First identify what document you have
Laboratory reports, inspection reports, product certificates and supplier declarations serve different proof functions. Even a strong document cannot exceed its issuer role, scheme, scope, specimen, configuration or status.
| Document class | Typical issuer role | Can record or attest | Verify | Cannot automatically establish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory test report | Testing laboratory | Records a specimen, method, test conditions, observations and results for the work described. | Verify the laboratory, exact accredited scope, report identity, method edition, specimen and configuration, result units and limitations. | Product certification, untested configurations, project design, local acceptance or performance beyond the stated conditions. |
| Inspection report or certificate | Inspection body | Records conformity findings for the inspected item, process, installation or service within the stated inspection scope. | Verify the body, accredited inspection scope, inspected object and location, method, date, findings, sampling and unresolved nonconformities. | Laboratory performance for an untested specimen, product certification or the condition of items not inspected. |
| Product certificate or scheme listing | Product certification or scheme body | Attests conformity for the identified product under a stated scheme, normative basis, surveillance arrangement and conditions. | Verify the issuing body and scheme, current public directory status, certificate number, product/model, manufacturing site, normative documents, surveillance and limitations. | A permit, project-specific design, configurations outside the certificate or continuing validity after withdrawal, suspension or product change. |
| Supplier or manufacturer declaration | First-party supplier or manufacturer | States, under the issuer's responsibility, that the identified object conforms to specified requirements and is supported by a technical file. | Verify the issuer, unique declaration, product identity, specified requirements, issue details, authorised signature, limitations and supporting assessment records. | Independent third-party certification merely because a test report, logo or external laboratory is referenced. |
Six official verification entry points
The statuses below record only the editions or directory entry points shown by official pages on 29 July 2026. Standards, schemes and body status change and must be rechecked when used.
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 — testing and calibration laboratories
Current status: Published edition 3; ISO records confirmation in 2023.
Verification use: Identify the laboratory-competence framework, then verify the laboratory and the exact test or method in the accreditation body's current scope directory.
Boundary: A reference to ISO/IEC 17025, a logo or an accreditation number does not by itself prove that the reported test is inside the accredited scope.
Open official entry · 2026-07-29
ISO/IEC 17020:2026 — bodies performing inspection
Current status: Edition 3 published in March 2026; ISO records a June 2026 corrected English version.
Verification use: Check the inspection body's identity, impartiality category where applicable, accredited inspection scope, inspected item, method, location and date.
Boundary: An inspection report applies to the inspected item and stated scope; it is not automatically a laboratory test report or product certificate.
Open official entry · 2026-07-29
ISO/IEC 17065:2012 — product, process and service certification bodies
Current status: Published and confirmed in 2024; ISO marks it for revision and lists a replacement final draft in development.
Verification use: Verify the certification body, scheme, current certified-product directory entry, product identity, normative documents, surveillance status and limitations.
Boundary: Certification-body competence and a certificate do not extend the certificate beyond its product, scheme, configuration, conditions or status.
Open official entry · 2026-07-29
ISO/IEC 17050-1 and 17050-2 — supplier's declaration of conformity and supporting documentation
Current status: ISO/CASCO identifies the 2004 parts as the current general supplier-declaration documents.
Verification use: Check unique declaration identity, issuer, object, specified requirements, issue details, authorised signatory, limitations and supporting technical file.
Boundary: A supplier declaration is a first-party attestation and must not be relabelled as independent product certification.
Open official entry · 2026-07-29
ILAC MRA signatories and accredited conformity-assessment bodies
Current status: Living official directory and guidance checked on the stated date.
Verification use: Find the responsible accreditation body, confirm its ILAC MRA activity, then use or contact that body to verify the laboratory or inspection body and exact scope.
Boundary: ILAC does not itself accredit the laboratory or validate a particular report; the responsible signatory accreditation body confirms status and scope.
Open official entry · 2026-07-29
NANDO-CPR notified-body directory and CPR certificate/report checks
Current status: Living European Commission entry point checked on the stated date.
Verification use: Match the body identification number, notified function, product family, technical specification and date; contact the body or market-surveillance authority when authenticity remains in doubt.
Boundary: A body listed in NANDO is not authorised for every product or task, and a preliminary directory match is not a market-surveillance decision.
Open official entry · 2026-07-29
Twelve-step report and certificate checklist
A stop condition cannot be bypassed with a marketing summary, similar model or unattributed verbal assurance. Record the original evidence, reviewer, date, decision and unresolved issue.
| Step | Evidence to record | Stop and resolve when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Confirm the complete controlled file | File name, page count, appendices, referenced drawings, digital validation method and source of receipt. | Pages, appendices, referenced schedules or validation data are missing. |
| 2. Establish unique document identity | Title, report or certificate number, issue date, revision, superseded versions and authorised signature or equivalent. | No stable identifier, revision or issue authority can be established. |
| 3. Verify issuer identity | Legal name, address, official domain, contact details and any public directory entry. | Issuer identity conflicts across the document, directory and official contact channel. |
| 4. Identify the issuer's conformity-assessment role | Testing laboratory, inspection body, product certification body, evaluation body or first-party supplier declaration. | A report, inspection, certificate and declaration are being treated as interchangeable. |
| 5. Confirm current accreditation, designation or scheme status | Official directory URL, body or accreditation number, activity, status, date checked and confirmation contact when needed. | Status is expired, suspended, withdrawn, unverifiable or belongs to a different body. |
| 6. Match the exact accredited or notified scope | Test or inspection method, product family, technical specification, body function, site or facility and any scope exclusions. | The issuer is recognised, but the reported activity, method, product family or facility is outside its scope. |
| 7. Verify the normative basis and edition | Standard, acceptance criteria, scheme document, legal route, edition, amendments, deviations and transition status. | The cited edition is wrong for the scheme, withdrawn without an accepted transition, or unrelated to the claim. |
| 8. Match the product and specimen identity | Manufacturer, model, serial or batch where relevant, components, material grades, finishes, manufacturing site and labels. | The supplied product cannot be traced to the tested, inspected, certified or declared object. |
| 9. Match configuration and assessment setup | Dimensions, spans, roof state, supports, anchors, fasteners, foundations, interfaces, loading direction, controls and environmental conditioning. | A material configuration, support condition, operating state or component differs without a written technical resolution. |
| 10. Trace results to the public claim | Measured result, unit, uncertainty where reported, acceptance criterion, failure mode, classification and the exact claim wording. | Marketing language changes the quantity, unit, test state, criterion, failure mode or conclusion. |
| 11. Check limitations, instructions and change control | Intended use, exclusions, installation and maintenance instructions, certificate conditions, surveillance, revisions and product changes. | A limitation is omitted, the installation differs, or product changes have not been assessed against the evidence. |
| 12. Record project match and responsible-party acceptance | Project address, required actions and criteria, comparison to evidence capacity, local rules, reviewer, decision, conditions and open issues. | The document is being used as a permit, project design or local acceptance without the responsible party's recorded decision. |
Eight red flags
A red flag triggers further investigation; it is not a finding of fraud. Authenticity disputes belong with the issuer, accreditation body, scheme owner or competent market-surveillance authority.
Cropped, reassembled or incomplete document
Obtain the complete controlled copy from the issuer or official directory before interpreting conclusions.
Report number, revision, issuer or contact details conflict
Stop use and confirm authenticity through an independently located official channel.
Accreditation or certification is implied by a logo alone
Record the body number and verify current status and exact scope in the responsible official directory.
Recognised body, but the test, method, product family or facility is outside scope
Treat the activity as outside the claimed accredited or notified scope unless the responsible body resolves it in writing.
The marketed model or project configuration differs from the assessed specimen
List every difference and obtain a technically accountable written applicability decision.
A result is converted into a broader capacity, rating or approval claim
Return to the reported quantity, unit, setup, criterion and failure mode; do not extrapolate without a documented basis.
Certificate or directory status is expired, suspended, withdrawn or inconsistent
Do not rely on the file until the issuer, scheme or authority confirms the current status and transition.
The document is presented as a universal permit or project approval
Separate product evidence from site design, local rules, installation evidence and the responsible authority or designer's decision.
Three conclusions that must stay separate
- Document authenticity: only the document identity and issuing source have been verified.
- Scope match: the body scope, product, method, specimen and configuration also match.
- Project acceptance: the responsible party accepts use against site demand, local rules, installation and project design; the first two conclusions do not replace this one.
Download and verify
The complete JSON retains the bilingual method and official entry points; the document-class CSV distinguishes proof roles; the blank checklist CSV contains only the twelve steps and record fields, with no real product conclusion. No separate open-data licence is asserted for these files.
Place verified records in the project dossier · Check standards editions and jurisdiction · Choose evidence by question · Check one product claim