Certificate register
The certificate register is the public online record of Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certificates, where anyone can check whether an organisation is currently certified. Certificates last 12 months, and included legal entities are listed automatically. Buyers should search the supplier's registered legal name and check the level, date and scope there rather than trusting a PDF.
- Term
- Certificate register
- Also known as
- IASME certificate search, Cyber Essentials certificate search, Supply Check Tool
- Category
- Scheme and certification
- Requirement area
- Scheme vocabulary
- Reviewed against
- Requirements v3.3
What does the term certificate register mean in Cyber Essentials?
The certificate register is the public online record of Cyber Essentials certificates, where anyone can check whether an organisation is currently certified.
How does certificate register apply to Cyber Essentials?
In plain terms
It works like the Companies House search, but for certificates. A supplier can email you a smart-looking PDF. The register tells you whether that certificate is real and still in date.
What the question set says
A1.6.1 says each included legal entity "will automatically be added to the Cyber Essentials certificate search and be discoverable in the Cyber Essentials Supply Check Tool", whether or not you buy a separate certificate for it. For a partial scope, A2.2 says the certificate itself reads "Partial Organisation, see certificate platform for details" and the full scope description you write "will be available via the Blockmark system". Write that description knowing customers may read it. The excluded networks you describe at A2.2.1 are different: the guidance says "This information will not be made public."
How do you check a supplier?
| Step | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Search the registered legal name | The name on the contract, not the trading name. A1.1 allows a trading name alongside the legal entity. |
| Confirm the level | Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus, matching what the tender asked for. |
| Check the date | Certificates expire 12 months after issue. |
| Check the scope | Whole organisation, or partial with a description that covers the systems you rely on. |
| Check group companies | A subsidiary is covered only if it was listed at A1.6.1. |
IASME's FAQ says it removes organisations from its certified list once they have not been certified in the past year, so a supplier with no result is not currently certified under that name.
See how to verify a certificate, the Cyber Essentials certificate, certificate expiry and IASME.
Related terms
- Cyber Essentials certificateA Cyber Essentials certificate is the digital record, issued through a Certification Body, that an organisation has passed Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus.
- Certificate expiryCertificate expiry is the date, 12 months after issue, when a Cyber Essentials certificate stops being current.
- IASMEIASME is the company that runs the Cyber Essentials scheme on behalf of the NCSC, as its Delivery Partner.
- Certification BodyA Certification Body is an organisation licensed by IASME, the NCSC's Delivery Partner, to assess and certify applicants for Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus.
- CRESTCREST is an international not-for-profit body that accredits companies providing technical security services, such as penetration testing and security operations centres.
- Cyber AdvisorA Cyber Advisor is a person assured by the NCSC to advise organisations on how to implement the Cyber Essentials controls.
Frequently asked questions
The certificate register is the public online record of Cyber Essentials certificates, where anyone can check whether an organisation is currently certified.
In the 2026 Danzell question set, certificate register comes up at A1.6.1, A2.2. Read those questions against the definition above so your answers use the term the way the assessor will.
Would you pass the 2026 question set?
Answer 24 yes or no questions, built by the assessors who mark Cyber Essentials, and get a readiness score in about five minutes, with any auto-fail questions you miss flagged first in your results.