A certificate PDF proves someone can use a PDF editor. Verification proves the system behind it exists. Every check below is free and takes minutes.

Steps

Match the entity name. The certificate holder must be the company you are buying from (or its disclosed manufacturer). Ours are held by Longyan Shenghe Trading Co., Ltd. — the name on your contract.
Check the registry. FAMI-QS lists certified operators publicly (our site: FAM-0673). ISO certificates verify via the issuing body's portal or QR code (ours: EACC, cert 114FSMS2300022). Halal bodies list JAKIM recognition.
Read the scope line. A certificate for 'trading of specialty feed ingredients' is not a manufacturing certificate — honest suppliers state which it is. Scope mismatch to the claim is the classic red flag.
Check the dates. Initial certification year shows track record; expiry shows it is alive. Surveillance audits happen annually — a certificate 'valid' 5 years with no audit trail is suspect.
Ask one hard question. Request the latest surveillance audit date or a recent COA for your target product. Fluent, fast answers correlate strongly with real systems.

Common mistakes

Accepting a certificate image inside a brochure as evidence
Ignoring that the certificate belongs to a different legal entity than your seller
Confusing Halal scope — certification is product-scoped, not company-wide blanket