How do I check that the notified body number on an ATEX label is real?

Search the four-digit number in NANDO, the European Commission's public list of notified bodies, which is now part of the Commission's Single Market Compliance Space. The number is real only if a body with that number is notified under Directive 2014/34/EU for a procedure that matches the product. Then contact that body, using contact details from NANDO and not from the supplier's papers, to confirm that it really covers this manufacturer and product.

Short answer

• What the number is: under Article 16(3) of Directive 2014/34/EU, the number after the CE marking identifies the notified body involved in the production control phase. In most cases that is the body that approved the manufacturer's quality system (the QAN).
• Where to check: the Commission assigns each notified body a single four-digit number (written "NB xxxx") and publishes the list of bodies, their numbers and their notified activities (Article 26). This is the NANDO database.
• What must match: the body must be notified under 2014/34/EU, for the right procedure and product type, and the notification must have been active when the product was made.
• What NANDO cannot tell you: it does not list individual certificates or customers. Only the body can confirm those.
• When there should be no number: category 3 equipment (unless unit verification was used), non-electrical category 2 equipment and products with only a voluntary certificate. If one of these carries a number, ask why.

Step by step: checking the number

1. Read the label and the declaration together. The label shows CE 1234 followed by the hexagon Ex mark, group and category, for example II 2 G. The EU declaration of conformity names the body that issued the EU-type examination certificate, with its number and the certificate number. The body after CE may be a different one. Both should be checked.
2. Search NANDO by number. Open NANDO from the European Commission's website (the old NANDO address redirects to the Single Market Compliance Space) and search the body by its number. A number that returns nothing, or returns a body with a different name from the one on the documents, is a red flag.
3. Check the legislation. Open the body's notifications and confirm that Directive 2014/34/EU (equipment and protective systems for potentially explosive atmospheres) is listed. A body notified only for other directives, such as machinery or pressure equipment, cannot act for ATEX.
4. Check the procedures. For the number after CE, look for production-phase procedures: production quality assurance (Annex IV), product verification (Annex V), conformity to type with supervised product testing (Annex VI), product quality assurance (Annex VII) or unit verification (Annex IX). The body that issued the certificate must be notified for EU-type examination (Annex III).
5. Check the status and dates. Under Article 27 of the directive a notification can be restricted, suspended or withdrawn. Make sure the notification under 2014/34/EU is active, and was active when the certificate was issued and when the product was made. If NANDO does not make this clear, ask the body.
6. Confirm with the body. Ask the body to confirm the manufacturer's quality assurance notification and, if it issued the certificate, the certificate number, issue and scope. Some bodies offer an online certificate check. Use the contact details in NANDO or on the body's own official website.

Which products should carry a number

The Commission's ATEX Guidelines (6th edition, January 2026) stress that a notified body number must not appear where the directive does not require it. Its presence can therefore be just as revealing as its absence.

For non-electrical category 2 equipment, a body receives and keeps the technical documentation and confirms receipt. It does not certify the product and is not involved in the production control phase, so its number does not belong after the CE marking.

Red flags

• The number is not in NANDO, or it belongs to a body with another name or in another country.
• The body exists but is not notified under 2014/34/EU, or not for the procedure the product needs.
• The notification was withdrawn before the product was made.
• A category 3 product (not unit-verified) carries a number together with a so-called "EU-type examination certificate". The directive does not provide for this.
• The certificate or quality notification cannot be confirmed by the body itself.

For Great Britain, a UKCA marking based on a UK approved body's assessment carries that body's number. UK approved bodies are listed in the UK government's UKMCAB database, not in NANDO, so check a UK number there.

Related on excodex

• How to verify that an Ex certificate is genuine
• EU-Type Examination Certificates and Notified Bodies explained
• What does the number after the CE mark mean on ATEX equipment?
• What is a QAN and why does an ATEX manufacturer need one?
• Tools: Ex marking check, standards space ATEX 2014/34/EU

Standards and further reading

• Directive 2014/34/EU, Article 16 (CE marking and notified body number), Article 26 (identification numbers and list of notified bodies), Article 13 (conformity assessment procedures), Annex X (EU declaration of conformity): legislation.gov.uk, Article 16, Article 26
• European Commission, ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines, 6th edition (January 2026), sections on NANDO, the CE marking and the notified body number: Guidelines PDF
• European Commission, notified bodies and the NANDO list: single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu
• Czech Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing, notice on the integration of NANDO into the Single Market Compliance Space: unmz.gov.cz
• UK Office for Product Safety and Standards, UK conformity assessment bodies and the UKMCAB database: gov.uk

This article is general technical information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable standards, the equipment certificates and instructions, national regulations or the assessment of a competent person.