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IAQG Authentication Information

IAQG Authentication Application Criteria rev. A

This page defines third-party auditor authentication requirements based on the authentication level, according to the IAQG Authentication 2026 application criteria (Revision A). The requirements in this document apply to new/initial authentication applications and advancement.

Level 2 initial auditor authentication requirements

Section titled “Level 2 initial auditor authentication requirements”

The following table defines the requirements for applying for 9100 initial authentication at Auditor Level 2 (third-party audit team member):

Requirement Criteria
Baseline Training Evidence of passing an IAQG-approved ASD Lead Auditor Course* and IAQG Auditor Authentication Course, including any applicable examinations.
Audit Experience 15 audit days in qualifying** full QMS audits within the preceding 2 years
- If 3rd Party: Stage 2/Recertification or both parts of Surveillance for the same supplier/facility within the same certification cycle
- If 2nd Party: Covering all AQMS/QMS requirements & processes
Work Experience 3 years related work experience***
ASD Industry Knowledge Successfully achieve a minimal pass grade on the related IAQG ASD Knowledge Examination.  (Temporarily paused until 2027 Authentication Year.)
Additional Requirements N/A

* To support an effective transition, evidence of successful ISO 9001 (QMS) Lead Auditor course completion will also be accepted for applicants who attend and pass the Aerospace Auditor Transition Training (AATT) course in 2026. See Training FAQs.

** See requirements for qualifying audits.

*** Related work experience must be full-time employment or full-time contracting in scopes of work similar to the ASD industry. This could include automotive, nuclear, maritime, medical devices, or other high risk, safety critical industries. Applicants must demonstrate direct involvement in engineering, design, manufacturing, quality, or process control activities.

Level 1 initial auditor authentication requirements

Section titled “Level 1 initial auditor authentication requirements”

The following table defines the requirements for applying for 9100 initial authentication at Auditor Level 1 (third-party lead auditor/audit team leader):

Requirement Criteria
Baseline Training Evidence of passing an IAQG-approved ASD Lead Auditor Course* and IAQG Auditor Authentication Course, including any applicable examinations.
Audit Experience 15 audit days in qualifying** full QMS audits within the preceding 2 years in a lead role
- If 3rd Party: Stage 2/Recertification or both parts of Surveillance for the same supplier/facility within the same certification cycle
- If 2nd Party: Covering all AQMS/QMS requirements & processes
Work Experience 5 years of full-time non-MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) ASD work experience within past 8 years at one or more of the following types of organizations:
- Major equipment manufacturer organization
- Major equipment integrator organization
- ASD Prime Organization
- ASD Regulatory Agency outside of the MRO context

Only full-time employment or full-time contracting at the listed types of organizations will be considered. Applicants must demonstrate direct involvement in engineering, design, manufacturing, quality, or process control activities.
ASD Industry Knowledge Successfully achieve a full pass grade on the related IAQG ASD Knowledge Examination. (Temporarily paused until 2027 Authentication Year.)
Additional Requirements N/A

* To support an effective transition, evidence of successful ISO 9001 (QMS) Lead Auditor course completion will also be accepted for applicants who attend and pass the Aerospace Auditor Transition Training (AATT) course in 2026. See Training FAQs.

** See requirements for qualifying audits.

Those who do not have the necessary industry experience in one of these types of organizations may apply for a Level 2 Auditor (Team Member) authentication and later pursue advancement to demonstrate this requirement in another way.

Requirements for advancement from Level 2 to Level 1

Section titled “Requirements for advancement from Level 2 to Level 1”

NOTE: This is a preview of future requirements; application availability expected in 2027 timeframe.

The following table defines the requirements for applying for advancement from 9100 Level 2 to 9100 Auditor Level 1 (third-party lead auditor/audit team leader) based on IAQG Authentication criteria:

Requirement Criteria
Audit Experience Within the last four (4) years, 100 on-site AQMS audit days as audit team member (Level 2 Authentication).

This must include:
- A minimum of four (4) qualifying full AQMS audits* within the last four (4) years. At least one (1) of these audits must include clause 8.3 Design & Development requirements.
- A minimum of 8 on-site audit days within each 12-month period.
Work Experience Minimum four (4) years as an authenticated Level 2 auditor
ASD Industry Knowledge Evidence of successfully achieving full pass on the 9100 IAQG ASD Knowledge Examination. (Temporarily paused until 2027 Authentication Year.)
Auditor Performance Management No unresolved performance issues when operating with Level 2 authentication.

NOTE: Auditors may never conduct third-party AQMS audits for which they are not already authenticated.

* See requirements for qualifying full AQMS audits.

When advancing from Level 2 to Level 1, this will not change or extend the expiry date of the existing authentication, and so it will not impact the due date of the related Annual Maintenance Fee.

Clarifications & FAQs

Section titled “Clarifications & FAQs”

This section clarifies the above requirements based on questions received from current and prospective auditors. See also the Application Help & Guidance section.

What time period does IAQG allow for requirements “within the last/preceding X years”?

Section titled “What time period does IAQG allow for requirements “within the last/preceding X years”?”

This will be calculated based on the number of months prior to the application date, plus any experience within the application month. See the following example:

Example Requirement: “Within the preceding 2 years”
Example Application Date: 15 November 2026
Permissible Experience Period: October 2024 to 15 November 2026 (the 24 preceding months, and whatever has passed in the application month)

How many Design & Development (Clause 8.3) exclusions are permitted in the listed audit experience?

Section titled “How many Design & Development (Clause 8.3) exclusions are permitted in the listed audit experience?”

At least one of the audit entries provided on the application must include Clause 8.3 Design & Development requirements.

What will be accepted for second party audits?

Section titled “What will be accepted for second party audits?”

Second party audits are those conducted by parties having an interest in the organization, such as customer or supplier audits. A second party audit may also be an entirely independent party or external entity (consultant) that has no direct stake in the management of an organization’s QMS.

What can be counted as qualifying full QMS/AQMS audits?

Section titled “What can be counted as qualifying full QMS/AQMS audits?”

Qualifying audits may be either second-party or third-party.

  • See clarification for second-party audits.
  • For third-party audits, the applicant must be an employee or contractor for an accredited Certification Body.

The following requirements apply:

  • In 9100 applications, at least one of the provided audits must include Clause 8.3 Design & Development requirements.
  • The auditor must participate in the full duration of the audit, according to their assigned role; if serving as an Audit Team Member, participation could exclude any activities only performed by the Lead Auditor.
  • Qualifying second-party and third-party QMS/AQMS audits must occur on-site. Along with the number of on-site audit days performed by the applicant, applicants may also submit legitimate off-site audit days to account for audit planning, report writing, and those portions of the audit (up to a maximum of 30% of audit duration) conducted via Information and Computer Technology (ICT). Even for QMS and second-party audits, this will be calculated based on the IAQG scheme requirements/limitations for third-party audits outlined in 9104/1 and applicable IAQG ICOT resolutions.
  • Partial audit days must be rounded down to the nearest half-day increment.
  • Applicants may NEVER conduct third-party AQMS audits for which they are not yet authenticated.

What is meant by a “Major Equipment Manufacturer Organization” or “Major Equipment Integrator Organization”?

Section titled “What is meant by a “Major Equipment Manufacturer Organization” or “Major Equipment Integrator Organization”?”

Organizations that design, produce, and deliver complete vehicles or systems for use in Aviation, Space, and Defense applications. Examples of related ASD applications include, but are not limited to: aircraft, ships, submarines, major weapon systems, launchers, spacecraft, etc.

NOTE: This definition is the same for both “Manufacturer” and “Integrator”; the distinction is only because some ASD organizations at the top of the supply chain do not technically “manufacture” anything directly, but assemble/“integrate” major assemblies produced by ASD Prime Organizations. Either way, this definition is referring to those organizations at the top of the ASD supply chain who design, produce, and deliver complete vehicles or systems.

The use of the word “major” in this term is NOT an assessment of technical capability, product quality, or criticality (including safety criticality), but is instead a reflection of where the designed and/or produced products sit in the product integration hierarchy (the organization’s scope and position in the supply chain).

What is meant by an “ASD Prime Organization”?

Section titled “What is meant by an “ASD Prime Organization”?”

Organizations that design and/or produce major assemblies, major subassemblies, or major components of an end-item in ASD applications. Examples of related items include, but are not limited to: cabins, wings, fuselages, propulsion systems, control systems, health monitoring systems, ordnance management systems, radar systems, emergency/backup systems, etc.

NOTE: Compared to the definition of “Major Equipment Manufacturer Organization” and “Major Equipment Integrator Organization” above, you can consider this one tier below on the ASD supply chain. This definition does NOT include subtier suppliers or organizations who provide supporting services; the organization must design and/or produce a major item, as listed above.

The use of the word “major” in this definition is NOT an assessment of technical capability, product quality, or criticality (including safety criticality), but is instead a reflection of where the designed and/or produced products sit in the product integration hierarchy (the organization’s scope and position in the supply chain).

What is meant by an “ASD Regulatory Agency”?

Section titled “What is meant by an “ASD Regulatory Agency”?”

A civil (e.g., National Aviation Authority [NAA]), military (e.g., Ministry of Defense [MoD]), or space organization (e.g., European Space Agency [ESA], National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA], Canadian Space Agency [CSA], Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [JAXA], China National Space Administration [CNSA]), including its subordinate agencies and offices, that holds a governmental or intergovernmental mandate to establish, approve, or enforce requirements for the design, production, certification, or acceptance of Aviation, Space, and Defense products.

To be accepted as qualifying work experience for 9100 Level 1 authentication (or applicable Level 1 grandfathering criteria based on 9104/3:2007), work at such an agency must be outside the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) context. As with other qualifying work experience, it must be full-time employment or full-time contracting with direct involvement in engineering, design, manufacturing, quality, or process control.

NOTE: Similar to “major” in other definitions, the use of the word “regulatory” in this definition is NOT an assessment of the rigor, technical depth, or value of an organization’s work, but is instead of reflection of where the organization’s authority comes from and what it governs.

Change History

Section titled “Change History”

UPDATE (2026-10-29):

UPDATE (2026-10-21):

UPDATE (2026-10-17):

  • Reorganized presentation of work experience requirements for 9100 and 9110 Level 1, incorporating details previously found in note under table directly into the table itself. NOTE: The requirements did not change, only the presentation.

UPDATE (2026-10-09):

  • Clarified that qualifying full QMS/AQMS audits must occur on-site. A limited amount of off-site audit time may be counted subject to the restrictions outlined in 9104/1. This requirement applies to both second and third-party audits.
  • Clarified that applicants may NEVER conduct third-party AQMS audits for which they are not yet authenticated.

UPDATE (2026-10-03):

  • For increased clarity regarding requirements that will not be re-evaluated for 9110/9120, application requirements have now been split by standard. (No change to requirements.)
  • Updated note in Advancement section to mention Advancement Grandfathering based on 9104/3:2020.

UPDATE (2026-10-01):

  • Clarified the Work Experience requirements by standard. Work experience already evaluated for 9100 authentication will not be re-evaluated for 9110 or 9120. Please note that application forms for 9110/9120 will be updated in the future to reflect this change. In the meantime, applicants may ignore this portion of the application if no evidence is required for the chosen standard and level.
  • Clarified that the requirement for at least one audit to include clause 8.3 Design & Development requirements will only be applied to 9100 applications.
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