- Business Assurance
- Management Systems Certification
- Suspension and withdrawal of certificate.
The certification process

Suspension: Time-limited invalidation of a certificate.
Withdrawal: Permanent invalidation of a certificate.
DNV may initiate suspension in cases where the
1. Certified management systems have persistently and seriously failed to meet certification requirements, for example:
2. Surveillance audits and recertification audits not allowed to be conducted according to required frequency or as scheduled
3. Violation of the terms of the signed certification agreement, for example:
4. Customer voluntarily requesting temporary suspension
5. Evidence received from authorities etc. that could affect the status of certificate, for example:
The management and authorized personnel within the DNV unit who issued the certificate shall decide on the action to be taken, based on a review and duly considerations of evidence. If suspension is decided the process below shall be followed.
Suspension of a certificate is normally initiated as the first step, followed by withdrawal if the issue of concern is not resolved within due time. Dependent on the seriousness of the case, DNV may decide a direct withdrawal of the certificate.
Where failure of the management system is related to a specific part of the organisation, specific products etc, DNV may also consider a reduction in the scope of certification as an alternative to suspension. DNV may also choose to only give the customer a warning that suspension is being considered.
The decision to suspend a certificate shall be communicated to the customer by a formal letter. The letter shall include:
A certificate shall not be suspended for more than 6 months.
DNV will verify that conditions are met and requested corrective actions are implemented.
Dependent on this verification, DNV will either:
Withdrawal of the certificate shall be initiated if:
The decision to withdraw a certificate shall be formally communicated to the customer including the requirements to:
The customer has a right to appeal. An appeal may be lodged through the complaints procedure.