To check whether you can use a certificate today, confirm who issued it, who or what it covers, and whether its dates and current status fit your purpose. A file can be unchanged while the issuer has withdrawn the certificate, so a successful file check is only part of the answer.

For a school or employer, the first question is what the document is meant to support: admission to a course, a hiring requirement or a particular task. That purpose tells you which authority and evidence you need. The method below is a suggested way to document the review, not a new regulatory obligation.

What each check tells you

Check the file and its issuer. Integrity means that the data matches the version covered by the proof. A digital signature is a mathematical check tied to a signing key; a picture of a signature on a PDF is not that check. Use the appropriate verification tool, then establish why you trust the identified issuer to provide this certificate.

Match it to the person and purpose. Compare the holder's identity with the person presenting it, and read what the document actually records. A course completion certificate may be genuine without meeting a requirement for a professional license.

Read the dates and current status. Check any stated start and end dates, including the time zone. Then use the relevant issuer or authority's source to check whether the document has been withdrawn, suspended or otherwise restricted. No printed expiry date does not mean no status change is possible.

Record the decision and any gap. State what the evidence supports for this use, who reviewed it and what still needs checking. A missing answer should remain visible to the colleague who takes over the file.

The World Wide Web Consortium, W3C, publishes technical standards for digital credentials. Its Verifiable Credentials Data Model v2.0 distinguishes a successful technical verification from deciding whether the claims are true and acceptable for a particular use. It leaves the choice of trusted issuers to the verifier.

A dated certificate review First check the file, issuer, person and dates. Then establish current status. If status is unresolved, record that gap and escalate. Decide acceptance only under the applicable requirements. Check the evidence File · issuer · person · dates Resolve current status Check source and freshness Unresolved? Record and escalate Record the decision Purpose · outcome · time Keep open questions visible
A review worksheet, not a universal regulatory process. An unresolved status remains an open question in the decision.

Read what the status actually covers

A status response can answer a narrower question than the one you need. For example, a result showing no revocation does not necessarily establish that there is no suspension. Keep the source's terms, effective dates and scope in your note; ask the issuer or authority about a relevant status the response does not cover.

W3C Bitstring Status List v1.0 is one technical method for publishing those different states. It also distinguishes a digital credential from the underlying qualification. An issuer could withdraw the digital document because its signing mechanism was compromised while the person's degree remains valid.

This explains why the reason for a withdrawal matters. It does not establish that an aviation authority uses this W3C format or that AeroCert implements these status lists.

A response downloaded now may still be old

Keep the time you requested the status and any update date or validity period supplied with the response. You may have received a previously stored copy. The W3C status-list specification sets no single minimum or maximum validity period for all lists. Apply the requirements for the certificate and your use of it.

If the source is unavailable, keep the last result as history and record that you could not confirm the current status. An outage proves neither continued validity nor withdrawal. Follow the process for unresolved evidence instead of turning yesterday's answer into today's confirmation.

A fictional example: admission remains pending

Alex is reviewing Sam's prerequisite certificate for a laboratory refresher course. The people, school policy and events in this example are fictional. The policy requires a current issuer confirmation before admission is completed; yesterday's saved response said active, but today's service cannot be reached.

Alex leaves this note:

  • Document and purpose: Sam's prerequisite certificate for refresher-course admission. The exact submitted file is retained with the review.
  • Checks completed: Sam's identity matches the certificate, the signature check succeeded, the issuer is accepted under the school's policy and the stated validity dates cover the review.
  • Status evidence: the issuer's response of September 6, 2026, at 09:00 UTC said active. A request to the same portal on September 7 at 09:00 UTC timed out. Current status is unresolved.
  • Decision and next action: admission remains pending under that policy. Alex will contact the issuer through its established channel and retain the reply before completing the decision.

A real review should include the source address and references needed to find the evidence, plus the reviewer, tool and date of the decision. Keep only the personal information needed for that process. If a later reply resolves the question, add a new dated entry so the record still shows when confirmation became available.

Make the next review easier

Ask a colleague to read one completed record without opening your inbox. They should be able to find the document, the status source, the reason for the decision and any unresolved question.

For the separate question of keeping evidence usable after changing suppliers, use our guide to verifying certificates without their platform. To assess AeroCert for your own workflow, see how verification works and identify which checks your process needs.