From Elsmar Cove Quality Assurance and Business Standards Wiki
According to the standardized ISO definitions:
In the context of ISO 9001:2000 or ISO 14001:2004, "certification" refers to the issuing of written assurance (the certificate) by an independent, external body that has audited an organization's management system and verified that it conforms to the requirements specified in the standard.
Also see: Registration and Accreditation.
Reference thread: What's the difference between Accreditation, Registration and Certification?