Resources · Accreditation and certification bodies
Accredited certification bodies: how to choose one and check it
There is no single accredited certification bodies list worth copying into a brochure. What matters is whether a body holds current accreditation for your standard and your sector, and whether its certificate can be confirmed at source. These guides show you how to check.
How recognition works
Certification bodies, accreditation bodies and assessors
A certification body audits your management system and decides whether to certify it. An accreditation body assesses the certification body, or a laboratory, against the relevant international standard and grants accreditation for a defined scope. On 1 January 2026 the IAF MLA and the ILAC MRA were replaced by Global ACI, so international recognition of accreditation bodies now runs through Global ACI.
PCI DSS and SOC 2 work differently. A PCI DSS assessment is carried out by a Qualified Security Assessor listed by the PCI Security Standards Council, and a SOC 2 report can only be issued by a licensed CPA firm. Sterling does not certify, accredit or attest; an accredited body or qualified assessor audits and decides. Our consultants prepare you for that audit and help you ask the right questions when you choose who performs it.
Guides
Choose the right body, then verify the result
Each guide answers one question: how to choose a certification body, an accreditation body, a QSA or a service auditor, and how to verify a certificate or attestation before you rely on it.
- Choosing an ISO 9001 certification body: accreditation, sector codes and quotesHow to check accreditation and sector codes, and what every quote must state.
- Choosing an ISO 14001 certification body: accreditation, sector codes and quotesAccreditation for environmental systems, the EMS sector code and how to compare quotes.
- Choosing an ISO/IEC 27001 certification body: accreditation, scope and quotesISMS accreditation, auditor competence on cloud and scope, and how to read a quote.
- Choosing an ISO 45001 certification body: accreditation, sector codes and quotesOH&S accreditation, the risk category that sets audit time, and contractor and site questions.
- Choosing an ISO 22000 certification body: accreditation, food categories and quotesFSMS accreditation, your food chain category and what a quote must state.
- Choosing an accreditation body: Global ACI recognition and what it meansFor laboratories: Global ACI recognition, technical fit and how to compare offers.
- Choosing a QSA: what to ask before you signChecking a Qualified Security Assessor's listing, coverage and proposal before a PCI DSS assessment.
- Choosing a SOC 2 service auditor: what to ask a CPA firmLicence, peer review and independence checks before a CPA firm examines your controls.
- How to verify an ISO 9001 certificate, and spot a fake oneWhere to confirm a certificate is genuine, current and covers what you source.
- How to verify an ISO/IEC 27001 certificate, and spot a fake oneConfirming a certificate at source and reading its scope before you rely on it.
- How to verify a laboratory's ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and scopeChecking that an accreditation is current and covers the result you rely on.
- How to verify a PCI DSS AOC and check a provider's complianceThere is no PCI DSS certificate; what to check in the Attestation of Compliance instead.
These are twelve of the most used guides. The full list, including guides for other standards, is in the menu.
- 60+countries where Sterling has delivered certification
- 21countries with a Sterling office, eight regions, one coordinated team
- 2003the year the group began implementing ISO management systems; the same method, refined, since
- 8,100+client engagements across the group, from single-site SMEs to multinationals
FAQs
Questions about accredited certification bodies
Short answers; the guides above go into detail.
Where do I find a list of accredited certification bodies?
Start with the accreditation body in your market and check its register for the certification body, the standard and the sector scope you need. Recognition of accreditation bodies themselves is now published through Global ACI, which replaced the IAF MLA and the ILAC MRA on 1 January 2026.
Does a certificate from a non-accredited body count?
It may be genuine, but many customers, tenders and regulators ask for an accredited certificate. Check the certificate against the accreditation body's register before you sign with a certification body or accept a supplier's certificate.
Can Sterling certify us or recommend a certification body?
Sterling does not certify. An accredited certification body audits and decides. Our consultants can explain what to check in each proposal so that you choose a body that fits your standard, sector and locations.
Talk to a consultant
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