Art.35
EU AI Act Guide › Chapter III — High-Risk AI Systems › Article 35

Article 35 — Identification Numbers and Lists of Notified Bodies

Governance SME Relevant ~2 min read · 438 words

Article 35 establishes the public register of notified bodies — the NANDO database. It ensures that every officially designated notified body has a unique identification number and appears on a publicly accessible list, giving providers and the public a reliable way to verify whether a body is legitimately authorised to issue AI Act conformity certificates.

✓ Low compliance impact for SMEs

WHAT THE ARTICLE IS ABOUT

The public register that makes the notified body system transparent

Article 35 creates the transparency infrastructure for the notified body system. By assigning each notified body a unique identification number and maintaining a public list, it enables anyone — providers, deployers, regulators, and the public — to verify whether a conformity assessment body is genuinely authorised under the EU AI Act.

WHAT IT SAYS

Commission assigns numbers, NANDO publishes the list

  • The Commission assigns a unique identification number to each notified body at the time of notification
  • A single identification number is assigned even where the body is notified under multiple EU legislative acts
  • The Commission maintains a publicly accessible list of all notified bodies — including their identification numbers, the activities they are authorised to carry out, and their current status
  • This list is published and regularly updated through the NANDO (New Approach Notified and Designated Organisations) electronic tool
  • Member states must inform the Commission of any changes to the status of their notified bodies — new designations, suspensions, restrictions, and withdrawals must all be updated promptly
  • Notified bodies must include their identification number on all certificates and documentation they issue

WHO IS AFFECTED

Everyone interacting with the notified body system

  • Providers of high-risk AI systems selecting a notified body — the NANDO list is their primary verification tool
  • Notified bodies who must display their identification number on all issued certificates
  • National notifying authorities who must keep the Commission informed of status changes
  • The European Commission maintaining and publishing the NANDO database
  • Market surveillance authorities verifying whether certificates presented to them were issued by legitimate bodies

WHAT IT MEANS FOR SMES

Always verify your notified body on NANDO before engaging them

  • NANDO is freely accessible online at ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/nando — bookmark it
  • Before engaging any body to conduct your conformity assessment, search NANDO to confirm they are listed, their designation covers your type of AI system, and their status is active not suspended
  • A certificate issued by a body not appearing on NANDO has no legal standing under the AI Act — do not accept it
  • The identification number on any certificate you receive should match the NANDO entry for that body — verify this before relying on the certificate
  • If a body claims to be in the process of designation, check NANDO for their pending notification — the two-week waiting period under Article 30 should be visible

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