In Germany, ISO 27001 certificates may only be issued by independent, accredited certification bodies. These are overseen by the German accreditation body DAkkS (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle), which ensures that auditors are technically qualified and genuinely independent. Germany has a manageable number of established, internationally recognized certification bodies for companies to choose from.
The best-known ISO 27001 auditors in Germany
| Certification body |
Short profile |
| TÜV SÜD |
One of the largest German testing organizations, active worldwide, with a broad portfolio of management system certifications. |
| TÜV Rheinland |
Internationally recognized testing and certification body with a strong focus on information security. |
| TÜV NORD |
Established provider for ISO 27001 and other management system standards. |
| DQS |
Specialist in management system certifications, one of the pioneers in Germany. |
| DEKRA |
Large testing organization with an extensive certification offering, including for ISMS. |
| DNV |
Internationally active certification body with a strong presence in Germany. |
| Bureau Veritas / SGS |
Globally operating testing groups with accredited ISO 27001 certifications in Germany. |
All of these bodies are DAkkS-accredited and may issue valid ISO 27001 certificates. The choice usually depends on industry, location, language, cost, and availability.
How Kertos works with auditors
Kertos gets companies audit-ready faster than traditional consultants or other providers. Kertos combines an agentic compliance platform (KAIA) with certified in-house experts who work alongside your team and accompany the entire path to the certificate. For the certification audit itself, Kertos works with some of the leading auditors to support the end-to-end process from start to finish.
Independence as a deliberate principle
Importantly, Kertos is not directly linked to auditors. This is not a coincidence but a legal and ethical necessity:
- No conflict of interest: under European law, whoever advises on implementation is not allowed to also issue the certificate. Consulting and certification must remain strictly separate.
- Recommendation, not attachment: Kertos can recommend a few partners based on efficiency and cost, but the decision rests solely with the customer.
- An independent process: the audit itself runs entirely independently of Kertos.
This is precisely where a structural advantage of the European model lies. The rubber-stamp scandals known from North America, where providers effectively waved their own customers through, are not possible in Europe. This enforced separation is an additional layer of trustworthiness and credibility for European compliance companies like Kertos.
This is reflected in Kertos's track record: a 100% audit pass rate, roughly 80% less manual compliance effort, a customer satisfaction of 98%, and customers like AskUI reaching ISO 27001 certification in just 8 to 10 weeks. Kertos therefore gets you to the goal faster and leaves the certification to an independent, accredited body of your choice.
