A side-by-side comparison of Notified Body and Notifying Authority. Understand who assesses regulated systems and who designates and monitors the assessment bodies.
Quick Verdict: Use Notified Body for the conformity assessment organization; use Notifying Authority for the national authority that designates and supervises those bodies.
Notified Body defines conformity assessment body formally designated under EU law to assess whether certain products or systems meet applicable requirements.
Context: Most relevant when a regulated AI system may require third-party conformity assessment.
Notifying Authority defines national authority responsible for assessing, designating, notifying, and monitoring conformity assessment bodies.
Context: Most relevant when mapping the regulatory oversight chain for conformity assessment bodies.
| Aspect | Notified Body | Notifying Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Legal role | A notified body is the designated conformity assessment body that may assess products or AI systems. | A notifying authority is the national authority responsible for assessing, designating, notifying, and monitoring those bodies. |
| Lifecycle position | It appears at the point where a regulated system needs conformity assessment. | It operates one level above, supervising the availability and competence of conformity assessment bodies. |
| Main obligations | Its core function is to assess whether applicable requirements are met. | Its core function is to ensure conformity assessment bodies remain competent and properly supervised. |
| Documentation duties | Documentation relates to assessment procedures, findings, and conformity evidence. | Documentation relates to designation, notification, monitoring, and supervisory records. |
| Common mistake | Treating the notified body as the public regulator for all AI Act obligations. | Treating the notifying authority as the organization that directly certifies a providerās AI system. |
In practice, confusing these roles creates poor audit trails. A clean regulatory map should show provider, notified body, notifying authority, and national competent authority as separate nodes.
Using notified body and notifying authority interchangeably.
Assuming the notifying authority performs every conformity assessment.
Failing to identify whether third-party assessment is required for the specific AI system.
Omitting the oversight chain from governance documentation.
Use Notified Body when describing an organization formally designated to perform conformity assessment. It is the correct term when the question is who assesses a regulated AI system against applicable requirements.
Use Notifying Authority when describing the national authority that designates and monitors conformity assessment bodies. It is the correct term when the question is who supervises the competence of notified bodies.
The term refers to the authority that assesses, designates, notifies, and monitors conformity assessment bodies. The notified body is the entity that may participate in the system-level conformity assessment procedure.
Contracts and procurement records need to identify who provides assessment services and who is part of public oversight. Mixing the roles can create unclear accountability.
No. The need for notified body involvement depends on the applicable EU AI Act classification and conformity assessment route.
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