AQAP 2110 quality assurance certification
NATO quality assurance requirements for design, development and production. Not an eligibility condition of EDF, EDIP or SAFE: it enters through individual contracts and cascades down the supply chain.
At a glance
- Kind
- Quality
- Cost
- USD 17,000-48,000 for a full cycle at a firm of 30-80 employees (vendor quote)vendor range, not a benchmarkabout EUR 15,700-44,200, as converted in the research notes
- Time
- 3-8 monthsMonths are counted as 30 days.
- Needed for
- Contracts that name it; cascades down the supply chain.
- Legal basis
- NATO AQAP 2110 Edition D Version 1
- Last reviewed
- Verification
- Seen in search results, not fetched directly.
What it is
AQAP 2110 Edition D Version 1 was promulgated by the NATO Standardization Office on 24 June 2016 and is still in force in 2026. AQAP 2210 (software quality requirements) is layered on AQAP 2110 or 2310 and is not standalone. AQAP 2120 no longer exists separately: it was folded into AQAP 2110 when Edition D was issued in 2016, so anyone still asking for AQAP 2120 is working from stale guidance.
Do you need it for EDF? Not to apply, but likely to deliver. No blanket AQAP requirement appears in the EDF, EDIP or SAFE regulations as an eligibility condition (those regulate control, establishment and component origin). It enters when a prime contractor or a national buyer names it in a contract, and it then cascades down to subcontractors.
Issued by national defence authorities (Government Quality Assurance) or by accredited certification bodies, depending on the country. Certificates run for three years with annual surveillance audits.
If you already hold a related certificate
- USD 17,000-25,000 for a small firm that already holds ISO 9001 (vendor quote), 3-4 months. vendor range, not a benchmark.
Starting from zero without ISO 9001 adds roughly 30-40 % to the budget and 1-2 months.
Certification audit alone (stage 1 and 2): USD 4,000-10,000 (Ekontrol, vendor quote).
Polish certification body CertCom: from a few thousand to a few tens of thousands of złoty (vendor statement); the on-site audit takes one to several days.
Pakuła Consulting (Poland): an individual quote that scales with the size of the organisation; shorter for ISO 9001 holders.
Who issues it
- GermanyBundeswehrAdministered by the Bundeswehr.Seen in search results, not fetched directly.
- SpainSpanish state route: PECAL, audited through DGAM structuresThe Spanish equivalent of AQAP is PECAL, audited through the structures of the Dirección General de Armamento y Material rather than a commercial certification body.Seen in search results, not fetched directly.
- PolandAccredited commercial certification bodies, for example CertComCommercial accredited bodies operate in Poland.Seen in search results, not fetched directly.
- UkraineCommercial and partner certification bodies, for example Ekontrol (a Bureau Veritas partner)Several bodies operate; Ekontrol is one.Seen in search results, not fetched directly.
For a country that is not listed, the issuing body has not been collected. We list none rather than guess.
Which programmes ask for it
- European Defence Fund (EDF): AQAP quality certification (Only in some cases)AQAP 2110 is not a condition for applying to the EDF. It is likely to be needed to deliver, where a prime contractor or a national buyer names it in a contract.
- European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP): the Programme: AQAP quality certification (Only in some cases)AQAP 2110 is not a condition for applying to EDIP. It is likely to be needed to deliver, where a prime contractor or a national buyer names it in a contract.
- EDIP: Ukraine Support Instrument: AQAP quality certification (Only in some cases)AQAP 2110 is not a condition for applying to the Ukraine Support Instrument. It is likely to be needed to deliver, where a prime contractor or a national buyer names it in a contract.
- Security Action for Europe (SAFE): AQAP quality certification (Only in some cases)AQAP 2110 is not an eligibility condition of SAFE. It is likely to be needed to deliver, where the prime contractor or the national buyer names it in the contract.
- NATO and NSPA supply: AQAP quality certification (Only in some cases)AQAP 2110 (or 2310 for aviation and space) is required where a NATO or national contract names it. This service cannot know which of your target contracts do.
What it depends on
Comes after ISO 9001 quality management certificate.
Questions
- Who issues AQAP 2110 quality assurance certification?
- Germany: Bundeswehr. Spain: Spanish state route: PECAL, audited through DGAM structures. Poland: Accredited commercial certification bodies, for example CertCom. Ukraine: Commercial and partner certification bodies, for example Ekontrol (a Bureau Veritas partner). The body has not been collected for the countries not listed.
- How much does AQAP 2110 quality assurance certification cost?
- USD 17,000-48,000 for a full cycle at a firm of 30-80 employees (vendor quote). Note: vendor range, not a benchmark.
- How long does AQAP 2110 quality assurance certification take?
- 3-8 months.
- Who needs AQAP 2110 quality assurance certification?
- Contracts that name it; cascades down the supply chain.
Source
NATO Standardization Office. The prices are vendor quotes: no neutral body publishes them · Open the source
[DefenceGate technical appendix, Who actually requires it] No blanket AQAP requirement appears in the EDF, EDIP or SAFE regulations as an eligibility condition.
[Ekontrol (Bureau Veritas partner, Ukraine), 2026, quoted in the DefenceGate technical appendix] Full AQAP 2110 cycle, 30-80 employees | USD 17,000-48,000 (~EUR 15,700-44,200) | 3-8 months
Quoted from the DefenceGate research notes of 7 September 2026; the primary page was not re-read for this line. Last reviewed 2026-09-07.