Resources and frequently asked questions

An independent third-party organisation that assesses whether an organisation's management system meets the requirements of a standard (for example ISO 9001 or ISO/IEC 27001) and, if so, issues a certificate. Its value lies precisely in its independence: the organisation does not certify itself — it is assessed by an impartial third party.

Certification is the recognition a certification body grants to an organisation that complies with a standard. Accreditation is the formal recognition that a national accreditation body (for example SWEDAC in Sweden) grants to a certification body after verifying its competence against ISO/IEC 17021-1. In short: the certification body certifies companies; the accreditation body oversees certification bodies.

Consultancy helps an organisation design and implement its management system; certification assesses that system independently. To preserve impartiality, a certification body cannot both consult for and certify the same organisation. BorealCert does not offer consultancy services.

Yes. Remote auditing techniques are recognised by the applicable international guidelines (ISO 19011 and IAF MD 4). A certificate issued after a remote audit is identical to one issued after an on-site audit. We assess each client's eligibility to ensure the remote modality can achieve all audit objectives.

The price depends on the number of people within the system scope, the standard, the number of logical sites and the complexity. We always work with a fixed written quotation before starting — no hidden costs or travel expenses to pass on. Request yours via the contact form.

If the management system is already implemented, an SME typically completes the process in 4–10 weeks from application: quotation (1 business day), Stage 1 documentation audit, Stage 2 implementation audit and committee decision (up to 10 business days after the audit). See the certification process for details.

3 years, conditional on passing annual surveillance audits. At the end of the cycle, a recertification audit renews the certificate for a further 3 years.

Nonconformities are graded and a deadline is agreed for resolving them. Minor nonconformities can usually be closed with a documented action plan; major ones must be resolved before the certification decision. A certificate is never issued over open major findings.

Yes. ISO management system standards share the same high-level structure, enabling integrated audits (for example ISO 9001 + ISO 14001 + ISO 45001, or ISO/IEC 27001 + ISO/IEC 27701) with significant savings in time and cost.

At the public register verify.borealcert.com, by entering the certificate number (format BC-XXXX-XXXX). The register shows the holder, the standard, the scope, the dates and the validity status.

Any interested party may submit a complaint about our activity or appeal a certification decision by writing to contacto@borealcert.com. Complaints are investigated by personnel not involved in the case, under our published procedure.