{"id":16504,"date":"2023-01-03T10:18:09","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T09:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/?post_type=docs&#038;p=16504"},"modified":"2025-06-17T16:51:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:51:53","password":"","slug":"how-long-iso-certification","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/docs\/how-long-iso-certification\/","title":{"rendered":"How long does ISO certification take?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16498 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/silver-pen-in-open-business-day-planner-diary-picjumbo-com-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"ISO-certificering\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/silver-pen-in-open-business-day-planner-diary-picjumbo-com-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/silver-pen-in-open-business-day-planner-diary-picjumbo-com-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/silver-pen-in-open-business-day-planner-diary-picjumbo-com-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/silver-pen-in-open-business-day-planner-diary-picjumbo-com-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/silver-pen-in-open-business-day-planner-diary-picjumbo-com-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/silver-pen-in-open-business-day-planner-diary-picjumbo-com-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/silver-pen-in-open-business-day-planner-diary-picjumbo-com-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Many people interested in obtaining an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iso.org\/home.html\" rel=\"noopener\">ISO certification<\/a> wonder how much time such certification takes. How long does the process with a certifying body take to obtain an ISO certificate? In this article we explain how the required time is determined. There is no fixed time frame, but there is a fixed method! Read all about it below.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Initial audit<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In order to achieve ISO certification, a so-called initial audit is completed. An initial audit consists of stage 1 and stage 2.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">During <a href=\"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/docs\/initial-audit-stage-1\/\">stage 1<\/a>, it is assessed whether the organization is ready for stage 2 on the basis of documented information in your management system and the understanding of the requirements of the standard.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">During <a href=\"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/docs\/initial-audit-stage-2\/\">stage 2<\/a>, the implementation and effectiveness of the management system are assessed. Are all processes executed as described? Is the policy adhered to? Are employees aware of their contribution to the management system?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Man-day table<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How much time is needed for the initial audit is determined in the &#8216;man-day table&#8217; from the accreditation standard. An accreditation standard contains requirements that certification bodies, such as Brand Compliance, must adhere to. For example, ISO 17021 for certification of ISO 9001 and ISO 27006 for certification of ISO 27001.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Example<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Let&#8217;s sketch an example for the <a href=\"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/services\/iso-27001-certification\/\">ISO 27001 certification<\/a>. In accordance with accreditation standard ISO 27006 for an organization with 1 to 10 FTE, a total of 5 days of audit time is calculated for an initial audit. Of this time, 70% is spent on the audit at your location or by means of remote audit techniques. The remaining 30% is used for administrative tasks related to the audit, such as drawing up the audit plan and writing the audit report.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Factors<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In addition to the factor of the number of FTEs, there are more factors that must be taken into account in arriving at a time calculation.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Some examples:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the degree of outsourcing of services;<\/span><\/li>\n<li>the number of locations;<\/li>\n<li>the complexity of the <a href=\"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/docs\/what-is-a-management-system\/\">management system<\/a>.<span style=\"color: #222222; font-size: 18px;\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The factors can lead to an increase or reduction of the audit time. All time factors are discussed in detail during the application process.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Follow-up audits<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When ISO certification is achieved, smaller audits will take place after the initial audit, the so-called surveillance audits.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For follow-up audits it is also determined whether there are factors that lead to time reduction or increase. For example, many <a href=\"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/docs\/nonconformities-within-the-management-system\/\">nonconformities<\/a> found during the initial or surveillance audits or significant changes within the management system. In such cases, the auditor usually needs more time to perform the audit.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In conclusion<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Now you know how the time spent on a certification is determined. As you have read, there is no ready-made answer to the question of how long ISO certification takes. It depends on several factors. A conversation with one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/contact\/\">account managers<\/a> can provide you with more insight.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many people interested in obtaining an ISO certification wonder how much time such certification takes. How long does the process with a certifying body take&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16498,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"doc_category":[2338],"doc_tag":[],"class_list":["post-16504","docs","type-docs","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","doc_category-certification-process"],"acf":[],"year_month":"2026-04","word_count":457,"total_views":"5235","reactions":{"happy":"0","normal":"0","sad":"0"},"author_info":{"name":"Anika","author_nicename":"anika","author_url":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/author\/anika\/"},"doc_category_info":[{"term_name":"Certification process","term_url":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/docs-category\/certification-process\/"}],"doc_tag_info":[],"knowledge_base_info":[],"knowledge_base_slug":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/16504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/docs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16504"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/16504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24432,"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/16504\/revisions\/24432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"doc_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_category?post=16504"},{"taxonomy":"doc_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandcompliance.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_tag?post=16504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}