How do you verify a training certificate is genuine?

Go to the issuer, not the document. A training certificate is genuine only if the organisation that issued it confirms, on its own verification page, that a certificate with that number was issued to that person, at that level, and is still current. The PDF can look perfect and still be forged, altered or out of date.

Why the document cannot prove itself

A certificate file is a picture of a claim. Anyone with editing software can change a name, a date or a level. Even a certificate that was issued correctly can mislead: it shows the status on the day it was printed, not today. If the certificate has since lapsed or been revoked, the file will not say so.

That matters most when the certificate grants something. For people who approve AI agent actions, a certificate may be the reason they are given approval rights over payments, credit or customer data. A forged or lapsed one hands those rights to someone who has not shown they can use them.

What are the steps?

1. Ask for the certificate number or the QR code, not just the file.
2. Reach the issuer independently. Type the issuer's address yourself or scan the code. Do not follow a verification link in an email or message from the person whose certificate it is; a fake certificate can come with a fake verification page.
3. Match every field. Name, credential, level, issue date and expiry must match what you were given.
4. Read the status. Current, lapsed or revoked. A genuine certificate that has lapsed is genuine but no longer evidence of current competence.
5. Check the identity. Confirm the person in front of you is the person named. Where the issuer keeps a public register, it can help confirm name and credential.
6. Record the check. Date, who checked, what the issuer's page showed. Keep it with your AI agent certificate register.

What signals should make you look harder?

What should a good certificate carry?

A certificate built to be verified includes a unique number, a QR code that resolves to the issuer's page, the holder's name, the credential and level, issue and expiry dates, and, where relevant, the product version the training covered. The AI agent certificate template shows the fields. Certificates issued this way can be checked by anyone in seconds; Pryme Intelligence Academy certificates, for example, are issued through VerifyDoc.ai and can be checked by number or QR code, with lapsed or revoked certificates shown as such on the same page.

An example with a contractor

A bank engages a contractor through an agency to review agent-prepared payment investigations. The agency sends a PDF certificate showing the contractor is certified to review agent work, with an expiry eight months away.

The bank's onboarding team scans the QR code and lands on the issuer's page. The number is genuine and the name matches, but the status shows revoked. The team asks the agency, which explains the certificate was revoked after the contractor was found to have shared exam answers. The bank declines the placement and records the check. The PDF was a true copy of a real certificate. Only the issuer knew it was no longer valid. The process for contractors is set out in how to verify the certificates of contractors who review AI agents.

How often should you re-verify?

• At hiring or engagement, before granting any rights.
• At each expiry date, to confirm renewal; see how to renew an AI agent certificate.
• When you grant new rights, such as a higher depth or amount.
• When anything suggests a problem, such as an audit finding.

The employer's view of this is covered in how an employer can check an AI agent certificate, and the guide to AI literacy and certification explains how certificates fit into a wider programme.