ISO does not accredit or certify anyone. For ISO/IEC 42001, accreditation comes from national accreditation bodies: ANAB in the US and UKAS in the UK accredit the certification bodies that audit organizations. People are certified under separate ISO/IEC 17024 schemes, and training courses carry their own CPD accreditation. Each claim has its own register you can check.
ISO says so on its own certification page (ISO’s statement on certification). It states: “ISO does not perform certification or issue certificates, and it does not permit anyone to use the ISO logo in connection with certification”.
So when anyone says “ISO 42001 accredited”, ask which of three things they mean. The table matches each question to the accreditation that answers it.
| The question you are asking | The accreditation that answers it | Where you check it |
| Is this company’s ISO/IEC 42001 certificate backed by an independent check? | The certification body is accredited under ISO/IEC 17021-1, with ISO/IEC 42006:2025 for AI management systems, by a national accreditation body such as ANAB or UKAS | The accreditation body’s directory; IAF CertSearch for the certificate itself |
| Was this person’s credential issued under an accredited scheme? | The personnel certification body is accredited under ISO/IEC 17024 for that named scheme | The accreditation body’s personnel certification directory or schedule |
| Is this training course quality-assured? | CPD accreditation of the learning activity, for example by the CPD Standards Office (UK) | The CPD accreditor’s public directory |
| Is it “ISO approved” or “ISO certified”? | None. ISO certifies no one and approves no course | ISO’s certification page |
Source: ISO, ANAB, UKAS, IAF CertSearch and CPD Standards Office pages cited on this page, October 2026.
What does “ISO 42001 accredited” actually mean?
“Accredited” means an independent accreditation body has assessed an organization against a conformity assessment standard and found it competent for a stated scope. The thing accredited is always a body, a scheme or a course, never the standard itself. ISO/IEC 42001:2023, published 18 December 2023, sets requirements for “establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS) within organizations” (ISO/IEC 42001:2023 on iso.org). It says nothing about who may certify against it.
The diagram shows the three chains side by side. ISO sits above all three because it writes the standards, not because it certifies anyone.
Who accredits what for ISO/IEC 42001: company certificates run from Global Accreditation Cooperation to national accreditation bodies such as ANAB and UKAS to certification bodies under ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 42006; personal credentials come from personnel certification bodies, with ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation only where the scheme holds it; training courses can carry CPD accreditation
Three different chains use the same word, and they do not overlap.
Certification bodies that certify organizations
When a company says it is ISO/IEC 42001 certified, a certification body has audited its AI management system. An accredited certification body has itself been assessed against ISO/IEC 17021-1, the standard for bodies that certify management systems. For AI there is an extra layer. ISO/IEC 42006:2025, published in July 2025, “sets out the additional requirements for bodies that audit and certify artificial intelligence management systems (AIMS) according to ISO/IEC 42001.”
In the US, the ANSI National Accreditation Board does this work. Its AIMS accreditation program post states: “ANAB launched the ISO/IEC 42001 Artificial Intelligence Management Systems (AIMS) program in January 2024.” In the UK, UKAS assesses certification bodies for ISO/IEC 42001 against ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and ISO/IEC 42006:2025. Its AIMS program page says the pilot has concluded and that “Applications remain open.” UKAS announced its first ISO/IEC 42001 accreditation on 15 January 2026.
A certificate from an accredited body covers a defined scope and is kept in force by annual audits, with recertification in year three.
Personnel certification schemes that certify people
People are certified by personnel certification bodies, which can be accredited under ISO/IEC 17024 for a named scheme. A person cannot be “ISO/IEC 42001 certified” the way a company is, because only an organization runs a management system. A person holds a credential such as Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor, issued by a personnel certification body under its own scheme. Those names come from the certification market, not from ISO. The Lead Implementer guide explains who issues an ISO 42001 Lead Implementer certificate and what the credential covers.
The standard for bodies that certify people is ISO/IEC 17024. Its third edition was published on 31 March 2026. ISO describes certification of persons as “one way of providing assurance that an individual meets defined competence requirements within a specific certification scheme.” Accreditation under ISO/IEC 17024 applies to a named scheme: a body can be accredited for one credential and not for another.
ANAB runs a separate ISO/IEC 17024 program for personnel certification and says “there are over 200 certifications accredited by ANAB under this program” (ANAB personnel certification page, October 2026). For ISO/IEC 42001 specifically, a UKAS schedule of accreditation issued on 27 August 2026 lists an ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer scheme and a Lead Auditor scheme under ISO/IEC 17024. So 17024-accredited routes for this standard exist, with implementing and auditing certified separately as two credentials. The choice depends on whether you will build the system or check it. Compare ISO 42001 implementer and auditor credentials side by side before you pick one.
CPD accreditation of training
CPD accreditation looks at the course, not the exam or the certificate. The CPD Standards Office is a UK-based accreditation service. It says its accreditation “confirms that a learning activity has been assessed against our standards for the design, structure, delivery and quality assurance of continuing professional development (CPD).”
CPD accreditation tells you the training was designed and delivered to a standard. It does not make the resulting certificate an ISO/IEC 17024 personnel certification, and it says nothing about any organization’s AI management system.
ISO 42001 accredited certification bodies: how to check one
You check an ISO/IEC 42001 certification body in the accreditation body’s directory, not on the certification body’s website. A logo or a press release is a claim; the directory entry and the scope document are the evidence. The three checks below take a few minutes, in this order.
Step 1: Search the accreditation body’s directory
Start the directory search with the accreditation body the certification body names. ANAB links its management systems directory from the ANAB AIMS accreditation program post. The post also gives a simple test: “If ISO/IEC 42001 does not appear in the standard drop-down, no CBs are currently accredited for ISO/IEC 42001.” Filter by ISO/IEC 42001 and look for the certification body’s exact legal name.
In the UK, UKAS says organizations “accredited for ISO/IEC 42001 can be viewed through the UKAS browse-by-category page.” Its FAQ also points buyers to the UKAS directory of accredited bodies and to its CertCheck tool for management system certificates.
Step 2: Read the accreditation scope
The accreditation scope document is where accreditation is defined. UKAS describes its schedule as “the formal record that defines the scope of an organisation’s accredited activities”, which “sets out the limits and conditions of accreditation.” For an ISO/IEC 42001 certification body, the scope should name ISO/IEC 42001 as a standard the body is accredited to certify against. Check three things:
- The standard. ISO/IEC 42001 must appear. Accreditation for ISO/IEC 27001 (information security management) or ISO 9001 does not extend to AI management systems.
- The legal entity. The company named on your certificate should be the one named on the scope.
- The issue date. A scope is a dated document. Compare its date with the date of the certificate you are checking.
Step 3: Validate the certificate itself
A company’s certificate should name the certification body that issued it. You can then look the certificate up in IAF CertSearch, which describes itself as “the exclusive global database for accredited management system certifications allowing users to validate an organization’s certification(s).” In October 2026 it held more than 3.7 million certification records, and a free account allows manual searches. It covers company certificates, not personal credentials.
If a certificate is missing from the register, ask the certification body. UKAS advises: “Check that the certification body has issued the certificate.”
ISO 42001 certificate verification checklist
| Check | What a good answer looks like | Red flag |
| Who issued the certificate? | A named certification body, with a certificate number and a scope | “ISO” named as the issuer, or no issuer at all |
| Who accredits that body? | A named national accreditation body, such as ANAB or UKAS | “Internationally accredited” with no accreditation body named |
| Is ISO/IEC 42001 on the accreditation scope? | ISO/IEC 42001 appears in the directory entry or schedule | Scope covers ISO/IEC 27001 only, or no scope is published |
| Does the certificate appear in a register? | Found in IAF CertSearch or confirmed by the certification body in writing | Not found, and the issuer will not confirm it |
| Is the ISO logo used? | No ISO logo on the certificate | ISO logo on the certificate or marketing |
| What is the wording? | “Certified to ISO/IEC 42001 by [body], accredited by [accreditation body]” | “ISO approved”, “ISO accredited” or “certified by ISO” |
Source: ISO, ANAB, UKAS and IAF CertSearch guidance quoted in this section.
ISO 42001 red flags worth taking seriously
Three red flags suggest a misleading claim: “ISO approved” wording, the ISO logo on a certificate and an issuer with no accreditation.
“ISO approved” or “ISO accredited”. ISO approves and accredits no one, so either phrase misdescribes the claim. ISO’s own checklist for buyers includes “Check if the certification body uses the relevant CASCO standard” and “Check if it is accredited.”
The ISO logo on a certificate. ISO states that “the ISO logo is a registered trademark and cannot be used by anyone outside of ISO, unless they have been explicitly authorized.” It also says it does not permit the logo’s use in connection with certification.
A certificate from an unaccredited body. This is not automatically fake. ISO says that “accreditation is not compulsory, and non-accreditation does not necessarily mean the certification body is not reputable.” But nothing independent stands behind the audit, so it will not meet a contract that asks for an accredited certificate.
Choosing an auditor for your own organization? Start by confirming that ISO/IEC 42001 is on its accreditation scope. Accredited AIMS certification bodies also work to ISO/IEC 42006:2025, which sits beside ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO/IEC 42005 in the ISO/IEC 42000 family of AI standards.
What changed when the IAF became Global Accreditation Cooperation?
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) no longer operates on its own; its work passed to Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, the single body set up to bring together the work of the IAF and ILAC. The IAF site, now kept as a legacy archive, states that “IAF ceased operations on 01 January 2026.” It adds that Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated “has commenced full operations as of 1 January 2026, including the launch of its own Multilateral” Recognition Arrangement. Both statements are on IAF / Global Accreditation Cooperation.
For a US buyer, little changes. ANAB and UKAS still grant the accreditation, and IAF CertSearch still runs under the IAF name. When a supplier cites “IAF recognition”, still check the national directory.
Is the ISO 42001 Lead Implementer course at AI Training Skool accredited?
The AI Training Skool course is CPD accredited by the CPD Standards Office (UK). It is not an ISO/IEC 17024 personnel certification. The certificate and shareable badge are issued by the Global AI Certification Council (GAICC), for which AI Training Skool is an Authorized Training Partner.
You can check the CPD claim yourself. The CPD Standards Office directory lists the issuer as provider 50814, a “CPD-accredited training provider”, with the ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer among its accredited activities (October 2026).
What that means depends on who is asking:
- If your employer, a contract or a regulator requires ISO/IEC 17024, treat it as a hard requirement and take a 17024-accredited scheme. Ask the scheme’s certification body for its accreditation certificate and scope, and confirm both in the accreditation body’s directory before you pay anyone.
- If you need to build and run an AI management system, the question is whether you can produce the records an auditor will ask for. For that work, CPD-accredited ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer training covers the records in 32 CPD hours, with the proctored exam and a second attempt included.
Accreditation tells a hiring manager about the scheme. It tells them nothing about your own work. An AI system register, an impact assessment or a Statement of Applicability you built yourself does that better. In the AI Training Skool AI Governance Pay Index, built from Indeed postings, level, role family and experience moved pay far more than any certificate did. The career guide covers what gets people promoted in AI governance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ISO 42001 accreditation?
ISO 42001 accreditation is an accreditation body’s confirmation that a certification body is competent to certify AI management systems against ISO/IEC 42001. The body is assessed against ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 42006:2025, published in July 2025. ANAB accredits these bodies in the US and UKAS in the UK. ISO itself accredits no one, according to its certification page.
Who accredits ISO 42001 certification bodies in the US?
The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) accredits ISO/IEC 42001 certification bodies in the US. ANAB launched its AI management systems program in January 2024, according to ANSI. To confirm a specific body, search ANAB’s management systems directory for ISO/IEC 42001; ANAB says that if the standard does not appear in the drop-down, no certification bodies are accredited for it.
Does UKAS accredit ISO 42001 certification?
Yes. UKAS accredits certification bodies for ISO/IEC 42001 against ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and ISO/IEC 42006:2025. It announced its first ISO/IEC 42001 accreditation on 15 January 2026, and its program page says the pilot has concluded and applications remain open. UKAS accredits the auditor, not the company being audited.
What is the difference between ISO certification and ISO accreditation?
Certification is what a certification body gives an organization or a person after an audit or an exam. Accreditation is what an accreditation body gives the certification body after assessing its competence. ISO does neither: its certification page states that “ISO does not perform certification or issue certificates”.
Can an individual be ISO 42001 certified?
Not in the organizational sense, because ISO/IEC 42001 certifies an organization’s AI management system. An individual holds a personal credential, such as Lead Implementer, issued by a personnel certification body under its own scheme. That scheme may be accredited under ISO/IEC 17024, whose third edition ISO published on 31 March 2026, or carry other recognition such as CPD accreditation.
What does it mean when a company is ISO 42001 certified?
It means a certification body has audited the company’s Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS) against ISO/IEC 42001 and issued a certificate for a stated scope. The certificate comes from that body, not from ISO. If the body is accredited, by ANAB or UKAS for example, an independent check stands behind the audit. The certificate is kept in force by annual audits and renewed at recertification in year three.
Is a certificate from an unaccredited certification body valid?
It is a real certificate, but no independent body has checked the auditor. ISO’s certification page says “accreditation is not compulsory, and non-accreditation does not necessarily mean the certification body is not reputable”. If a customer contract asks for an accredited ISO/IEC 42001 certificate, one from an unaccredited body will not meet that requirement.
How do I check if a company is ISO 42001 certified?
Ask for the certificate, note the certification body and certificate number, and search IAF CertSearch, which held more than 3.7 million accredited certification records in October 2026. Then confirm that the certification body’s accreditation scope names ISO/IEC 42001 in the ANAB or UKAS directory. For a list of known holders, see which companies hold ISO 42001 certification.
