AI certification FAQ

No. OpenAI offers no certification program, and this site is not affiliated with OpenAI. Any “OpenAI certification” being sold is not an official credential. The real, verifiable AI credentials are third-party: ISO/IEC 42001 (certifiable) and alignment with the NIST AI RMF (a voluntary framework).

Accredited certification bodies (CBs) — for example BSI Group, Schellman, A-LIGN, DNV, SGS, and TÜV SÜD — perform Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits and issue the certificate. Consultants implement your AI management system but cannot certify you. This site is neither: it is an independent directory and quote-matching service.

No. Only an accredited certification body can issue the certificate. A consultant that also promises to certify you is a red flag — the directory labels each firm’s role precisely for this reason.

ISO 42001 is a certifiable management-system standard: a CB audits you and issues a certificate. The NIST AI RMF is a voluntary US framework for governing, mapping, measuring, and managing AI risk — excellent for structuring a program, but nobody “certifies” you against it. Many companies do both: NIST AI RMF for the program, ISO 42001 for the proof.

Published guides put Stage 1 + Stage 2 audits at roughly $8,000–$25,000+, with first-year totals $10,000–$25,000 for smaller scopes and $25,000–$60,000+ at major CBs. Surveillance runs $4,000–$22,000/year. See the cost guide for sources and a calculator.

Typically 6–12 months from AI inventory to certificate; 4–8 months if you already run ISO 27001. See the timeline page.

Partially. ISO 42001’s risk management and governance controls align with several EU AI Act obligations, but the Act has specific legal requirements (for example for high-risk systems) that certification alone doesn’t satisfy. Treat 42001 as strong supporting evidence, not a legal shield.

Yes — integrated audits are common and often cheaper than two separate certifications, because both standards share the Annex SL management-system structure.