France · Certification
AS9100 certification in France
Achieve AS9100 certification in France with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Enschede office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for AS9100 in France
Clients include
AS9100 certification in France at a glance
In France, AS9100 is asked for by buyers and schemes rather than required by law. The drivers below show where the pressure comes from.
Aerospace buyers set the rules for AS9100, not a French statute. Prime contractors write supplier quality requirements into their purchasing terms, and a certificate from an accredited body is the usual proof that a machining shop, electronics supplier or maintenance organisation runs a controlled quality system. In France, Cofrac is the sole national accreditation body for management-system certification, and the EU procurement directive points public buyers who ask for quality certificates to systems certified by accredited bodies, leaving each tender to set its own criteria. AS9100 adds aerospace requirements to the quality management approach of ISO 9001, so suppliers who already hold that certificate start with an advantage. Sterling does not certify; the accredited certification body does. Sterling's Enschede office builds the system for clients in France, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement.
Who needs AS9100 in France, and what happens without it
In France the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.
- Aerospace and defence subcontractors asked by prime contractorsPrimes set supplier quality requirements in their purchasing terms.
- Machining, electronics and materials suppliers moving into aerospaceA certified quality system is the usual entry ticket to approved-supplier lists.
- Maintenance and service organisations in the aviation chainCustomers expect independent evidence of a quality system.
- Suppliers also holding ISO 9001The aerospace standard adds sector requirements to an existing quality system.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the AS9100 readiness checkAS9100 requirements in France
Strip away the vocabulary and AS9100 asks a supplier to prove six things about delivering aerospace products safely and on time.
In France these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: AS9100 explained →
How to get AS9100 certified in France
One team from the Enschede office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients in France are served from Sterling's Enschede office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against AS9100 and the French requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
- Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does AS9100 certification take in France?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In France these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Maturity of the existing ISO 9001 system
- Number of sites and product lines
- Special processes and customer-specific requirements
- Flow-down from prime contractors
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does AS9100 certification cost in France?
The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In France these factors move both.
- Number of sites and processes
- Aerospace-specific controls to add
- Product-safety and counterfeit-part controls
- Certification-body audit effort
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
AS9100 consultants and certification bodies in France
Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.
- Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers AS9100 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in France are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
- Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
- Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.
Laws and regulations that drive AS9100 in France (2)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Cofrac — sole national accreditation body | Market driver Accredits management-system certification bodies in France; no French rule recorded makes an aerospace quality certificate mandatory. |
| Directive 2014/24/EU, Article 62 — quality assurance standards | Related Where public authorities require quality certificates, they refer to systems certified by accredited bodies; each tender sets its own criteria. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in France
Use a certification body that your aerospace customers accept and that Cofrac accredits for the standard; check the accreditation scope. The buyer, not Sterling or the regulator, decides which certificates it will recognise. Edition and transition details: AS9100 hub →
Audit language
French or English; aerospace customers and international primes often work in English, so agree the audit language at application.
Remote and on-site
Document review can be remote; main audits are normally on-site, covering production, inspection and configuration control.
AS9100 in France: questions clients ask
Does French law require AS9100 certification?
No French rule recorded here makes an aerospace quality certificate mandatory. The requirement normally comes from customers: prime contractors write supplier quality terms into purchasing conditions. Ask each customer which certificate and which edition it expects, and in what form it wants the evidence, before you plan your certification.
Which accreditation should an AS9100 certification body hold in France?
Accreditation from Cofrac, France's sole national accreditation body, for management-system certification, with a scope that names the standard. Because aerospace customers decide which certificates they accept, also ask them whether they recognise a particular body. Cofrac's mission includes wide acceptance of the certificates of the bodies it accredits, through mutual recognition agreements.
Do we need ISO 9001 before AS9100?
Not as a separate certificate, but you need the quality system. AS9100 builds on the quality management system approach of ISO 9001 and adds aerospace requirements, so a mature ISO 9001 system shortens the work. If you already hold ISO 9001, expect to extend it to the aerospace requirements rather than start again.
Will an aerospace customer accept ISO 9001 instead of AS9100?
Only the customer can say. Some accept ISO 9001 for lower-risk parts, others insist on the aerospace certificate for every approved supplier. No French rule recorded here settles it. Read the supplier quality clauses in the purchase order or quality agreement, and ask the buyer's supplier-quality contact in writing.
More on AS9100 for French organisations
Other standards French businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in France often combine AS9100 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Enschede office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Cofrac — sole national accreditation body — cofrac.fr (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
- Directive 2014/24/EU, Article 62 — quality assurance standards — eur-lex.europa.eu (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
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