DOCUMENT WORKFLOW / 01
Verify the document first. Verify its relevance second.
A logo, certificate number or laboratory stamp is not the whole claim. Preserve the original file and supplier message, then review the issuing route and every field needed to connect that document to the legal entity, production site, exact product and transaction decision.
Name the document before judging it
Identify whether you received a management-system certificate, product certificate, test report, inspection report or supplier declaration. Record the stated scheme, standard, document number, issue and expiry dates, issuer and current status shown by the source.
ISO defines certification broadly as independent written assurance that a product, service or system meets specified requirements, but ISO itself does not perform certification or issue certificates. The words “ISO certified” therefore do not identify what was certified, by whom or to which scope.
Do not rename a quality-management-system certificate as a product certificate, or a test report as a continuing product approval. Each document supports a different claim.
Match the named holder to the Chinese legal entity
Compare the Chinese and English holder names, address and any registration identifier with the current National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System record, business licence, contract and invoice. Use the exact Chinese legal name or Unified Social Credit Code when available.
If the certificate or report names a factory, parent, affiliate, laboratory client or trading company different from the seller, map the relationship and ask why that document applies to your order. A difference is an unresolved link, not proof of fraud.
Establish the legal identity with the official registration workflow →
Verify the issuer and accreditation route at source
Global ACI began operating on 1 January 2026. Global ACI has assumed the former roles of IAF and ILAC and now operates the multilateral recognition arrangement for member accreditation bodies.
For an accredited management-system certificate, search the company or certificate number in IAF CertSearch, which remains the certificate-verification route linked by both ISO and the current Global ACI site, or contact the named certification and accreditation bodies using independently sourced details.
For a laboratory report, identify the accreditation body, check its current status in the Global ACI full-member directory, then use that body’s own accredited-facility directory. For a China-based laboratory, the CNAS accredited-body directory provides the route to testing and calibration laboratory records.
An unavailable search result needs follow-up with the issuer or accreditation body. It does not, by itself, prove that the document or supplier is fraudulent.
Read the current status, scope, sites and standard
Match the source record to the certificate number, organisation, covered locations, standard and scope. Record whether the source shows the certificate as current, suspended, withdrawn, expired or otherwise limited, and preserve the query date.
For laboratory accreditation, confirm that the named legal laboratory and location are covered and that the accredited scope includes the relevant test or calibration field. Recognition of a laboratory does not mean every method it performs sits inside the recognised scope.
Connect certificate scope to the actual manufacturing site and process →
Match the report to the tested sample and your specification
Read the report number, client, manufacturer, sample description, model or SKU, material, quantity, condition, receipt and test dates, standard and edition, deviations, results and conclusion. Compare those fields with your controlled specification and approved sample.
Ask who selected and submitted the sample and whether the laboratory witnessed sampling. If the supplier selected a sample, keep that fact visible. A passing result for one submitted sample does not establish that another variant, material, production lot or future shipment has the same result.
Where a report is partial, redacted, translated or continued across annexes, obtain the complete version through a trusted channel before relying on its outcome.
Check the destination-market scheme and buyer obligation
Identify the exact product rule, market and buyer role before treating a certificate as required or sufficient. Confirm the applicable regulator or scheme, recognised conformity-assessment route, standard version, model coverage, labelling and technical-document duties for that destination.
There is no single document database that resolves every product and destination. Use the competent regulator and qualified adviser for your market. A supplier’s voluntary certificate, declaration or report does not transfer the importer’s own legal obligations.
State exactly what decision the document supports
Record the reviewer, source URL, query date, document version, matched fields, unresolved exceptions and next action. Tie the conclusion to one decision: request more evidence, approve a sample, commission testing, release production, hold payment or obtain specialist advice.
Do not promote “document visible” into “supplier approved”. Recheck affected fields when the legal entity, site, model, material, standard, certificate status, specification or shipment changes.
Connect matched reports to a traceable sample approval record →
Carry the matched document into a controlled purchase-order baseline →
Place this document check inside the full supplier due diligence record →
DOCUMENT MATCH / 02
What the document can support—and what still needs a separate link
| 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
Currawong Web’s China-side verification desk reviewed the official sources below on 31 July 2026. ISO supports the certification and accreditation roles; Global ACI supports the current international structure and member directory; IAF CertSearch remains the certificate search linked by ISO and Global ACI; CNAS supports the China laboratory-directory route; GSXT supports the Chinese legal-identity match.
The seven-check document-to-order workflow is our synthesis. We did not inspect any reader’s supplier, certificate, report, laboratory, product, sample, destination duties or order. This is general evidence-organising guidance, not legal advice, a product-compliance opinion, laboratory validation, document-authenticity determination or supplier guarantee.
PRIMARY SOURCES / 04
Official sources used for this guide
Links and page content were checked on 31 July 2026. Re-open the source record before a material decision because certificate, accreditation and entity status can change.
- 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.