If you have committed to ISO Certification it is important to maintain the continuity of certification dates by completing the surveillance and recertification external audits on time! This will ensure that your certificate remains in-date and avoids issues such as suspension or withdrawal.
However, things don’t always go to plan. Changes in an organisation, mergers, acquisition and other events can cause ISO certificates to lapse.
What you might not know is that you may be able to restore your ISO Certificate after its expiry, here’s how.
What are the Rules About ISO Certificate Expiry?
Certification bodies operate to ISO 17021-1 which provides “Requirements for bodies
providing audit and certification of management systems”.
This standard covers many aspects of the certification process, including how certification decisions are made.
The relevant clause here is 9.6.3.2.5 which states that “Following expiration of certification, the certification body can restore certification within 6 months provided that the outstanding recertification activities are completed”.
This gives organisations a second-chance at certification providing everything is completed within 6-months of the expiry date. This time line very much depends on when the organisation makes arrangements to continue its certificate and the availability of certification auditors.
Can I Restore my ISO Certificate?
Although ISO 17021-1 does allow a certificate to be restored up to 6 months after expiry, it remains at the discretion of the certificate body. Any outstanding non conformances, changes to scope or other risks impacting the organisation could impact on the decision.
If an organisation is too far into that 6-month period, it may be challenging to complete everything, including any technical reviews, in time.
Read more: Where is my ISO Certificate? What happens after the audit?
After the 6 months, a stage 2 audit would need to be completed as a minimum.
Is my Certificate Valid After Expiry?
In short, no. Upon expiry your certificate will not be valid, even if you intend to renew it, and customers may begin to ask questions about your compliance.
In this case, many certification bodies will issue a “Letter of Intent” explaining where you are in the certification process, and any dates or timelines that have been agreed.
Often this ‘letter of intent’ is enough to assure customers that you have a management system in place.
Once all the certification activities are complete your certificate will be reissued with an effective date on or after the recertification decision. The expiry date will be based on prior certification cycle.
Need Support Restoring an ISO Certificate?
Our Certification Management Team can help you restore an ISO Certificate that has expired. We can guide you through the process of getting back on track, and liaise with the certification body for you. Contact our team today.