Grandfathering based on 9104/3:2007

Grandfathering Opportunity for Auditor Authentication

Caution

This grandfathering application pathway is not yet available. Additional application instructions will be posted when the application period opens.

In response to auditor and stakeholder feedback resulting from Resolution 176, IAQG Authentication will offer a time-limited opportunity for auditors to apply for authentication using the criteria outlined below.

This is intended to support auditors who were working toward an application prior to the IAQG Authentication launch.

Application Period

The grandfathering application process is scheduled to open in late October 2026 and remain available through January 14, 2027.

During this limited period, eligible auditors may apply using either:

• The time-limited criteria derived from 9104/3:2007, as outlined below
• The current IAQG Authentication criteria

The same $500 USD application fee applies to all new applications, regardless of the criteria selected.

The information below is provided to help review the requirements in advance. Applications under the grandfathered criteria cannot be submitted until the application period opens.

Level 2 Authentication based on 9104/3:2007 Criteria

Requirement	Criteria
Baseline Training	Successful completion of the IAQG Auditor Authentication Transition Training (AATT) course for the related standard. Attending the AATT course requires the prior successful completion of a QMS (ISO 9001) or AQMS auditor training course.
Audit Experience	4 qualifying* full QMS or AQMS audits conducted for a total of 20 audit person days within the past 3 years. Only 2nd or 3rd party audits shall be considered.
Work Experience	Not required (except when necessary to meet the Additional Requirements listed below)
ASD Industry Knowledge	Successfully achieve a minimal pass grade on the related IAQG ASD Knowledge Examination.  (Temporarily paused until 2027 Authentication Year.)
Additional Requirements	Quality Management System (QMS) auditor by nationally-recognized AAB or meet the education, training, work experience, and audit experience of ISO 19011.

* 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. 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. Partial audit days must be rounded down to the nearest half-day increment.

Level 1 Authentication based on 9104/3:2007 Criteria

Criteria based on Work Experience

Requirement	Criteria
Baseline Training	Successful completion of the IAQG Auditor Authentication Transition Training (AATT) course for the related standard. Attending the AATT course requires the prior successful completion of a QMS (ISO 9001) or AQMS auditor training course.
Audit Experience	4 qualifying* full QMS or AQMS audits conducted for a total of 20 audit person days within the past 3 years. Only 2nd or 3rd party audits shall be considered.
Work Experience	4 years of AQMS work experience** within the past 10 years. (9110: In addition, 2 years full time experience performing repair/maintenance in the last 4 years; or Specific training in Repair/Maintenance.)
ASD Industry Knowledge	Successfully achieve a full pass grade on the related IAQG ASD Knowledge Examination.  (Temporarily paused until 2027 Authentication Year.)
Additional Requirements	Quality Management System (QMS) auditor by nationally-recognized AAB or meet the education, training, work experience, and audit experience of ISO 19011.

* 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. 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. Partial audit days must be rounded down to the nearest half-day increment.

** AQMS Work Experience must meet the definition in 9104/3:2007 clause 3.16.

Criteria based on Training/Witness Audits

Requirement	Criteria
Baseline Training	Successful completion of the IAQG Auditor Authentication Transition Training (AATT) course for the related standard. Attending the AATT course requires the prior successful completion of a QMS (ISO 9001) or AQMS auditor training course.
Audit Experience	4 qualifying* full QMS or AQMS audits conducted for a total of 20 audit person days within the past 3 years. Only 2nd or 3rd party audits shall be considered.
Work Experience	2 years of AQMS work experience* within the past 15 years.
ASD Industry Knowledge	Successful completion of an approved aerospace industry specific course appropriate to the related standard. Successfully achieve a full pass grade on the related IAQG ASD Knowledge Examination.  (Temporarily paused until 2027 Authentication Year.)
Additional Requirements	Quality Management System (QMS) auditor by nationally-recognized AAB or meet the education, training, work experience, and audit experience of ISO 19011. Successful completion of 2 full audits witnessed by an authenticated Level 1 auditor for the related standard authenticated based on work experience or the current IAQG Authentication criteria. The witnessing auditor shall not perform the audit as a member of the assessment team. (9120: Witnessed audits may be for 9100 or 9110.) See clarifications about witnessed 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. 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. Partial audit days must be rounded down to the nearest half-day increment.

** AQMS Work Experience must meet the definition in 9104/3:2007 clause 3.16.

Current IAQG Authentication Applicants

Auditors who have already started an application on or before 15 September 2026 under the current IAQG Authentication criteria and wish to apply under the grandfathered criteria may contact IAQG Authentication to request that the existing application be temporarily withdrawn.

Applicants who have already paid the application fee on or before 15 September 2026 may reapply under the time-limited grandfathered pathway at no additional cost.

Auditors Who Completed Existing Auditor Recognition

Auditors who have completed Existing Auditor Recognition with IAQG Authentication are not required to take any action. This activity applies only if they wish to pursue a new authentication using the time-limited criteria described on this page.

Update on Level 2 to Level 1 Advancement

Because IAQG Authentication is offering this grandfathering application option, the previously announced Advancement application option will move to the 2027 timeframe.

Beginning in late October 2026, authenticated Level 2 auditors who wish to achieve Level 1 Authentication may submit a new application using either:

• The current IAQG Authentication criteria
• The time-limited criteria derived from 9104/3:2007

IAQG Authentication will communicate the revised launch timeframe and additional information about the Advancement option at a later date.

Prepare in Advance

Auditors interested in this opportunity are encouraged to review the criteria carefully and begin gathering the documentation needed to demonstrate that the applicable requirements have been met.

Clarifications & FAQs

What are the AQMS work experience requirements in 9104/3:2007 clause 3.16?

“Full-time work experience in the aerospace industry directly involved in engineering, design, manufacturing, quality, or process control for a major airframe manufacturer, prime supplier, auxiliary equipment supplier and/or appropriate official civil, military, or space organization, such as, National Aviation Authorities (NAA), domestic Space Agency (e.g., European Space Agency [ESA], National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA], Canadian Space Agency [CSA]), Ministry of Defense (MoD).

“This work experience should have included direct involvement and/or knowledge of aerospace industry specific aspects (e.g., aerospace industry quality, regulatory and/or military aerospace requirements, first article inspection, airworthiness and safety requirements, aerospace material traceability requirements, aerospace sub-contractor approval and control, variation management of key characteristics, flow-down of AQMS requirements, Foreign Object Damage/Debris (FOD) prevention program, use of customer supplied products, calibration controls and positive recall system, acceptance authority media, nonconforming material management, sampling inspection/statistical process control requirements and limitations, special processes, configuration management/requirements control, manufacturing techniques, tool control, design development verification and validation).

“In addition for maintenance, this work experience should have included direct involvement and/or knowledge of maintenance regulations (e.g., European Aviation Safety Agency [EASA]/Federal Aviation Regulations [FAR] 145/147, EASA part M), return to service processes, flight test, functional checks prior to flight, weight and balance, wing walking, or aircraft marshalling techniques.”

What are the requirements for witnessed audits?

The grandfathered Level 1 Authentication criteria based on Training/Witness Audits requires two full audits be witnessed by an already-authenticated Level 1 auditor (meeting certain criteria explained below). The purpose of the witnessed audits is to verify that the auditor has sufficient knowledge of aerospace requirements. This is considering both the auditor’s ASD industry specific knowledge and their ability to audit AQMS requirements appropriately. As stated in 9104/3:2007 Table 1: “If during a witness audit, the candidate shows insufficient knowledge of aerospace requirements, as defined by Appendix A, section A.3.1 (9100) or section A.4.1 (9110) industry specific training course, additional training and/or practical experience will be required.”

Please review below for further important clarifications:

About the audit conducted
The auditor shall only be witnessed in an audit role they are already authenticated to perform (whenever authentication is required). As the auditor is not yet authenticated as a Level 1 Auditor, the auditor SHALL NOT perform in a lead role in an AQMS third-party audit. This is NEVER permitted, even in a “provisional” capacity. If the auditor is currently authenticated as a Level 2 Auditor (Audit Team Member), they may be witnessed performing an AQMS third-party audit as an Audit Team Member. Otherwise, the auditor may be witnessed conducting an AQMS second-party Full QMS audit for the related standard.

For further clarity, the witnessed audits are NOT a “trial run” where you “see if the auditor is capable of performing a lead role.” The auditor is being witnessed in their current capacity as an AQMS auditor, reflecting their current authentication (if it exists). Auditors who are not yet authenticated with IAQG Authentication for the related standard may NEVER conduct AQMS third-party audits.

1. The audits must be Full AQMS audits; in case of third-party audits, this is either Stage 2 or Recertification.
2. The auditor must participate for the full duration of the audit. If authenticated to Level 2 and conducting a third-party audit as an audit team member, this participation could exclude any functions only performed by the Lead Auditor.
   1. If Level 2 and participating as a third-party audit team member, the auditor would be a “full participant” in the team. For example, if this were a four-day audit with a two-person audit team, the auditor would be expected to perform two audit days.
3. The audit must cover all AQMS requirements for the audited organization.
   1. If Level 2 and participating as a third-party audit team member, it is understood that the processes assigned to that specific auditor might not cover the entire QMS within that single audit activity.
4. The witnessed audits must also be listed in the “Audit Experience” section of the related IAQG Authentication application.

About the witnessing auditor
The auditor witnessing the audit must meet the following criteria:

1. They must NOT be a member of the audit team. (They are only there to witness the applicant.)
2. They must be an actively authenticated Level 1 auditor qualified either via the 9104/3:2007 Work Experience criteria, or IAQG Authentication Level 1 criteria. This means that the witnessing auditor must NOT, themselves, have been qualified via the “9104/3:2007 Training/Witness Audits” criteria.

Required documented information
If, upon completing the witness audit, the witnessing auditor agrees to recommend the witnessed auditor for Level 1 authentication, the witnessing auditor shall provide documentation of their recommendation to the applicant, and this documentation shall be provided to IAQG Authentication as part of the submitted application. Documentation must include:

1. The witnessing auditor’s full name
2. The witnessing auditor’s OASIS Identification Number (OIN)
3. The witnessing auditor’s contact information (at a minimum, email address & phone number)
4. The start and end dates of the witnessed audit
5. The company and location of the witnessed audit
6. A statement attesting that, having witnessed the applicant conducted the listed AQMS audit, the witnessing auditor recommends the applicant for IAQG Level 1 Authentication for the specified standard.

IAQG Authentication reserves the right to contact the witnessing auditor as needed to verify witness audit details and results.