A welder's certificate does not stay valid just because the test piece passed. This guide explains how ISO 9606-1 validity works in practice: the six-month confirmation, the three revalidation methods in clause 9.3, and what a welder or QA coordinator should check before a certificate goes into a project dossier.
The international standard is ISO 9606-1:2012, Qualification testing of welders, Fusion welding, Part 1: Steels. In Europe it is published as EN ISO 9606-1:2017, which adopts the ISO text together with Corrigendum 1:2012 and Corrigendum 2:2013. A reference to the 2017 edition therefore points to the European adoption, not to a new ISO text.
Clauses 9.1 and 9.2 set the six-month continuity requirement: the welder's certificate must be confirmed every six months by the person responsible for welding activities, the examiner or the examining body. Without that confirmation, the certificate becomes invalid.
The confirmation records that the welder has worked within the range of qualification, and it extends validity by a further six months. It is not a retest. It is evidence that the welder kept using the process on work the certificate covers.
Who signs depends on the certification scheme. The employer must control continuity records, while the issuing or certification body defines any additional validation activities. In practice, the confirmation should show that the welder worked within the certificate range with acceptable results and did not stop using the process for more than six months.
Confirmation keeps a qualification alive between checks. Revalidation sets how long it lasts overall. Clause 9.3 provides three methods:
| Method | What it requires | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 9.3 a) | The welder is retested | Every three years |
| 9.3 b) | Two welds produced during the final six months of validity, with recorded radiographic, ultrasonic or destructive test results meeting the applicable acceptance criteria | Every two years |
| 9.3 c) | The welder works for the same manufacturer, whose quality system is verified to ISO 3834-2 or ISO 3834-3, and the manufacturer has documented that the welder produced welds of acceptable quality | No fixed end date, only while all conditions remain satisfied |
The selected method must be stated on the certificate when it is issued. Do not switch routes informally; consult the examiner or examining body if a change is needed. The six-month confirmation still applies under every route.
For method b), the test welds must reproduce the original qualification test conditions, apart from thickness and outside diameter. Agree the evidence with the examiner or examining body: two unrelated inspection reports are not automatically sufficient. Revalidation is carried out by the examiner or examining body, rather than by the employer simply adding a continuity signature.
For Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) work, do not assume that method c) provides the required approval. This route depends on continuing employment with the same manufacturer and on competence documented within the manufacturer's verified quality system; it may not provide the independent assessment required by the applicable certification scheme. Confirm the accepted method with the certification or notified body for the project, including the equipment category and approval route.
Revalidation normally starts with an employer application and continuity confirmation. For a method b) extension, the evidence commonly includes test records for two welded joints from the final six months of validity: volumetric testing for butt welds, or fracture, bend or macro testing for fillet welds, as accepted by the examiner or examining body.
Depending on the selected route, a certificate may require a two-year evidence-based extension or a three-year retest. In every case, competence and six-month continuity must be maintained, and the rules of the issuing body remain decisive.
Before a certificate goes into a welding dossier or mobilisation pack, ask five questions:
Welders can make this easier: keep copies of every confirmation and of the test reports used at revalidation. When you move to a new employer, those records show what you have been doing.
RAM supplies coded welders across processes 111 (MMA), 141 (TIG) and 136 (flux-cored MAG). This is a general capability range: which process and qualification apply depends on the material, joint, position and project specification. Welding appears in several published project records:
The records do not state which qualification standard applied on each job, and this article does not assume one. What RAM does publish is the check before mobilisation. RAM checks the proposed welder's qualification range, relevant experience and required documentation against the project requirements. A welder whose range does not cover the scope may not be accepted, which can delay a work front, particularly in a shutdown or turnaround window. RAM's welding and fabrication page keeps three documents apart: the WPS describes how the weld is made, the WPQR is the qualification basis for the procedure, and the welder's qualification is a separate requirement.
That check is one of four steps RAM describes before anyone mobilises: understand the work, match capability to the task (process, position, material, previous working environment), check qualifications and documentation, and agree scope, supervision, interfaces and deliverables before anyone travels. In workforce solutions, welders join the client's organisation and the client directs the work, while RAM handles employment, documentation, mobilisation and workforce administration. In technical subcontracting, RAM organises the trades, supervision and coordination around the deliverables and acceptance criteria in the contract. The offshore services page lists the two offshore records above.
If you are a coded welder looking for project work, see the vacancies page. If you are planning a welding scope and want to agree the qualification documents before mobilisation, contact the RAM team.
This practical overview does not replace the applicable edition of the standard or the issuing body's certification scheme. For a project decision, use the certificate, the contract, the WPS and the examiner's requirements together.
No. The confirmation maintains continuity between checks. The revalidation method stated on the certificate still determines the longer cycle and required evidence.
The applicable certification scheme and certificate determine the authorised person or body. The employer should keep continuity evidence, but the required signatory must be checked for the specific scheme.
No. Validity and qualification range are separate. The certificate must also cover the process, joint, material, position and dimensions required by the project.
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