ISO 27001 Certification Companies: Where to Find Accredited Ones and How to Compare Them
Plenty of companies will offer you an ISO 27001 certificate. Only accredited certification bodies issue one your customers can verify. Here is where to find them, how to check them, and how to compare the shortlist.
Search for ISO 27001 certification companies and you get a mix of consultants, software platforms, directories and certification bodies, often all claiming to "get you certified". Only one of those groups can issue the certificate. And only some of that group are accredited, which is what makes a certificate worth showing to a customer.
This guide explains who does what, where to find accredited ISO 27001 certification bodies, and how to compare them on the things that change your audit: scope, audit days, auditors, fees and timelines.
Quick answer: ISO 27001 certification companies that can issue a certificate are certification bodies. Look for one accredited for ISO/IEC 27001 by an accreditation body that signs the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA). You can find and check them in IAF CertSearch and in national accreditation body directories. Then compare the shortlist on accredited scope, how audit days are calculated under ISO/IEC 27006-1:2024, auditor experience, remote audit options, fee model and timeline.
What ISO 27001 Certification Companies Actually Do
Four kinds of company show up for this search. They are not interchangeable, and mixing them up is the most common reason first certifications go wrong.
Certification bodies
Audit your ISMS in two stages and issue the ISO 27001 certificate. The only group that can certify you.
Consultants
Help you build the ISMS: scope, risk assessment, policies and controls. They cannot issue a certificate.
Compliance platforms
Software that tracks controls and collects evidence. Useful, but it does not certify anything.
CPA firms
Issue SOC 2 reports, not ISO certificates, unless they also run a separate accredited certification body.
An accredited certification body must stay impartial, so it cannot also write your ISMS. If one company offers to build your system and certify it, treat that as a warning sign. Our guide to what an ISO certification body is explains the rules behind this.
Where to Find Accredited ISO 27001 Certification Bodies
There is no single official "list of ISO 27001 certification companies". Accreditation is national, so the lists sit with each accreditation body. These are the places to look.
| Where to look | What it shows | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| IAF CertSearch | Certification bodies worldwide, their accreditation bodies, and accredited certificates | A first check on any company, in any country |
| IAF MLA signatory list | Accreditation bodies whose accreditations are recognized across member economies | Checking the accreditation body itself |
| National accreditation body directories | The certification bodies each accreditation body has accredited, and for which standards | Confirming ISO/IEC 27001 is in the accredited scope |
| The certification body's own register | Certificates it has issued, with scope and expiry | Checking a supplier's certificate |
National directories include the UKAS directory in the UK, the JAS-ANZ register in Australia and New Zealand, and the UAF directory, which covers bodies UAF accredits in the US and internationally. Most let you filter by standard, so you can see who is accredited for information security, not just quality.
Types of ISO 27001 Certification Bodies
Accredited certification bodies vary a lot in size and focus. None is right for everyone; the best fit depends on your size, sector and deadline.
| Type | Typical strengths | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Large global inspection groups | Recognized names, many countries and standards | Lead times, auditor continuity, and fees for small scopes |
| Bodies linked to audit or CPA firms | Can pair ISO 27001 with SOC 2 through a related firm | That the ISO side is separately accredited for ISO/IEC 27001 |
| Specialist and independent bodies | Faster scheduling, senior auditors, direct contact | Accreditation scope, IAF MLA status, and certificate listing |
Want to understand accreditation itself before you compare companies? Our guide explains the chain from IAF to your certificate.
Read: ISO 27001 accreditation vs certificationHow to Compare ISO 27001 Certification Companies: A Scorecard
Once you have three or four accredited names, ask each the same questions and score the answers side by side.
| What to compare | What good looks like | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Accredited scope | ISO/IEC 27001 listed in the accreditation body's directory | Which accreditation body covers your ISMS scope? |
| Edition | Certifies to ISO/IEC 27001:2022 only | Which edition will our certificate cite? |
| Audit days | Calculated from ISO/IEC 27006-1:2024, headcount and scope | How did you work out our audit days? |
| Auditors | A named lead auditor with ISMS experience in your sector | Who leads Stage 1 and Stage 2? |
| Remote audits | Clear rules on what can run online | Which parts of our audit can be remote? |
| Fee model | One written quote covering Stage 1, Stage 2 and surveillance | What is not included in this quote? |
| Timeline | Realistic dates that fit your customer deadline | When can you start Stage 1? |
| Verification | Certificates listed publicly and on IAF CertSearch | How will our customers check the certificate? |
Audit days drive most of the fee, so a much lower quote usually means fewer days than the rules allow, or extras added later. Read our ISO 27001 certification cost guide for what moves the price.
Which ISO 27001 Certification Body Should You Use for an Enterprise Customer?
Use an accredited body whose certificate your customer can check. Enterprise security and procurement teams rarely ask which brand certified you. They ask four things, and the right certification body makes each one easy to answer.
- Can we verify it? The certificate should appear on the body's public register and on IAF CertSearch.
- Is it accredited? The accreditation body must be an IAF MLA signatory, with ISO/IEC 27001 in the certification body's scope.
- Does the scope cover what we buy? The certificate should name the product, service or sites the customer relies on.
- Is it current? It should cite ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and be within its three-year cycle.
Before you choose, ask the customer whether their supplier terms name a specific accreditation body. Most US enterprises accept any IAF MLA accreditation, but some tenders do not.
Choosing an ISO 27001 Certification Body as a Startup
For a tech startup, the best ISO 27001 certification body is usually the one that fits a small, cloud-based scope without padding it. Look for:
- Audit days set by the rules, not by a minimum package. ISO/IEC 27006-1:2024 sets audit time from headcount and complexity, so a 20-person SaaS team should not pay for an enterprise audit.
- A fixed-fee quote. One price for Stage 1, Stage 2 and surveillance, so the budget does not move after you sign.
- A senior auditor who knows cloud. Someone who can read AWS, Azure or Google Cloud evidence without long explanations.
- Remote audits. Fully remote teams can often be audited mostly online.
- Room to grow. The option to add ISO 42001 for AI products or ISO 27701 for privacy in the same audit program later.
How Fast Can an ISO 27001 Certification Company Certify You?
Once your ISMS is audit-ready, the Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits typically take two to eight weeks, followed by the certification decision. So certification in under three months is realistic if your ISMS is already running. It is not realistic if you are starting from scratch.
"Audit-ready" means you have defined your scope, completed a risk assessment and Statement of Applicability, run your controls for long enough to produce evidence, and held an internal audit and management review. Those last two must happen before Stage 2. When a deadline is tight, tell the certification body upfront and book Stage 1 early, since it shows any gaps while there is still time to close them.
Remote ISO 27001 Audits
Accreditation rules, including IAF MD 4 on remote auditing, let certification bodies use video calls and screen sharing when the risk allows. For cloud-first companies with no server rooms, much of an ISO 27001 audit can run remotely: interviews, document review and walkthroughs of cloud consoles and ticketing tools. Physical security at offices or data centres may still need a site visit. Ask each certification body which parts of your audit it plans to run remotely and how that affects audit days.
Red Flags When Choosing an ISO 27001 Certification Body
- A guaranteed pass or a certificate in days. An accredited audit has two stages and can end with nonconformities.
- Consulting and certification from the same team. Accredited bodies must not certify a system they helped build.
- No accreditation body named. Or one that is not an IAF MLA signatory for management systems.
- Certificates citing ISO/IEC 27001:2013. The IAF transition to the 2022 edition ended on 31 October 2025.
- No way to verify certificates. No public register and no IAF CertSearch listing.
- Vague scope wording. Your certificate should name the entity, sites and services covered.
Checking a certificate you have been sent?
Confirm the status, scope and expiry of any Accredify Global certificate on our public register.
Finding ISO 27001 Certification Bodies by Country
Customers in some countries prefer, or require, accreditation from a specific body. Check what your buyer or tender asks for before you compare companies.
| Where your customers are | What to check |
|---|---|
| United States | Any IAF MLA accreditation is usually accepted; check the buyer's supplier terms. See ISO certification in the USA. |
| United Kingdom | Some buyers ask for UKAS accreditation by name |
| India | Government and PSU tenders may ask for NABCB accreditation. See ISO certification in India. |
| UAE | Check the tender or free-zone requirement. See ISO certification in the UAE. |
| Australia and New Zealand | Government buyers often look for JAS-ANZ accreditation |
ISO 27001 Certification with Accredify Global
Accredited
ISO/IEC 27001 is in our UAF accreditation scope, under the IAF MLA framework, and our certificates can be verified.
Senior auditor on every engagement
A senior auditor leads your Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits and stays your point of contact.
Fixed fee, no hidden costs
After a free scoping review you get one fixed-fee quote covering Stage 1, Stage 2 and the certificate.
Remote where allowed
Cloud-first teams can be audited largely online, within accreditation rules.
ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 together
Plan ISO 27001, ISO 42001 and ISO 27701 as one audit program with one team.
Impartial
We audit and certify. We do not write your ISMS or your policies.
See our accredited ISO 27001 certification page for the full audit process, and how to get ISO 27001 certified if you are still building your ISMS. Software teams can read ISO 27001 for SaaS and ISO 27001 vs SOC 2. Many add ISO 27701 for privacy in the same audit program. Our trust and impartiality page sets out the rules we follow.
Comparing ISO 27001 certification companies? Add us to your shortlist.
Tell us your scope, headcount and deadline. We'll show how your audit days are calculated, suggest dates, and send a fixed-fee quote you can compare line by line.
Book your free scoping review →ISO 27001 Certification Companies FAQ
What are ISO 27001 certification companies?
They are certification bodies that audit an information security management system against ISO/IEC 27001 and issue a certificate. Consultants and software platforms can help you prepare, but only a certification body can certify you.
Where can I find a list of accredited ISO 27001 certification bodies?
Search IAF CertSearch, which lists certification bodies and accredited certificates worldwide. Then check the national accreditation body's directory, such as UKAS, JAS-ANZ or UAF, to confirm ISO/IEC 27001 is in the body's accredited scope.
How do I know if an ISO 27001 certification company is accredited?
Ask which accreditation body accredits it for ISO/IEC 27001, then confirm that in the accreditation body's directory. Check that the accreditation body is an IAF MLA signatory for management systems certification.
Is a certificate from any ISO 27001 certification company valid?
A certificate is only as credible as the body behind it. Certificates from unaccredited bodies are legal to issue but are often rejected by customers and tenders, and they cannot be verified on IAF CertSearch.
Can the same company help build my ISMS and certify it?
No. Accredited certification bodies must stay impartial, so they cannot certify a management system they helped design. Use a consultant or your own team to build it, and a separate certification body to audit it.
How do ISO 27001 certification companies set their fees?
Fees follow audit days, which accredited bodies calculate under ISO/IEC 27006-1:2024 from headcount, sites and scope complexity. Ask for one written quote covering Stage 1, Stage 2 and surveillance audits.
Which edition should my ISO 27001 certificate cite?
ISO/IEC 27001:2022. The IAF transition from the 2013 edition ended on 31 October 2025, so certificates citing the 2013 edition are no longer valid.
Which ISO 27001 certification body should I use if an enterprise client requires it?
Use one accredited for ISO/IEC 27001 by an IAF MLA signatory, so the client can verify your certificate on IAF CertSearch. Make sure the certificate scope covers the service the client buys, and check whether their supplier terms name a specific accreditation body.
What is the best ISO 27001 certification body for a startup?
One that is accredited and fits a small cloud scope: audit days set by ISO/IEC 27006-1:2024 rather than a minimum package, a fixed-fee quote, a senior auditor who knows cloud evidence, and remote audits where the rules allow.
Can an ISO 27001 certification company certify you in under 3 months?
Yes, if your ISMS is already running. Once it is audit-ready, Stage 1 and Stage 2 typically take two to eight weeks. Starting from scratch takes longer, because you need operating evidence, an internal audit and a management review before Stage 2.
Can ISO 27001 audits be done remotely?
Often, in part. IAF MD 4 lets certification bodies audit remotely when the risk allows, so cloud-first teams can do interviews, document review and console walkthroughs online. Offices or data centres may still need a site visit.
Can one certification body certify ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 together?
Yes. Many organizations building AI products plan ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 as one audit program with the same certification body, which reduces duplicated evidence and audit time. Accredify Global certifies both.
Is Accredify Global an accredited ISO 27001 certification body?
Yes. Accredify Global is accredited by UAF, an IAF MLA signatory, with ISO/IEC 27001 in its accreditation scope. A senior auditor leads every engagement, audits can run remotely where accreditation rules allow, and you get a fixed-fee quote after a free scoping review.