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How to read an IAF CertSearch result

A result on IAF CertSearch is built from the data the certification body is responsible for uploading, listed in IAF MD 28:2023 clause 4.2.1.

Published by CAS — Conformity Assessment Services · 26 October 2026 · 3 min read
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How to read an IAF CertSearch result

Key takeaways

  1. 1Name. The legal or secondary business name as stated in the official national incorporation register (4.2.1 i).
  2. 2Certificate number. A unique identification code (4.2.1 iv).
  3. 3Certification body and accreditation body. Their names (4.2.1 xi and xii) tell you who issued the certificate and under whose accreditation.

A result on IAF CertSearch is built from the data the certification body is responsible for uploading, listed in IAF MD 28:2023 clause 4.2.1. Where a field is shown, read it against the certificate.

The certified organization

Name. The legal or secondary business name as stated in the official national incorporation register (4.2.1 i). It confirms the legal entity that holds the certification, not a trading name or a sister company; trading names are an optional field (Annex B.3). Data may be uploaded in the local language, so a company registered in Arabic or Italian may appear that way.

Locations. Each certified location, or the headquarters and every site of a multi-site certification (4.2.1 iii). A site that is not listed is not shown as covered.

The certification

Certificate number. A unique identification code (4.2.1 iv). It ties the record to your document and should match exactly.

Standard and scope. The standard, the IAF sector codes where applicable, and the scope by activities, products and services at each site (4.2.1 v to vii). Compare the scope with the certificate; what you are buying needs to be inside it.

Dates. The issue date, meaning the effective date of granting, expanding or reducing the scope, or of renewal, and the expiry date (4.2.1 viii and ix). If the record shows a later issue date than your copy, ask for the current certificate.

Status. Active, suspended or withdrawn (4.2.1 x). Only active means valid. The status is kept for at least three years after the decision, so finding a record is not the same as finding a valid certificate.

The bodies behind it

Certification body and accreditation body. Their names (4.2.1 xi and xii) tell you who issued the certificate and under whose accreditation. Whether that accreditation covers this standard and sector is on the accreditation body's register.

The IAF MLA is a separate question. The database also holds accredited standards that are outside the IAF MLA sub-scopes (IAFDB PL1:2022, Annex 1, Principle 2). For CAS, ISO 22301 is EGAC-accredited and sits outside EGAC's IAF MLA scope. Whether a standard is inside the MLA is a question for the accreditation body's register.

Two fields about the record itself

Last updated. The date the certification body last updated or confirmed its data is displayed (note to 4.2.5). Uploads are at least monthly, so the record shows the status as of that date. For today's status, ask the certification body; ISO/IEC 17021-1 clause 8.1.2 b) requires it to answer.

Participation status. Whether the certification body participates, and whether it conforms (clause 8.1, Annex B.2). It tells you how much an absence means.

A confidential result

It shows only the certification body, a statement that the information is confidential, any fields that body chose to show, and an enquiry form (6.4). It confirms who certifies the organization; use the form or ask that body.

CAS — An EGAC accredited MS certification body No. 012418. Accredited scope: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 22000, ISO 50001 and ISO 22301. Certificates accredited for ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 22000 and 50001 fall within EGAC's IAF MLA scope; ISO 22301 is accredited by EGAC and sits outside that scope.

Verify any certificate: cas.com.eg/certsearch

Apply for certification →Verify a certificate

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