IATF 16949 · Automotive industry
IATF 16949 — the standard for automotive suppliers
If you supply the automotive supply chain, IATF 16949 is not an advantage but an entry requirement. It is applied together with ISO 9001, never instead of it.
What is IATF 16949?
IATF 16949 is not applied on its own — it builds on ISO 9001, taking over all of its requirements and adding its own. Certification is carried out exclusively by certification bodies recognised by IATF, under stricter rules than for ordinary ISO 9001: prescribed audit duration, a mandatory walk through production, and rules under which major non-conformities can lead to withdrawal of the certificate.
The difficulty is not in the documentation but in the core tools: APQP (advanced product quality planning), PPAP (production part approval), FMEA (failure mode and effects analysis), MSA (measurement system analysis) and SPC (statistical process control). On top of that come customer-specific requirements (CSR) — each carmaker has its own, and they are audited just like the standard itself.
When is IATF 16949 required?
When you supply parts for series production in the automotive industry — directly to a vehicle manufacturer or through a Tier 1 supplier. The requirement usually comes from the contract: no certificate, no nomination for the business.
The standard comes with customer-specific requirements (CSR) — each vehicle manufacturer has its own, and they are checked just as seriously as the standard itself.
Road to certification
This is the longest road among the standards we work with, because the certification body also asks for records from the preceding period:
Who issues the certificate
The certificate is issued only by a certification body recognised by IATF. The rules are stricter than usual: the audit duration, the grading method and the deadlines for closing non-conformities are all prescribed — if a deadline is missed, the certificate is withdrawn. The certificate is registered in the IATF database, so the customer can verify it without asking you. We do not issue the certificate — we prepare the system, the people and the records.
Scope of our support
The foundation without which IATF does not exist — processes, responsibilities and measurements set up for your production.
APQP, FMEA, control plans, MSA and SPC implemented so that engineers and production use them, not just the quality department.
Preparing part approval documentation to the requirements of the specific customer.
Internal audits to IATF requirements and support through both stages of the certification audit.
Related standards
ISO 9001 is the mandatory basis. ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 are frequently required by the same customers, and ISO 50001 is asked for in energy-intensive production.
Industries where this standard is most often required:
Training for quality engineers and production teams in the automotive industry — APQP, FMEA, control plans, MSA, SPC and preparing PPAP files. Delivered at your premises, online or as a combination of both.
IATF 16949 — frequently asked questions
Can we have IATF 16949 without ISO 9001?
No. IATF 16949 is an extension of ISO 9001 and is applied together with it — the ISO 9001 requirements are not repeated in the text, but they apply.
What are customer-specific requirements (CSR)?
Additional requirements set by each vehicle manufacturer separately — from how problems are reported to the format of documentation. They are checked during the certification audit, so they must be built into the system, not left in the correspondence.
Why do they ask for 12 months of records?
Because what is assessed is a working system, not documentation written yesterday. Internal audits, performance indicators and management review need to have a history before the body arrives.
How much does IATF 16949 cost?
More than ordinary ISO certification, because both preparation and the audit take longer. The final price depends on the number of processes, customers and the state of the existing system.
📋 Check the exact price for your organisation →The EU, the US and other markets
IATF 16949 is the same standard wherever you certify it — what differs is the designation, the accreditation behind the certificate and what your customers ask for.
In the European Union the standard is adopted with an EN prefix, and what your buyer in the Netherlands, Germany or France looks at is not the prefix but the accreditation behind the certificate: a body accredited by a signatory of the international recognition arrangement (Global Accreditation Cooperation, formerly IAF) is recognised in other markets too. What EU partners and EU regulation expect is on the page about the EU market.
For companies with customers in the United States — supplier audits, security questionnaires and how ISO sits alongside SOC 2 — see the page about the US market.
Wherever your customer is, we run the project remotely in English — over Teams, WhatsApp or Viber, with documentation and records in English — and on site when that is easier.
Some of our references
More than 400 organisations in Montenegro and the region have gone through implementation with us — from banks and public bodies to manufacturing, IT, laboratories and hospitality.
These are only some of our clients. More about us →
Request a free consultation
We will assess the scope of work and propose a realistic plan and budget for your product. Call us or send an inquiry — we reply within 24 hours.