Certification Mark Use

• Establish the rules for correct use of:
• - (a) the FVR mark by certified clients;
• - (b) the Accreditation Body (OA) mark, when applicable (for the standards in the ERP accreditation catalogue);
• - (c) public reference to the certificate by the certified client in advertising, communication and corporate materials.

• All clients certified by FVR, in any service line covered by this procedure (17021 — accredited and non-accredited standards offered by FVR). Internally binding on the audit and certification team for enforcement of these rules through FVR_EC-PR-01 (cycle).

• Misuse cases detected — Trend information — Annual
• Average resolution time of misuse cases — ≤ 30 calendar days — Quarterly
• % of clients with mark-use acknowledgment at certificate delivery — 100% — Continuous
• Public verification queries (volume) — Trend information — Monthly

• - Use authorized only for clients with a valid certificate (Active status — public enquiry under FVR_QA-PR-02).
• - Vectorial version with locked proportions is provided by FVR (download from client portal upon issuance).
• - Minimum clear-space equivalent to height of letter "F" of the mark on all sides; minimum size 15 mm height in print, 60 px in digital.
• - The mark shall not be applied to products or used in any way that could imply product conformity, in accordance with 17021-1 §8.3.1. It identifies certification of the management system.
• - Colors, proportions, typography and composition shall not be altered.
• - Use authorized only for clients with a certificate against an accredited standard by the OA. Which standards are accredited is read by the platform from the ERP accreditation catalogue at issuance, never from a list.
• - Certificates outside the accredited scope do not carry the OA mark and carry no legend (per FVR_RD-FO-02).
• - The OA mark must always appear in conjunction with the FVR mark; standalone use of the OA mark is prohibited.
• - The OA mark follows the OA's own brand manual (color, clear-space, minimum size). FVR provides the client with both marks bundled.
• - The client may use the IAS accreditation symbol only while its certificate is in force, together with the FVR mark, and never on products or product packaging (IAS/MSCB/002 §4.7.4).
• - The combined IAF MLA/IAS mark is never provided to the client or permitted on its material (IAS/ADM/084, Annex A).
• - Permitted to reference the certificate in advertising, sales materials, RFPs and public communication, using the exact text of the certified scope as it appears on the certificate (FVR_RD-FO-02).
• - Prohibited to imply, by phrasing or graphical context, certification of a product, certified-product status, or compliance beyond the scope stated.
• - Mandatory: indicate the standard with version (e.g., "ISO 9001:2015"), the certificate number, the certified scope text, and the validity dates.

• In addition to the specific restrictions below, the certified client shall not:
• - Make, or allow, any misleading statement about its certification.
• - Use, or allow the use of, any certification document, in whole or in part, in a misleading manner.
• - Use its certification in a manner that brings FVR or the certification system into disrepute or causes loss of public trust.
• A breach is handled as misuse under §4.5.
• Only the management system is certified; the certification does not apply to a product, service or process. Claims such as "certified product" or "product compliant with ISO 9001" constitute misuse and are handled under §4.5.
• Prohibited by default — packaging and product labels carry product-level meaning, contradicting §4.1. Exception only with prior FVR analysis under a written request, and only for a statement — never the mark — on removable packaging or in accompanying information that makes the system certification explicit, clearly separates it from any product claim and names the certified client, the type of management system with its standard, and FVR as the issuing body (e.g., on the outer packaging: "[Client] operates an ISO 9001:2015 quality management system certified by FVR"). The statement never goes on type labels or identification plates, which are part of the product. For ISO 22000, no statement is permitted on any product packaging, primary or secondary, and there is no exception (ISO 22003-1:2022, 8.4).
• Permitted:
• training material, internal policies, internal procedures, the management system manual and employee induction materials. No prior FVR notification required.
• Permitted
• with the following conditions: the certificate is referenced using its full identification (number + standard + scope + validity), the FVR mark may accompany the reference, and the OA mark accompanies only if the standard is accredited §4.1.2. The client may attach a scanned copy of the certificate (FVR_RD-FO-02) as a supporting document.

• Upon notice of suspension (FVR_RD-PR-04), the client must immediately cease all use of the FVR mark, the accreditation-body mark and any claim that presents the certificate as valid. Affected references must be removed or corrected within 5 business days. Archived materials may be retained only as controlled records and shall not be presented as evidence of a valid certificate. Public use may resume upon notice that the suspension has been lifted.
• Upon notice of withdrawal (FVR_RD-PR-04), the client must destroy or remove all material — public or internal — bearing the marks or references to the certificate, within 30 calendar days. FVR may request, in writing, evidence of removal (photos of physical removal, archive copies of replaced web pages). Failure is handled under §4.5.
• Upon notice of scope reduction under FVR_RD-PR-04, the client shall update all uses of the mark and references to certification to reflect the reduced scope within 15 business days. The certificate is re-issued under FVR_RD-FO-02, and the public enquiry FVR_QA-PR-02 §8 displays the current scope from the certificate record.

• - FVR exposes a public endpoint `GET /api/certificates/validate/{certNumber}` that returns the current state (Active / Suspended / Withdrawn / Cancelled / Reduced) of the certificate, the standard, the certified scope text, the validity dates and (when applicable) the accreditation status.
• - Each issued certificate carries a QR code linking to the endpoint, allowing any third party to verify validity in real time.
• - The client may refer third parties (auditors, customers, regulators) to the FVR public enquiry (FVR_QA-PR-02) for verification.

• Detection (internal, by complaint or by Accreditation Body) is recorded in ERP as a "Misuse case" linked to the client. The TD investigates within 5 business days and decides if there is a case.
• For a confirmed case, FVR shall issue a written request giving the client 15 calendar days to correct the misuse by removing, replacing or amending the affected material. FVR shall verify closure using the applicable evidence under §4.3.
• Failure to close the case within the deadline, or repetition of the misuse without closure, results in suspension of the certificate under FVR_RD-PR-04 for misuse.
• A confirmed recurrence after closure of a suspension results in withdrawal of the certificate under FVR_RD-PR-04 for recurrent misuse. The public enquiry answers «withdrawn» for that certificate; FVR notifies the OA.

• - ERP manages certificate states (Active / Suspended / Withdrawn / Cancelled / Reduced) as the single source of truth.
• - The client portal displays the mark-use rules in an accessible, plain-language section at the moment the certificate is delivered, with acknowledgment by the client representative retained in the certificate file.
• - The public verification endpoint is updated in real time as the ERP records the certification decisions under FVR_RD-PR-01 and post-decision events under FVR_RD-PR-04.

• - B — Examples of correct vs incorrect use / Ejemplos de uso correcto vs incorrecto.

Approvals / Aprobaciones