ISO 27001 certification

1. How long can the background preparation stage for ISO 27001 Certification take?

I’m assuming you are referring to the time for generating records before undergoing the certification audit.

Considering that, please note that ISO 27001 does not require the minimum period of records (i.e. minimum period of the ISMS operation before the certification), however, some certification bodies do have such requirements and some don't, so you should contact your certification body to confirm what criteria it applies.

This article may also help you:

• How to choose a certification body https://advisera.com/blog/2021/01/11/how-to-choose-an-iso-certification-body/

2. Can I make my own assessment in this regard without consulting the policies, regulations and expectations of the company directors?

Please note that such assessment is in fact the internal audit, a mandatory requirement for ISO 27001, so you need to perform it, and for this, you need to consult the applicable implemented policies, procedures, required regulations, and expectations of the company directors (these are essential elements to evaluate if the standard´s criteria are being fulfilled).

These articles will provide you a further explanation about internal audit:

• How to prepare for an ISO 27001 internal audit https://advisera.com/27001academy/blog/2016/07/11/how-to-prepare-for-an-iso-27001-internal-audit/
• How to make an Internal Audit checklist for ISO 27001 / ISO 22301 https://advisera.com/27001academy/knowledgebase/how-to-make-an-internal-audit-checklist-for-iso-27001-iso-22301/

This material can help you organize and perform an internal audit:

• ISO 27001/ISO 22301 Internal Audit Toolkit https://advisera.com/27001academy/iso-27001-22301-internal-audit-documentation-toolkit/

These materials will also help you regarding internal audit and certification:

• Preparing for ISO Certification Audit: A Plain English Guide https://advisera.com/books/preparing-for-iso-certification-audit-plain-english-guide/
• ISO Internal Audit: A Plain English Guide https://advisera.com/books/iso-internal-audit-plain-english-guide/
• Free online training ISO 27001:2013 Internal Auditor Course https://advisera.com/training/iso-27001-internal-auditor-course/