Supplier Certificates: ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AS9100

ISO 9001 certifies a supplier site's quality management system in any industry, while IATF 16949 (automotive) and AS9100 (aerospace) contain all of ISO 9001 and add sector requirements. The certificate that matters is the one your end market and your customer's requirements call for, and none of them certifies the quality of a delivered part.

What do ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AS9100 and ISO 13485 certify?

A quality management system certificate states that a certification body audited a named site against a named standard and found its management system conforming. The standards differ in who may be certified and in what they add on top of ISO 9001.

Table 1. Supplier quality certificates compared

Source: IAQG 9100:2016 Overview (2020); DQS, IATF 16949 explained; IATF Global Oversight; IAQG OASIS V3 guide; DIN Media, DIN EN ISO 13485:2021-12.

The 9100 series has two siblings. 9110 covers maintenance organisations and 9120 covers distributors (IAQG Standards Register, October 2025). A supplier that machines parts is assessed against 9100. In Europe the standard is published as EN 9100:2018, in the Americas as AS9100 Rev D.

Which certificate does your part need?

The part does not decide this. Your end market and your customer's quality requirements do, so start from the customer and work backwards.

• General industrial and machinery parts: ISO 9001 is the certificate to ask for when no sector standard applies.
• Automotive: IATF 16949 applies to sites that manufacture automotive production, service or accessory parts. Whether a lower-tier machining supplier must hold it is set by your customer's customer-specific requirements, so obtain them in writing before you shortlist. A certified site works with APQP, control plans and PPAP, see PPAP for Tier 2 suppliers.
• Aerospace: AS9100 or EN 9100. The IAQG's 9102 sets the first article inspection requirement, see first article inspection to AS9102.
• Medical devices: ISO 13485. Ask the device manufacturer whether it requires the certificate of its component suppliers.

Process certificates sit next to the system certificate, not in place of it. ISO 3834 for welding is one example.

What does a quality certificate not tell you?

Three limits matter when you compare suppliers.

Scope. A certificate covers the sites and activities in its scope statement. If a supplier outsources milling or coating to another shop, the certificate says nothing about that work unless the scope includes it.

Legal entity and site. IATF certification attaches to a manufacturing site. TÜV NORD's eligibility guidance excludes organisations that outsource manufacturing and those that only design, test or warehouse. A trading company or coordinator therefore cannot hold IATF 16949 for parts made elsewhere. Read the legal name and site address on the certificate, then check that the site makes your part.

The delivered part. A certificate does not show that a lot meets your drawing. That is the job of inspection reports and material certificates for the order, see quality documents for machined parts and EN 10204 inspection certificates.

How do you verify a supplier's certificate?

1. Ask for the PDF and read the legal name, site address, scope, standard and edition, certification body, and issue and expiry dates. Certification involves annual surveillance audits and recertification on a three-year cycle (DQS), so an old certificate can lapse.
2. Confirm it with the issuing certification body, quoting the certificate number.
3. Check that the body is accredited. The EA multilateral agreement makes accredited certificates acceptable across signatory countries, provided the certificate is covered by valid accreditation and references it. The EA directory lists TÜRKAK as a signatory for management system certification.
4. For IATF 16949 and AS9100, use the scheme's own database.

Table 2. Where to check each certificate

Source: IATF Stakeholder Communiqué SC-2022-009; IATF Global Oversight; IAQG OASIS V3 guide.

For IATF, the certification body must also appear on the IATF list of bodies under contract. An IATF certificate from a body outside that list is not an IATF 16949 certificate.

Which editions are current in October 2026?

Three of these standards are mid-revision, so state the edition in every RFQ. Status as of 2026-10-30.

Table 3. Edition status of the supplier certificate standards

Source: ISO/TC 176 news page; IATF SC-2026-005 (July 2026); IAQG Standards Register (October 2025); NASA SMA (2024); DIN Media.

In practice, a supplier holding an ISO 9001:2015 certificate is covered until its transition deadline. Accept either edition during the transition and ask when the supplier plans to move. For supplier qualification beyond certificates, see how to qualify a contract machining supplier in Turkey.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ISO 9001 and IATF 16949?

ISO 9001 applies to any industry. IATF 16949 requires conformance with all ISO 9001:2015 requirements and adds automotive requirements; it is certified only as a supplement to ISO 9001, and only at sites that manufacture automotive production, service or accessory parts.

Is AS9100 the same as EN 9100?

They are regional publications of the same IAQG 9100 standard. The IAQG register of October 2025 lists AS9100 Rev D (2016-09-20) for the Americas, EN 9100:2018 for Europe and JIS Q 9100:2016 for Asia Pacific.

How do I check an IATF 16949 certificate?

Enter the IATF certificate number in the IATF Certificate Validity Check, which is linked from the IATF Global Oversight website. The issuing body must also appear on IATF's list of certification bodies under contract.

Are ISO 9001:2015 certificates still valid after ISO 9001:2026?

Yes, for now. ISO 9001:2026 was published on 2026-09-16, and according to the ISO/TC 176 news page, organisations certified to ISO 9001:2015 have until 2029-09-30 to complete their transition.

Does a quality certificate mean the parts meet the drawing?

No. The certificate says an auditor found a site's management system conforming to a standard. Conformity of a delivered lot is shown by inspection reports and material certificates for that order.

Can a company that outsources all manufacturing hold IATF 16949?

According to TÜV NORD's eligibility guidance, no. An organisation that outsources manufacturing, or only designs, tests or warehouses, is not eligible, because the certificate attaches to the manufacturing site.

Sources

1. ISO/TC 176 news: ISO 9001:2026 published 2026-09-16, transition dates
2. ISO 9001:2026-09 (DIN Media), replaces ISO 9001:2015-09
3. DIN EN ISO 9001:2026-11 (DIN Media), replaces DIN EN ISO 9001:2015-11
4. IATF Stakeholder Communiqué SC-2026-005, IATF 16949 2nd edition update information (July 2026)
5. IATF Stakeholder Communiqué SC-2022-009, IATF Unique Site Identifier (September 2022)
6. IATF Global Oversight, latest news and link to the IATF Certificate Validity Check
7. IATF Global Oversight, certification bodies under contract
8. DQS, IATF 16949 explained (scope, relation to ISO 9001, certification cycle)
9. TÜV NORD, who qualifies for IATF certification
10. IAQG, 9100:2016 Overview (May 2020), relationship of the 9100 series to ISO 9001
11. IAQG Standards Register, revision October 2025 (9100, 9102, 9110, 9120)
12. IAQG, OASIS V3 Quick Links Guide
13. NASA SMA, status of the development of IA9100 (2024-04-17)
14. DIN EN ISO 13485:2021-12 (DIN Media), German version of EN ISO 13485:2016 + AC:2018 + A11:2021
15. EA, The EA MLA (accredited certificates accepted across signatory countries)
16. EA, directory of EA members and MLA signatories (TÜRKAK entry)

Questions on a drawing? sales@ertas.engineering

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