Where we work · Kiribati
ISO and GRC certification consulting in Kiribati
Achieve ISO and GRC certification in Kiribati with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
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Sectors that ask for certification in Kiribati
Clients include
ISO and GRC certification in Kiribati at a glance
Kiribati's rulebook has changed quickly: the Data Protection Act 2025 has a Notice of Commencement Date appointing 20 August 2026, the Cybersecurity Act 2026 gives the Digital Transformation Office a register of critical infrastructure, and the Kiribati Building Act 2024 sets permits and a Building Code. Seafood exporters work under the Fish Export Regulations 2012, where the Kiribati Seafood Verification Agency licenses processing establishments and expects an approved HACCP plan for fish produced for export. Operators of environmentally significant activities need an environment licence under the Environment (General) Regulations 2025, and employers answer to the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2015. Public tenders run through the Central Procurement Unit under the Public Procurement Act 2019, and each tender sets its own certificate conditions. The Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation lists no Kiribati member, so certificates come from certification bodies accredited elsewhere, never from Sterling. Sterling's Sydney office serves Kiribati, backed by 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years of practice, and Effivity and Sterling Academy included with every engagement.
ISO and GRC standards Sterling delivers in Kiribati
Each card opens Sterling's guide to the standard: what it requires, how certification or compliance works and what sets the time and cost.
Quality & operational excellence
Information security, cyber & cloud
Privacy & data protection
AI governance & digital trust
Environment, energy & climate
Health & safety
Governance, risk & resilience
Financial services, payments & AML
Food safety & agriculture
Healthcare, medical devices & life sciences
Laboratories, inspection & accreditation
Automotive, aerospace, rail & defence
Construction, energy, oil & gas
Regulators and laws that drive certification in Kiribati (9)
| Law or regulator | What it asks for | Standards it cites |
|---|---|---|
| Data Protection Act 2025 the Digital Transformation Office (the Office) established under the Digital Government Act 2023, which the Act makes responsible for oversight and enforcement throughout Kiribati; the Act is administered under the direction and control of the Secretary of the responsible Ministry | The Act applies to processing of personal data within Kiribati, and outside Kiribati where the processing relates to offering goods or services to, or monitoring the behaviour of, people in Kiribati. It sets principles for purpose, minimisation, retention and quality, lawful bases, rights of access, correction and deletion, written agreements with processors, security measures, breach records and notification, data protection impact assessments for controllers of major importance, and conditions for processing or transferring data outside Kiribati. A person who is resident or operating in Kiribati and is not a controller of major importance, meaning one handling the data of more than 10,000 people in Kiribati, is outside the Act until the second anniversary of the date it comes into force. Regulations and guidance may add detail. | |
| Kiribati Seafood Verification Agency, the Competent Authority established within the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development, acting with the Director of Fisheries Seafood processors and fish exporters | Fisheries Act 2010 and the Fish Export Regulations 2012. The Regulations establish the Agency, regulate and control fish processing establishments and provide for verification of all seafood exports from Kiribati. A fish processing establishment needs a licence from the Director, issued after plans, specifications and a physical inspection, and an application lists the HACCP programme for the products. The conditions of a licence require that all fish and fish products produced for export are produced under an approved and documented HACCP plan, confirmed by an authorised officer and subject to annual review. The Regulations also provide for operator standards issued by the Director, called Industry Agreed Standards. | HACCP, ISO 22000 |
| the Minister responsible for health, who appoints food inspectors under the Food Safety Act 2006 Food businesses selling food in Kiribati | Food Safety Act 2006 (Act No. 5 of 2006). The Act sets labelling rules for packaged food, makes it an offence to sell unfit, adulterated or perished food or to produce or sell food in insanitary conditions, gives food inspectors powers to enter premises, take samples and seize items, and allows premises to be closed. It defines good hygienic practices by reference to the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene. It does not mention HACCP, and regulations may prescribe food standards. | |
| the Secretary responsible for the Environment Act 2021 and the Department, as the Regulations name them Developers, hotels, processors and other operators of environmentally significant activities | Environment Act 2021 and the Environment (General) Regulations 2025. A person proposing an environmentally significant activity must apply for an environment licence before starting, and the Secretary screens the application and may require a basic or comprehensive environmental impact assessment report with an environment management plan. A licence holder must monitor its activities, tell the Department without delay of any incident that may significantly affect the environment or human health, keep monitoring and discharge records for at least five years, and accept inspection by an environment inspector. Reports must be prepared by a registered EIA consultant. | ISO 14001 |
| the Secretary of the Ministry responsible for the Act, with inspectors appointed by the Beretitenti Employers and workplaces in every sector | Occupational Health and Safety Act 2015. An employer must provide and maintain a workplace that is safe and without risks to health so far as practicable, identify and assess hazards, address significant hazards in the order of eliminate, minimise, isolate and control, give information, training and supervision, and keep records of monitoring. Duties extend to independent contractors for matters the employer controls. Serious accidents must be notified to the Secretary. The Act does not name ISO 45001. | ISO 45001 |
| the Digital Transformation Office, responsible for national cybersecurity, with the Minister responsible for information and communications technology administering the Act Operators of critical infrastructure, including information systems that support it | Cybersecurity Act 2026 (No. 7 of 2026), which commences on a date the Minister appoints by notice. The Minister designates critical infrastructure, and the Office keeps a register, issues cybersecurity standards and may conduct or require audits and inspections. Operators must submit periodic cybersecurity assessments, appoint a Chief Information Security Officer or equivalent, maintain policies and procedures with records, run a cybersecurity risk management framework, manage third-party and supply chain risk, and report significant incidents to the National CERT. The Act does not name ISO/IEC 27001. | ISO/IEC 27001 |
| the Digital Transformation Office, established under the Digital Government Act 2023 Government bodies, state-owned enterprises and their digital suppliers | Digital Government Act 2023. It establishes the Digital Transformation Office, provides for standards, specifications and guidelines for public bodies, and obliges a public body to comply with the standards, guidelines and specifications the Office develops. It also sets security expectations for systems used by public bodies, which suppliers of those systems meet through their contracts. The Act does not name an ISO standard. | |
| the Metrology Division and the Director appointed under the Act, in the Ministry responsible for commerce Traders, packers, laboratories and users of measuring instruments | Metrology Act 2021 (No. 3 of 2021), with a notice of commencement signed by the Minister of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives and published in 2026, and the Metrology (Transactions in Products) Regulations 2026, which revoke the Weights and Measures Regulations 1997. The Act's purposes include traceability of measurements to the International System of Units and support for export competitiveness. It lets national standards be calibrated by calibration laboratories accredited by a signatory of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement and lets the Minister authorise accredited facilities to verify instruments. | ISO/IEC 17025 |
| the Minister responsible for building infrastructure and the Ministry, with approval authorities, building inspectors and the Building Practitioners and Engineers Registration Board Builders, developers, engineers and building owners | Kiribati Building Act 2024, which commences on a date the Minister appoints by notice and applies to South Tarawa, Kiritimati and designated buildings in the outer islands. It requires buildings to be structurally sufficient, safe, accessible and stable, requires building permits, provides for a Kiribati Building Code that can incorporate standards, and provides for building inspections, completion certificates, certificates of occupancy, stop work notices and registration of building practitioners and engineers. The Gazette page of the Office of Te Beretitenti also lists a Kiribati National Building Code 2024. | ISO 45001 |
Accreditation and recognition
- Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC): Regional cooperation of accreditation bodies whose published member list shows no accreditation body for Kiribati.
- Metrology Division, Ministry responsible for commerce: Legal metrology authority under the Metrology Act 2021, which refers to calibration laboratories accredited by an ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement signatory and to accredited facilities authorised to verify instruments.
Look for a certification body whose accreditation scope covers your standard and sector, from a national accreditation body recognised under the international arrangements of Global ACI (Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA). Sterling does not certify.
Tenders and procurement
- Public Procurement Act 2019 and the Public Procurement Regulations 2020 (Central Procurement Unit, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, headed by the Chief Procurement Officer): The Central Procurement Unit's 2024 annual report says the Unit supports 41 procuring entities: 15 ministries, 8 statutory corporations and 18 active state-owned enterprises. The Act provides for pre-qualification, evaluation criteria set in the Regulations, anti-corruption and conflict-of-interest declarations, and a domestic preference that must be explained in the tender documents. The Act itself does not set certificate requirements, so read the conditions of each tender. The report adds that procurement run under World Bank and Asian Development Bank rules is excluded from the Unit's report and follows those banks' own policy frameworks.
Sterling in Kiribati
Sterling delivers in Kiribati from its Sydney office: one team from scoping to certificate, with Effivity ISO & GRC software and Sterling Academy access included. Sterling does not certify; certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
Questions Kiribati clients ask
Does Kiribati have a data protection law?
Yes. The Data Protection Act 2025 is the national law, and a Notice of Commencement Date appoints 20 August 2026 as the day it comes into force. It covers processing in Kiribati and processing abroad that offers goods or services to people in Kiribati, with the Digital Transformation Office overseeing it. Smaller local controllers are outside it for a period, so confirm your position with your counsel.
Who regulates seafood exports in Kiribati?
The Kiribati Seafood Verification Agency, the Competent Authority within the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development, under the Fish Export Regulations 2012. Processing establishments need a licence from the Director of Fisheries, and fish produced for export must follow an approved, documented HACCP plan reviewed annually. Ask the Agency which operator standards and approvals your products need.
Do Kiribati businesses need an environment licence?
Only for an environmentally significant activity. The Environment (General) Regulations 2025 require an application before the activity starts, and the Secretary screens it and may ask for an environmental impact assessment report prepared by a registered consultant. Licence holders then monitor, keep records and accept inspection. Check with the Department whether your proposal counts as such an activity.
What does the Cybersecurity Act 2026 ask of operators?
Operators of designated critical infrastructure must submit periodic assessments, appoint a Chief Information Security Officer or equivalent, keep policies and records, run a risk management framework, manage supplier risk and report significant incidents to the National CERT. The Act commences on a date the Minister appoints by notice, so ask the Digital Transformation Office whether your assets are designated.
Does Kiribati have its own accreditation body?
No Kiribati accreditation body appears on the member list published by the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation. A Kiribati organisation's certificate therefore normally rests on accreditation held in another economy, within the international arrangements. When shortlisting certification bodies, request each one's accreditation certificate and scope, and ask your buyer which accreditation it recognises.
Are certification audits in Kiribati conducted in English?
Mostly in English. Kiribati's Acts, regulations and gazette notices are published in English, and licence applications under the Environment (General) Regulations 2025 must be in English as well. Staff interviews can be held in Kiribati if people prefer. Settle the audit language, any interpreter and the language of controlled documents when you apply, since island travel makes late changes costly.
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Sources
- Data Protection Act 2025 — president.gov.ki; mict.gov.ki (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Fisheries Act 2010 and the Fish Export Regulations 2012. The Regulations establish the Agency, regulate and control fish processing establishments and provide for verification of all seafood exports from Kiribati. A fish processing establishment needs a licence from the Director, issued after plans, specifications and a physical inspection, and an application lists the HACCP programme for the products. The conditions of a licence require that all fish and fish products produced for export are produced under an approved and documented HACCP plan, confirmed by an authorised officer and subject to annual review. The Regulations also provide for operator standards issued by the Director, called Industry Agreed Standards. — kiribati.tradeportal.org (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Food Safety Act 2006 (Act No. 5 of 2006). The Act sets labelling rules for packaged food, makes it an offence to sell unfit, adulterated or perished food or to produce or sell food in insanitary conditions, gives food inspectors powers to enter premises, take samples and seize items, and allows premises to be closed. It defines good hygienic practices by reference to the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene. It does not mention HACCP, and regulations may prescribe food standards. — pacliirms.austlii.edu.au (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Environment Act 2021 and the Environment (General) Regulations 2025. A person proposing an environmentally significant activity must apply for an environment licence before starting, and the Secretary screens the application and may require a basic or comprehensive environmental impact assessment report with an environment management plan. A licence holder must monitor its activities, tell the Department without delay of any incident that may significantly affect the environment or human health, keep monitoring and discharge records for at least five years, and accept inspection by an environment inspector. Reports must be prepared by a registered EIA consultant. — president.gov.ki (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Occupational Health and Safety Act 2015. An employer must provide and maintain a workplace that is safe and without risks to health so far as practicable, identify and assess hazards, address significant hazards in the order of eliminate, minimise, isolate and control, give information, training and supervision, and keep records of monitoring. Duties extend to independent contractors for matters the employer controls. Serious accidents must be notified to the Secretary. The Act does not name ISO 45001. — pacliirms.austlii.edu.au (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Cybersecurity Act 2026 (No. 7 of 2026), which commences on a date the Minister appoints by notice. The Minister designates critical infrastructure, and the Office keeps a register, issues cybersecurity standards and may conduct or require audits and inspections. Operators must submit periodic cybersecurity assessments, appoint a Chief Information Security Officer or equivalent, maintain policies and procedures with records, run a cybersecurity risk management framework, manage third-party and supply chain risk, and report significant incidents to the National CERT. The Act does not name ISO/IEC 27001. — president.gov.ki; mict.gov.ki (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Digital Government Act 2023. It establishes the Digital Transformation Office, provides for standards, specifications and guidelines for public bodies, and obliges a public body to comply with the standards, guidelines and specifications the Office develops. It also sets security expectations for systems used by public bodies, which suppliers of those systems meet through their contracts. The Act does not name an ISO standard. — mict.gov.ki (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Metrology Act 2021 (No. 3 of 2021), with a notice of commencement signed by the Minister of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives and published in 2026, and the Metrology (Transactions in Products) Regulations 2026, which revoke the Weights and Measures Regulations 1997. The Act's purposes include traceability of measurements to the International System of Units and support for export competitiveness. It lets national standards be calibrated by calibration laboratories accredited by a signatory of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement and lets the Minister authorise accredited facilities to verify instruments. — pacliirms.austlii.edu.au; president.gov.ki (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Kiribati Building Act 2024, which commences on a date the Minister appoints by notice and applies to South Tarawa, Kiritimati and designated buildings in the outer islands. It requires buildings to be structurally sufficient, safe, accessible and stable, requires building permits, provides for a Kiribati Building Code that can incorporate standards, and provides for building inspections, completion certificates, certificates of occupancy, stop work notices and registration of building practitioners and engineers. The Gazette page of the Office of Te Beretitenti also lists a Kiribati National Building Code 2024. — president.gov.ki (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) — apac-accreditation.org (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Metrology Division, Ministry responsible for commerce — pacliirms.austlii.edu.au; president.gov.ki (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Public Procurement Act 2019 and the Public Procurement Regulations 2020 — pacliirms.austlii.edu.au; mfed.gov.ki (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
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