your certificate is valid only for three years subjected to audit every year or as per the audit Plan in the agreement. The validity of the certificate is clearly printed on your certificate with Date of certification, Date of the validity and period of validity and can be verified in the website. The validation of the certificate is based on the following conditions to be adhered

·        Make sure your management system continues to meet the requirements between audits

·        Applications require internal audit and management review

·        Consider inconsistent actions identified in previous audits

·        Evaluate the ongoing effectiveness of the management system to achieve its goals

·        Guarantees continuous operational monitoring

·        Identify all areas for potential management system improvement

An unscheduled audit can also be conducted as per the terms and conditions described in your agreement.

Re-certification

A Recertification audit is performed in an organization when the 3-year cycle of the certificate expires. The Purpose of Re-certification audit is ensuring that the company is capable to effectively managing the system. The auditor ensures the 3-year improvements and Stage 2 requirement of the audit as per the accreditation body.If there have been any major changes such as change of location the certification body carries out a Stage 1 audit again

Transfer certification

The transfer certification is a term used to transfer your certification to other certification body. When an organization finds that a certification does not live up to the expectation companies can and should change the existing certification body. The new certification body accepts the state of certification within the same accreditation when it is equal to or less than 6 months

Retaining ISO 9001 certification

Obtaining ISO 9001 certification, which is an important step for any business, is only the first step in the process of continuous improvement, which is in the philosophy of ISO.

You will be amazed at how much you learn from the certification process; However, after certification, you should continue to use and maintain a management system.

There are a number of requirements that companies must meet to improve their systems and businesses, as well as provide the certification perspective.

This includes management review meetings, ongoing monitoring of customer improvement and satisfaction, as well as regular internal audits. Performing a regular internal audit is time-consuming, which not only requires knowledge and training of the ISO standard, but the person performing the audit is not involved in the work they are investigating.