How to check a conformity body's UK approval
Find the issuing body in the official UK conformity assessment register, then match its appointment to your product, the relevant legislation and the assessment activity required. Confirm the certificate directly with the issuer and save the evidence. Cambridge China Bridge can help gather factory documents through its staff in China.
Start with the product and assessment route
Write down the intended market, product model, intended use and proposed marking. Ask the supplier to identify the applicable legislation and the assessment route being used. Whether third-party assessment is needed depends on the product and its regulation. Our marking and certification guide explains that starting point.
Use the relevant legislation and official product guidance to check the proposed route before choosing a body. When reading legislation, check its current status and amendments rather than relying on a saved original version. Keep Great Britain and Northern Ireland checks separate.
Find the issuing entity in the official register
The UK Market Conformity Assessment Bodies service is the UK's database of conformity assessment bodies. Find it through the official government website. Search for the issuer's exact legal name and compare its identifying number, address and body type with the certificate.
Open the individual record rather than stopping at the search result. Check the entry relevant to your intended market and legislation. A familiar trading name or a matching logo is not enough for your purchasing decision. If the entity cannot be matched, ask the issuer and the register service to resolve the discrepancy.
Match legislation, product scope and activities
The government publishes appointments and the scope of approved activities. Read the appointment scope or schedule available for the body, and request it if you cannot find it. Compare the named legislation, product category, assessment procedure and any restrictions with the supplier's proposed route.
Ask the body to identify the exact scope entry covering your product and the work it will perform. Distinguish type examination from production quality assurance or product verification. Do not assume that approval for an examination also covers ongoing production assessment. Ask who will perform each activity and who will issue the resulting document.
Verify the certificate separately
Finding a body in the register does not authenticate the supplier's document. Contact the issuer using independently obtained contact details. Ask it to confirm the certificate reference, holder, model, configuration, assessment route and current certificate status. Our test report verification guide covers the separate checks on laboratory evidence.
If the body has changed name or its scope has changed since issue, ask how that affects this certificate and any continuing assessment. Pause acceptance of the evidence while the answer is unresolved. Avoid treating a current register entry as proof of what the body was authorised to do when the document was issued.
Keep a record tied to the ordered product
Save the register record, appointment scope, date checked and issuer's reply alongside the certificate. Record which legislation, product category and assessment activity you matched, and any unresolved limitation. Keep these with your technical compliance file.
Tie the check to the specification, approved sample and production configuration. Ask the factory to flag component, material or model changes before production. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help collect those details; ask the appointed body to resolve questions about its own authorised scope.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I check a UK approved body?
Use the official UK Market Conformity Assessment Bodies service. Match the issuing entity, then check the appointment scope against your legislation, product and assessment activity.
Does a register listing prove my certificate is genuine?
Confirm the document separately with the issuer using independently obtained contact details. Match the holder, model, configuration and assessment route.
Can an approved body assess any product?
Check its published appointment and approved activities. Ask it to point to the scope entry covering your product category and the assessment procedure you need.
What if the body's scope has changed?
Ask the issuer to explain its authorisation at issue and the effect on the certificate and continuing assessment. Keep the reply and pause acceptance while the position is unresolved.