ISO Certification in India – Types, Documents Required, Prerequisites, Cost, Time, Advantages

ISO Registration is important and enhances the reputation of a service or product. There are different types of ISO certifications that you can apply for your business. Refer to the entire article to be well versed with the details such as What is meant by ISO and Types of ISO Certifications, Documents Required for ISO Certifications, Time Involved in getting the Certification Process, Cost for obtaining the Certification, etc.

ISO Full Form – International Organization for Standardisation

What is ISO?

International Organization for Standardisation is an autonomous body that sets various global standards. It was established in the year 1947 and has standardization organizations from various nations. ISO Promotes worldwide industrial and commercial standards.

Types of ISO Certification in India

There are several types of ISO Certifications in India for goods and services. Choose the certification as per your business depending on the goods and services you provide. Few ISO Certifications are as under

  • ISO 9001 for a quality management system that provides confidence in your product
  • ISO 13485 for sector-specific quality standard
  • OHSAS 18001 for occupational health and safety management system
  • ISO 14001 for environmental management system
  • ISO ITAR for manufacturing, sales, and distribution of technology
  • R2 Certification for handling electronic waste responsibly
  • AS9100 for quality management system standards for the aerospace industry
  • Lean Manufacturing for maximization of output while minimizing the waste

Prerequisites for ISO Certification Process

Choose the type of Certification: First and foremost step is to choose the kind of ISO Certification you need for your business.

Choose an ISO Certification Body:

ISO doesn’t offer certification to Companies. Usually, Certification is done by external bodies and you need to choose a recognized and credible certification body. Keep the following pointers in mind while selecting an ISO Registrar.

  • Evaluate Several ISO Certification Service Providers and check whether they are meeting CASCO Standards or not.
  • Also, check if the CASCO is accredited or not. However, Accreditation isn’t compulsory and should meet the ISO Accreditation Bodies.

Documents required for ISO Certification

Documents needed for ISO Certification depend on the type of certification you have opted for. One of the most commonly used ISO Certifications is the ISO 9001 Quality Management. Some of the Documents are listed below

  • Company Profile
  • Copy of Sales & Purchase Bill
  • Company Letterhead
  • Company Visiting Card
  • Company Address Proof
  • PAN Card of the Company

Step by Step Guide for ISO Certification Process

Below is the detailed process on ISO Certification Process and all of it is explained step by step.

  • Create an Application /Contract: Both the Registrar and Applicant should agree on a contract. Usually, this contract includes the rights and obligations of both the parties such as confidentiality, liability issues, access rights.
  • Quality Documents Review: ISO Auditor will check all the quality manuals and documents regarding various policies & procedures followed in the organization. Reviewing the existing work helps the auditor to identify the gaps as per the ISO Standards.
  • Make an Action Plan: Once the ISO Auditor communicates with you regarding the existing gaps in the organizations you need to make an action plan to overcome those gaps. Prepare a list of tasks to bring changes in the organization as well as train your Employees too to work on the new standards. Bring awareness among the Employees in terms of quality and work efficiency
  • Initial Certification Audit: In general, an Initial Certification Audit is performed in 2 stages. Stage 1: In the first stage, the auditor will check the changes made by you and try to identify the non-conformities in the system. Applicant needs to carefully assess them and align as per the desired quality standards via modification in techniques and processes used by the organization. Stage 2: After doing the required changes ISO Auditor does the final auditing and confirm whether all the non-confirmities have been eliminated or not. If the ISO Auditor is satisfied prepare an ISO Audit Report and forward it to the registrar.
  • Completing the ISO Certification: After addressing the non-confirmities, and placing all the findings in the audit report, the registrar grants you ISO Certification.
  • Surveillance Audits: These are conducted from time to time so as to check whether the organizations are maintaining the ISO Quality Standards or not.

ISO Certification Cost

Cost for Obtaining the ISO Certification varies from Organization to Organization. ISO Certification Agency calculates the cost considering the different parameters such as

  • Number of Processes
  • Number of employees
  • Level of risk associated with the scope of services of the organization
  • Complexity of the management system
  • The number of working shifts etc.

Time Involved in ISO Certification Process

Time taken for granting the ISO Certification varies from organization to organization. The approximate Time needed to complete the ISO Certification is as such

  • Small Organizations: 6-8 months
  • Medium Organizations: 8-12 months
  • Large Organization: 12-15 months

Advantages of ISO Certification

Go through the benefits of getting the ISO Certification by referring to the below modules.  They are as under

  • ISO Certification Plays a Key role in building International Credibility and helps in the development of overseas business as well as to market directly.
  • ISO Standards help organizations to serve the customers in a better way and builds utmost customer satisfaction.
  • You can bid for Government Tenders easily if you have the ISO Certification.
  • Organizations’ functional efficiency is improved by ISO Certification. Implementing ISO in Organization helps the organizations to manage the resources efficiently.
  • Product Quality matches the International Standards thus reduces the product order rejections which may result due to flawed products.

FAQs on ISO Certification

1. What is ISO Fullform?

ISO Stands for International Organization for Standardisation.

2. How much does ISO certification cost in India?

ISO Certification Costs vary from organization to organization and several factors are considered.

  • Number of Processes
  • Number of employees
  • Level of risk associated with the scope of services of the organization
  • Complexity of the management system
  • The number of working shifts etc.

3. How long does ISO certification last?

Once an organization gets ISO Certificate it lasts for about 3 years.

4. What are the documents required for ISO Certification?

Documents required for ISO Certification are as follows

  • Company Profile
  • Company Letterhead
  • Copy of Sales & Purchase Bill
  • Company Address Proof
  • Company Visiting Card
  • PAN Card of the Company