DOCUMENT WORKFLOW / 01
Verify the document first. Verify its relevance second.
Keep the complete file and supplier message. Use these steps to match the document to the company, product and order.
Name the document before judging it
Identify the document type first: management-system certificate, product certificate, test report, inspection report or supplier declaration.
Save the complete file. Record its number, scheme or standard, version, issue date and expiry date.
A valid management-system certificate does not certify your product, model, batch or order.
- What this step supports
- The document type tells you which claim to check.
- What remains open
- A certificate and a test report cover different things.
Match the named holder to the Chinese legal entity
Match the holder’s legal name and site address to the seller and proposed factory. An English trading name alone may not identify the company.
Use the Chinese company record to check the legal name and credit code. Ask the supplier to explain any difference.
A name mismatch needs evidence. It does not, by itself, prove fraud.
- What this step supports
- Matched identity fields connect the named holder to a legal entity.
- What remains open
- A different seller or site still needs a documented link.
Verify the issuer and accreditation route at source
Find the issuer’s own contact details. Confirm the document number, holder and status. For an accreditation claim, check the named body and relevant scope.
ISO does not issue certificates. Use IAF CertSearch for accredited management-system certificates, or contact the issuer and accreditation body directly.
Global ACI’s directory lists accreditation bodies accepted as MRA signatories. Check the relevant recognition scope; membership alone does not validate your document.
For a Chinese lab, start at the CNAS directory. An unavailable search result needs follow-up with the body, not a fake-certificate verdict.
- What this step supports
- Source confirmation establishes the named issuer and accreditation route.
- What remains open
- A missing search result remains unresolved; contact the issuer.
Read the current status, scope, sites and standard
Check current status, covered activities, sites and exclusions. Match the named standard and edition to the requirement you need to meet.
For a lab report, confirm that the relevant test method falls within the lab’s accredited scope. A logo does not answer that question.
- What this step supports
- The dated record shows the status, sites, standard and stated scope.
- What remains open
- An unlisted site or test method still needs separate evidence.
Match the report to the tested sample and your specification
Match the report number, tested model, materials, sample ID, test method and results to your order. Check who selected and supplied the sample.
Ask for the complete report if pages or results are missing. A supplier-selected sample may not represent the planned batch.
A laboratory’s accreditation does not prove that the tested sample came from your supplier or matches your order.
- What this step supports
- Matched sample details show which item and specification the results describe.
- What remains open
- Another material, batch or shipment needs its own support.
Check the destination-market scheme and buyer obligation
Confirm the product rules for the destination market and your role in the supply chain. Ask a qualified adviser or competent lab which documents and tests apply.
Match the exact model and use to those requirements. A certificate for another market or product does not settle this check.
For a US medical-device supplier, the FDA registration study explains the limits of establishment records.
Check the factory’s ability to make your product separately from its documents.
- What this step supports
- The applicable scheme defines the destination requirements to review.
- What remains open
- A voluntary certificate leaves other buyer duties to be checked.
State exactly what decision the document supports
Write the decision, reviewer, date, source and matched fields. List open questions and who will resolve them before the affected order step.
Recheck when the holder, site, model, material, standard or certificate status changes.
Next: record sample approval, set the purchase-order requirements and follow the full due diligence sequence.
- What this step supports
- The review records the evidence available for one named decision.
- What remains open
- Unresolved exceptions remain open; document visibility alone grants no approval.
What certificate counts leave open
On 21 August 2026, we checked qualification and licence records for 45 uniquely matched companies in the NHTSA study.
| Record | Companies | Median returned |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification certificates | 36 of 45: 80% | 8 |
| Administrative licences | 40 of 45: 89% | 5.5 |
Counts describe returned records in this cohort. They do not show whether a document covers your product, site or market.
This source is not a complete list of every certificate a company may hold. A missing entry does not prove the company lacks the required document.
Results were capped at 20 per returned list. Counts that reached the cap are lower bounds.
DOCUMENT MATCH / 02
Match the document to the order
Use this table to choose the link you still need before relying on a document.
| Document | Match at source | Match to the order | Does not establish by itself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management-system certificate | Holder, issuer, accreditation, standard, status, scope and sites | The relevant factory site and process fall inside the stated scope | Product, model, batch or order conformity |
| Product certificate | Scheme, issuer, status, holder, product family, model and standard | Your exact model, variant and destination route are covered | Unlisted variations, every batch or all buyer obligations |
| Laboratory test report | Laboratory identity, accreditation route and relevant accredited field | Report, sample, model, material, method and specification line up | Who made the sample, continuing production or future shipments |
| Inspection report | Inspection body, scope, criteria, site, date and observed result | The inspected goods and acceptance criteria match the order | Conditions outside the inspected scope, time or quantity |
| Supplier declaration | Issuer identity, authorised signatory, covered product and dated claim | The declaration names the controlled specification and destination | Independent third-party assessment or test evidence |
METHOD / 03
How this guide was prepared
The seven-check workflow is our synthesis. We rechecked ISO, Global ACI and CNAS guidance on 5 September 2026.
Global ACI has assumed the former roles of IAF and ILAC since January 2026. ISO and Global ACI still link to IAF CertSearch.
The CertSearch route was unavailable during our review. We checked guidance pages, not your supplier’s certificate, lab, product or order.
PRIMARY SOURCES / 04
Official sources used for this guide
Guidance rechecked 5 September 2026. Confirm the current record and document status before you rely on them.
- National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity SystemOfficial China public-registration system used to match the named Chinese legal entity.
- ISO: CertificationDefines certification and accreditation roles, states that ISO does not issue certificates, and describes accredited-certificate verification routes.
- Global ACI: AboutCurrent international accreditation authority, its MRA and the transfer of the former IAF and ILAC roles from 2026.
- Global ACI: Full membersCurrent directory of accreditation-body members accepted as Global ACI MRA signatories.
- IAF CertSearch: Certificate searchCertificate-verification route linked by ISO and the current Global ACI site for accredited management-system records.
- CNAS: Find an accredited bodyOfficial China accreditation directory route, including testing and calibration laboratories.
COMMON QUESTIONS / 05
Keep every conclusion inside the document’s scope
- Can I verify an ISO certificate on ISO’s website?
- ISO does not issue certificates. For an accredited management-system certificate, use the CertSearch route linked by ISO and Global ACI. Or contact the named certification and accreditation bodies through independently sourced channels.
- Does ISO 9001 mean the product passed testing?
- No. A quality-management-system certificate and a product test answer different questions. Verify the exact product, model, standard, sample and result separately.
- Does a CNAS or other accreditation mark make a report enough?
- No. Verify the laboratory and relevant accredited scope, then match the report to the tested sample and your order. Accreditation alone does not create that sample chain.
- Is a holder-name mismatch proof of a fake certificate?
- No. It is a hold point. Establish whether the named holder is the seller, manufacturer, affiliate or another party, and obtain evidence that connects the document to your order.
- When should I commission new testing?
- When the supplied evidence does not cover the exact product, model, material, standard, destination or sampling control needed for your decision. Define the test scope with a competent laboratory and qualified adviser.