How can I verify that an organisation is really notified?

In the European Commission's public notified-body register (Single Market Compliance Space, formerly NANDO), by the organisation's name or four-digit number. The entry also shows which regulation and which product scope the designation covers.

What does the four-digit number next to the CE marking mean?

On Category III PPE, the number next to the CE marking identifies the notified body involved in the ongoing surveillance of production (Module C2 or D).

Can a laboratory certify too?

Only if it has been designated as a notified body. Laboratory testing and conformity assessment are two separate roles — BIMEO performs both, separately: as a testing laboratory and as NB 1524.

Who can certify PPE in the EU?

Technically reviewed: 2026-07-31

In short

Category II and III personal protective equipment can only be certified by a notified body: a conformity-assessment organisation designated by an EU member state under Regulation (EU) 2016/425 and notified to the European Commission. Every notified body receives a four-digit identifier and can be publicly verified in the Commission's notified-body register (Single Market Compliance Space, formerly NANDO) — BIMEO's identifier is 1524.

What is a notified body?

The third-party actor of conformity assessment. A member state’s designating authority assesses the organisation’s competence, impartiality and independence, then notifies it to the European Commission — hence the name. Designation is always specific to a regulation and a product scope: an organisation is not notified “in general”, but for example for defined PPE groups under Regulation (EU) 2016/425.

Where to verify — the EU register

The Commission’s register — the Single Market Compliance Space (successor of the former NANDO) — is public: any notified body can be looked up by name or number, together with the scope of its designation. For manufacturers and buyers this is the first checkpoint — a certificate is only worth accepting from a body with a valid designation.

What this means in practice

For manufacturers: market access for Category II–III products requires a notified body; the application goes to one chosen body.
For buyers and importers: a product’s certification background is verifiable — the certificate’s issuer and the number next to the CE mark can be checked against the register.
Impartiality is not a courtesy phrase: a notified body may not give product-design advice on a product it assesses. That is precisely why its certificate is worth what it is.

Frequently asked questions

How can I verify that an organisation is really notified?: In the European Commission's public notified-body register (Single Market Compliance Space, formerly NANDO), by the organisation's name or four-digit number. The entry also shows which regulation and which product scope the designation covers.
What does the four-digit number next to the CE marking mean?: On Category III PPE, the number next to the CE marking identifies the notified body involved in the ongoing surveillance of production (Module C2 or D).
Can a laboratory certify too?: Only if it has been designated as a notified body. Laboratory testing and conformity assessment are two separate roles — BIMEO performs both, separately: as a testing laboratory and as NB 1524.

Where next?

PPE certification (NB 1524) PPE manufacturers

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