Certification cycle: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)
The certification cycle (French: cycle de certification) is the three-year period covered by an ISO 53001 certificate. Under ISO/IEC 17021-1, it begins with the certification decision, includes surveillance audits at least once per calendar year and ends with a recertification audit before the expiry date.
Updated: · edition covered: ISO/UNDP 53001:2026
In an ISO/UNDP 53001 audit
The cycle determines how verification is distributed. All requirements and all sites must be covered over the three years, and an audit programme set up at the outset records how. At each visit the auditor refers to it to see what has already been examined and what remains.
For the certified organisation, the cycle sets a rhythm. Surveillance visits are not optional, and postponing one beyond its deadline puts the certificate at risk. A significant change, such as extending the scope, can add an extra audit. See ISO 53001 certification and the ISO/UNDP 53001 standard.
The cycle year by year
In the first year, the initial audit in two stages leads to the decision and the certificate. The first surveillance audit follows within twelve months of that decision, the second a year later. Recertification is scheduled in the third year with enough margin for the decision to be taken before expiry, including time to close any major nonconformity raised at that point.
See also
- Surveillance audit: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A surveillance audit (French: *audit de surveillance*) is a periodic audit carried out by the certification body while an ISO 53001 certificate is valid.
- Recertification audit: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A recertification audit (French: *audit de renouvellement*) takes place before an ISO 53001 certificate expires, so that a decision can be made on renewing it for a further three-year cycle.
- Certificate: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A certificate (French: *certificat*) is the document issued by a certification body after a favourable decision.
- Certification audit: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A certification audit (French: *audit de certification*) is the initial audit through which a certification body checks that an SDG management system meets ISO 53001 before a first certification decision.
- ISO 53001 certification: what it proves and how it is issued (ISO/UNDP 53001)ISO 53001 certification confirms, after an audit by an independent body, that an organisation's management system meets the standard's requirements for managing its contribution to the SDGs.