Many organisations adopt ISO Standards because they are recognised and trusted across the world.
Standards help organisations trade & collaborate using a common set of rules; and ISO Certification is a way of demonstrating that your organisation meets those requirements.
So if you are a UK company, how does Brexit affect your ISO Certification?
Internationally Recognised Standards
Firstly, the ISO Standards your organisation works with won’t change.
These are managed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which is made up of 163 National Standards Bodies, including BSI for the UK.
The way ISO create and maintain standards will not change due to Brexit, and therefore the practicalities of working with international partners on the basis of standardisation remains the same as it was.
UKAS & Brexit
Will my UKAS Accredited Certificate still be Valid After Brexit?
UKAS is the national accreditation body for the UK, recognised by the UK Government, and this won’t change after Brexit.
In February 2019 the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) confirmed that UKAS can continue as a member during the implementation period agreed until December 2020. This gives continuity of UKAS recognition in Europe beyond Brexit.
UK ISO Certification Bodies & Europe
Many UK Certification bodies maintain multiple accreditations for different territories already, for example UKAS in the UK, INAB in Ireland, RVA in the Netherlands or ANAB in the USA.
Find out more about accreditation bodies in Europe: https://european-accreditation.org/ea-members/directory-of-ea-members-and-mla-signatories/
Certification bodies are preparing in different ways. Here’s statements from some of the Certification Bodies we work with:
Alcumus ISOQAR
https://www.alcumusgroup.com/blog/february-2019/what-brexit-means-for-isoqar-customers
BSI Group
https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/about-bsi/media-centre/BSI-and-Brexit/certification-brexit/
LRQA
https://www.lr.org/en-gb/brexit/
NQA
https://www.nqa.com/en-GB/resources/news/brexit
BM Trada
https://www.bmtrada.com/about-bm-trada/latest-news/brexit-update
