Certification is a declaration, issued after an audit by a certification body, that an organization conforms to the requirements of an ISO management system standard, for example ISO 9001 for its quality management system.

Certification gains for an organization wider market confidence, higher business performance and distinctive reputation. Trade barriers are overcome due to mutual recognition of certificates between countries. Certification enhances the sustainability of the organization as well as its ability to consistently comply, where applicable, with legal requirements. These benefits result from effects of the regular audits by a certification body of the maintenance and continual improvement of disciplines exercised by a certified organization to help meet the needs and expectations of its interested parties.

An organization applies to CIP for certification of its management system to its chosen ISO standard. After contract agreement, the organization undergoes two stages of initial audit. See CIP’s audit process. If these audits conducted by CIP are satisfied that the organization’s management system is established, implemented, maintained and continually improved in accordance with the requirements of the ISO standard, CIP grants the organization a Certificate of Registration, valid for three years, declaring its conformity to the ISO standard. The Certificate remains valid for three years provided the management system is maintained and continually improved as verified by two annual surveillance audits. The Certificate of Registration is product/service- and site-specific.

The audits comprise the initial audits and the annual surveillance audits.

The initial audits have two parts: Stage 1 and Stage 2. After implementing its management system for at least three months with satisfactory results and when it deems ready to undergo Stage 1, the applicant organization notifies CIP and may nominate a schedule for these audits.

Stage 1 is successfully completed after CIP finds the management system adequately planned and documented to support its scope of operations in accordance with the criteria of its chosen ISO standard. On agreed dates, Stage 2 follows. The entire management system is assessed by CIP audits whether it is implemented as planned by the organization against the criteria of the ISO standard. If the management system is found adequately implemented, CIP declares it as such in its audit report, with a recommendation to the CIP technical review and approval board to grant certification to the management system of the organization. Upon approval, the Certificate of Registration is issued to the organization, valid for three years, provided the management system is maintained and continually improved as verified by annual surveillance audits.

The surveillance audits assess the level of maintenance of the certified management system. Satisfactory implementation of the management system, if established by these surveillance audits, leads to the reconfirmation of the validity of the Certificate of Registration.

The Certificate is valid for three years, subject to satisfactory results of surveillance audits. if surveillance audits find the management system maintained and continually improved, the Certificate is reconfirmed for its validity.

There is no international accreditation body.