People often ask if a certificate on which the ANAB accreditation symbol appears is valid. Because the certificate in question was issued by a certification body (CB) and not by ANAB, that question should be asked of the CB.
There are a number of things to check for to determine if a certificate is valid or not. ISO/IEC 17021-1 includes requirements on what is to be included on management systems certification documents. Here's what to look for:
Other marks, such as the ANAB accreditation symbol if appropriate, may be included provided they are not misleading or ambiguous. A certificate may also include other information required by the standard and/or other normative document used for certification.
ISO/IEC 17021-1 also requires each CB to provide upon request information about geographical areas in which it operates; the status of a given certification; and the name, related normative document, scope, and geographical location (city and country) for a specific certified client. The CB also can make the information public by any means it chooses, such as on its website.
Why should you look for an accredited certification body? IAF has produced a brochure on the topic.
People often ask if an organization is accredited by ANAB, and many of these inquiries are about educational institutions. ANAB accredits management systems CBs, inspection bodies and forensic inspection agencies, calibration and testing laboratories, forensic test laboratories, reference material producers, proficiency test providers, product certification bodies, greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, personnel certification bodies, and certificate issuers.
ANAB does not accredit schools, colleges, or universities, so if such an institution claims to be ANAB-accredited, rest assured it is not. An educational institution could have a valid certificate for, say, ISO 9001, and if the CB that issued the certificate was accredited by ANAB, then the ANAB accreditation symbol would be on the certificate. Such a certificate would provide evidence that the institution has an ANAB-accredited certification, but the CB that issued the certificate is the appropriate party to confirm whether or not the certificate is valid.
When you use the ANAB CB directory to search for an ANAB-accredited CB, the results include contact information and a link to the CB's ANAB accreditation certificate.