"Signatory" on this page means the person, or group of persons, an accredited body authorizes to make the certification decision and to carry the defined authorization on the resulting certificate, statement or report, not simply anyone with permission to sign a piece of paper. Every ASCB-accredited scheme sets eligibility criteria for this role, though the exact clause and the exact document differ by standard. The requirement that runs through all six is independence: the person deciding whether to certify, or authorizing the resulting document, cannot be the same person who carried out the audit, examination, evaluation or inspection being decided on.
Eligibility criteria by scheme
Certification bodies, management systems (ISO/IEC 17021-1) ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015, Clause 9.5.1.1 requires that the persons or committees who decide to grant, refuse, expand, reduce, suspend, restore, withdraw or renew certification are different from those who carried out the audit, and that the individual(s) appointed have appropriate competence. Clause 9.5.1.2 requires that person to be employed by, or under a legally enforceable arrangement with, the certification body itself or an entity under its organizational control.
Certification bodies, persons (ISO/IEC 17024) ISO/IEC 17024:2026, Clause 9.4.4 requires that personnel who make a certification decision have not participated in examining or training the candidate concerned. Clause 9.4.7 requires the resulting certificate to be authorized by a responsible member of the certification body's personnel.
Certification bodies, products, processes and services (ISO/IEC 17065) ISO/IEC 17065:2012, Clause 7.6 requires the certification decision to be made by a person or group who has not been involved in the evaluation, and Clause 7.6.3 requires that person to be employed by, or under contract with, the certification body or an entity under its organizational control. Clause 7.7.2 requires formal certification documentation to carry the signature, or other defined authorization, of the person assigned that responsibility.
Inspection bodies (ISO/IEC 17020) ISO/IEC 17020:2026, Clause 7.6.2(f) requires every inspection report or inspection certificate to carry a signature, or other indication of approval, by authorized personnel, alongside the other identifying content the clause lists.
Laboratories, testing and calibration (ISO/IEC 17025) ISO/IEC 17025:2017, Clause 7.8.1.1 requires results to be reviewed and authorized before release. Clause 7.8.2.1(o) requires every report to identify the person(s) authorizing it.
Validation and verification bodies (ISO/IEC 17029) ISO/IEC 17029:2019, Clause 9.7.1.2 requires the decision to confirm or not confirm a claim to be made by persons who were not involved in carrying out the validation or verification. Unlike the other five schemes, the standard's own content requirements for the statement (Clause 9.7.2) do not include a named signatory or authorizing individual, so this scheme's eligibility requirement sits at the decision stage rather than on the issued document itself.
How signatory status is confirmed and recorded
ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015, Clause 9.5.1.4 requires the certification body to record each certification decision. ISO/IEC 17065:2012 goes further, noting under Clause 7.7.2 that a defined authorization can be evidenced by the name and title of the individual whose agreement to take that responsibility is on record at the certification body, rather than a physical signature alone. Across every scheme, a body's own competence matrix, alongside its signatory-authorization records, is what an ASCB assessment checks against these clauses.
Common questions
Who counts as a signatory?
The person or group an accredited body authorizes to make the certification decision and carry the authorization on the certificate, statement or report, not simply anyone permitted to sign.
What is the common rule across all schemes?
Independence: the person deciding whether to certify cannot be the one who carried out the audit, examination, evaluation or inspection being decided on.
Do the criteria differ by scheme?
Yes; the exact clause and document differ by standard, though the independence requirement runs through all of them.