Organizations across all sectors highly prefer ISO certification in UAE. Companies must maintain consistency in their business operations and provide good services or products.
UAE, an Overview:
United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a very modern, standout, and prominent economy in the GCC countries. It shares its borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia. Qatar and Bahrain are also in proximity. It has seven states: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras al Khaima, and Fujairah. Abu Dhabi is the country's capital, with 86% of the country's land area. The majority of the population lives in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Dubai is the most modern state of the UAE, with the least land area of 5% of the UAE.
UAE is an oil-rich country, but in recent years, it has reduced its reliance on Oil and shifted its economy to business and tourism. Dubai is the major hub in the region, and many international brands have local offices in Dubai.
ISO Certification Business Scope in UAE
ISO Certification in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) has a wide scope. The country is taking serious initiatives to standardize processes and be compatible with the modern world.
Almost all mainstream international ISO certification bodies have local offices in UAE, i.e., SGS, Intertek, Bureau Veritas, TUV Nord, DNV, BSI, TUV Apex, etc. It is a mandatory requirement for these ISO certification bodies to be accredited by the Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC).
EIAC is the UAE's national accreditation body. It provides accreditation services for ISO 9001:2015 for Quality Management Systems, ISO 14001:2015 for Environmental Management Systems, ISO 45001:2018 for Health & Safety Management Systems, ISO 22000:2018 / HACCP for Food Safety Management Systems, ISO 27001 for Information Security Management Systems, ISO 22301 for business continuity.
It is a must for all foreign-origin ISO certification bodies to be accredited by EIAC if they want to operate in the UAE. Local governments from various states collaborate closely and work nonstop to oversee these Certification bodies' operations effectively. Dubai Municipality is ahead of the others; they are powerful and put much effort into implementing best management practices in the Emirates of Dubai.
Especially in the food sector, Dubai is going very well. They have a food watch program. Every company in the food supply chain that operates from Dubai has to be registered in the Food Watch program and regularly update their activities in the Watch program.
Other than this, all the people in charge of food establishments had to go for PIC Level 2 or PIC Level 3 Training from a DM-registered training provider in UAE. In addition, all the food handlers must attend a 6-hour introductory food hygiene training course at the DM-registered institute.
Dubai Municipality also regularly visits food establishments based on their risk category and grades them according to their demonstration level for compliance with the food safety system. A detailed Dubai food code is also mandatory for all food establishments in Dubai.
Dubai Municipality always encourages food companies to get certified for HACCP or ISO 22000:2018 food safety systems. Before, food companies were more familiar with HACCP, but these days, authorities are encouraging them to go for an ISO 22000:2018 food safety management system.
Sharjah also has good initiatives to standardize companies' practices. In Sharjah, it is a must for all food companies to provide GHP Training for workers and managers.
Ajman Municipality has also taken reasonable measures to implement management systems with organizations in recent months. It registers all the ISO Certification Bodies and their auditors so that it may keep a close eye on their activities.
Accreditation Bodies in UAE
EIAC is the national body of the UAE, whose previous name was DAC (Dubai Accreditation Centre). Dubai initiated the establishment of a national accreditation body in the UAE named DAC. In 2018, we decided, collectively with others, to scale up the scope of EIAC and operate it on the federal level instead of the state level. We changed its name from DAC to EIAC.
EIAC is a member of the IAF and an MLA signatory. Being old and prestigious, it is very prominent in the region. More than 100 ISO certification bodies are accredited with EIAC just in the UAE. A significant number of labs are accredited with EIAC for ISO 17025. Similarly, many inspection bodies are accredited with EIAC for ISO 17020, which is a standard for Inspection body management systems.
Abu Dhabi also took the initiative and created an organization called the Emirates Standardization and Meteorology Authority (ESMA). This organization is responsible for writing, adapting, and publishing different standards, including ISO standards, in the Emirates.
Alongside this, Abu Dhabi also has an accreditation body called ENAS, which stands for Emirates National Accreditation System. ENAS is more popular and accepted in Abu Dhabi.
This question is still to be answered by EIAC or ENAS, which is one of the national bodies of the UAE; however, ENAS is more in Lab accreditation standards.
Be Aware of Hoax Certification Mills in UAE
As the regional business hub and prominent business-friendly country, the UAE supports and encourages business activities. Still, some issues must be resolved on priority—especially the presence of non-accredited ISO certification bodies.
These usually operate from outside the country and are made up of people who sell fake, non-accredited certifications. Locally, recent certification bodies need more room to play in exchanging money, and municipalities are very hard on them.
However, those operating outside the countries are generally out of the clutches of UAE authorities. Still, decisive actions are needed against these culprit bodies and their UAE handlers, who are Iso consultants. Recently, EIAC issued a circular warning that those bodies that EIAC does not accredit operate illegally in the UAE. Please click here to view the EIAC circular.
EIAC has declared in the circular that they will take strict actions against the ISO consultancy/ consultant companies or certification bodies involved in the mall practices. Their licenses may also be cancelled as a punishment for mall practices.
How to Select ISO Certification Body in UAE
When you are going to select a certification body in UAE for the audit of your company, make sure to check the following,
- EIAC should accredit a potential certification body. Visit the EIAC website, go to the Accreditation Certification Bodies directory, and confirm that the body's name is in the directory.
- Request that the certification body send its accreditation certificate. Ensure the body has the relevant certification scheme and is approved for the scope (NACE codes) applicable to your organization. You can also visit the EIAC website to check the accreditation certificates.
- Request the certification body to share the sample certificate that will be issued at the final qualification. Make sure the certificate has EIAC and IAF logos. If there is any other logo, be alert; possibly, you are dealing with a fraudulent body issuing worthless certificates for money.
- Certification is always for a three-year cycle, which includes initial accreditation, the first annual surveillance, and the second annual surveillance. After a three-year cycle, you need to recertify for the next cycle.
- Some certification bodies request payment for all three years at the start, which is a wrong approach and against accreditation bodies' regulations. Payment should be made at the initial certification and then at each surveillance audit. Make all payments at the start. The certification body will not be interested in auditing you, so it's against accreditation bodies' regulations.
- If you find anything doubtful, you can officially write to the certification body for clarification. Suppose the body does not respond appropriately or is unable to explain things. In that case, you can write to their EIAC to take necessary action against the certification body.
Benefits of being an ISO Certified company in UAE:
- Increased Brand Value
- Improved Business Performance
- Cost Savings
- Increased Market Share
- Access to new markets
- Extra layer of system validations
- Environmental Benefits
- Opening up world trade
- Enhanced customer satisfaction
- Contribution to efforts against global warming
- Becoming part of the global economy
- Brand reputation as socially responsible
ISO Certification is in Dubai, UAE, through Qdot.
International Standards offer significant technological, economic, and societal advantages. They enhance the technical specifications of products and services, boosting industry productivity and efficiency while facilitating international trade by removing barriers. Certification instills confidence in stakeholders—customers, competitors, suppliers, employees, and investors—by demonstrating adherence to globally recognized best practices to enhance organizational systems.
Qdot is providing the mentioned ISO consultancy services in UAE, leading to ISO Certification in UAE,
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS:
For ease of understanding, we classified our management system consultancy services, which led to certification in different clusters. These clusters are briefed as mentioned below,
QHSE Standards: ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management System), ISO 45001:2018 (Health & Safety Management System)
Food Standards: HACCP, ISO 22000:2018 (Food Safety System), FSSC 22000, BRC GS, HALAL, Organic Certification, USDA-NOP and EU Organic Certification
Perfumes & Cosmetics: ISO 22716:20017 (GMP)
Social Compliance: SEDEX-SMETA Certification, Worldly Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative), SA 8000 (Social Accountability), ISO 26000 (Social Responsibility), EcoVadis
Supply Chain Security: ISO 28000 (Supply Chain Security Management System), CTPAT (Custom Trade Partnership Against Terrorism)
ACCREDITATION STANDARDS:
These are ISO accreditation standards and had to be directly accredited by the national accreditation body of the relevant country, i.e., EIAC (UAE), UKAS (UK), Jas-Anz (Australia & New-Zeland), ANAB (America), DAKKS (Germany), PNAC (Pakistan).
Qdot has very good experience working on these ISO accreditation standards, which include,
ISO 17020: Accreditation standard for inspection bodies. It is a mandatory requirement for inspection bodies operating in the UAE to get themself accredited by EIAC.
ISO 17025: Accreditation standard for Testing & calibration laboratories. It is a mandatory requirement for Testing & calibrations labs operating in the UAE to get themself accredited by EIAC or ENAS (Emirates National Accreditation System) in case they are operating in Abu Dhabi.
ISO 17021: is the accreditation standard for ISO Certification bodies. It is a mandatory requirement for ISO Certification Bodies operating in the UAE to get themselves accredited by EIAC as their national accreditation body.
OTHER ISO STANDARDS: Qdot also has consultancy expertise in other off-beat, sector-specific standards. These standards, being sector-specific, are not very common in the market, and it is difficult to find a good consultancy organization you can trust.
Qdot has expertise in following sector-specific standards;
ISO 50001: Energy Management System
ISO 55001: Asset Management System
ISO 16949: Quality Management System for Automobile Industry
ISO 37001: Anti-Bribery Management System
ISO 41001: Facility Management System
ISO 10002: Customer Satisfaction Guidelines for Complaint Handling
ISO 29001: Quality Management System for Petroleum, Petrochemical and Natural Gas Industries
ISO 10006: Quality Management System in Projects
ISO 22301: Business Continuity Management System
AS 9100: Quality Management System for Aviation, Space and Defense Industry
API Certification: Standard by American Petroleum Institute (API) for Oil & Gas Industry
API Monogram Program
ISO 39001: Road Traffic Safety Management System
At Qdot, we firmly believe in the authenticity and independence of the ISO certification process in the UAE. We only work with mainstream ISO Certification bodies that EIAC accredits. Qdot earned its reputation as a prominent provider of ISO consultancy services, ensuring successful certification for our clients. Many industries trust us in UAE as a leading and one of the best-organized ISO consultancy companies providing ISO consultancy services to organizations of all sizes from different industries.
We specialize in developing, implementing, and maintaining all prominent ISO Management Systems. Our consultancy services in the UAE are meticulously crafted to align our organization's strategic objectives with its daily operations, enhancing efficiency, productivity, and service quality while optimizing processes.
Preserving the prestige of ISO certification in the UAE requires a collective effort from all stakeholders. Let's continue working together to uphold these standards and their global significance.
In case you find anything doubtful about any ISO consultancy organization or ISO certification body or have any queries related to any ISO Standard, please feel free to contact us through our Toll-Free number: +971 800 QDOT9 (73689). We also have WhatsApp on the same number. You can also send an email to [email protected].
Move forward with confidence.