Agenticum · Thoughts · 7 min read

AI governance certification in the UAE and Saudi Arabia: ISO/IEC 42001, AIGP, AAIA and local schemes compared

This guide compares organisational certification, personal credentials and local schemes, including documented fees and renewal requirements.

Nikolay Zuykov · Agenticum · 31 October 2026

AI governance certification: organisation, person or local scheme

This guide covers three kinds of scheme:

Organisation certificate. A certification body audits your AI management system against ISO/IEC 42001.
Personal credential. A professional body certifies a person. The IAPP's AIGP is for AI governance professionals. ISACA's AAIA is for auditors.
Local scheme. In Dubai, the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DCAI) developed the Dubai AI Seal. In Saudi Arabia, SDAIA has AI ethics incentive badges.

If an employee holds an AIGP, that does not certify the company. ISO/IEC 42001 certification covers an organisation's AI management system. Work out which kind you need before you compare prices.

The IAPP and ISACA fees quoted below are listed in USD. The AED and SAR figures are conversions of those USD fees at the currency pegs.

Option 1: ISO/IEC 42001 certifies your organisation's AI management system

ISO calls ISO/IEC 42001 the world's first AI management system standard. It covers organisations of any size that develop, provide or use AI-based products or services. That includes organisations that only use AI.

ISO/IEC 42006 was published in July 2025. It sets additional requirements for bodies that audit and certify AI management systems against ISO/IEC 42001.

The audit has two stages. Stage 1 reviews your documents and the design of the AI management system (AIMS). Stage 2 checks whether the system works in practice. Once issued, the certificate is valid for three years, with annual surveillance audits.

Examples in the region:

Bureau Veritas Dubai awarded ISO/IEC 42001 certification to Dubai Police in May 2025.
LRQA says etisalat UAE is the first telecom operator in MENA to achieve accredited ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification. It was presented in September 2026.
Arab News reported that SDAIA was the first organisation in the world to achieve ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification. This is a press report, not an SDAIA release.

Cost: our sources give no price for ISO/IEC 42001 certification. Ask certification bodies for quotes, and give each of them the same written scope so the quotes can be compared.

Option 2: IAPP AIGP, the credential for AI governance professionals

The AIGP exam tests knowledge of how to develop, deploy and manage AI systems responsibly and ethically. In our view it suits the people who own AI policy and risk, such as legal, privacy, risk and product governance staff.

The exam has 100 questions in 2.75 hours, plus a 15-minute break. You can take it online from home or the office, or in person at a test centre. You must sit it within one year of buying it.

Exam: USD 649 for IAPP members (AED 2,383.45 / SAR 2,433.75) and USD 799 for non-members (AED 2,934.33 / SAR 2,996.25).
IAPP Annual Professional Membership: USD 295 (AED 1,083.39 / SAR 1,106.25).
IAPP's official AIGP online training: USD 1,195 (AED 4,388.64 / SAR 4,481.25).

Upkeep: an AIGP term lasts two years. In each term you submit 20 continuing education credits that match the AIGP Body of Knowledge, and you pay a certification maintenance fee. Non-members get the first fee included in the exam price and pay USD 250 (AED 918.13 / SAR 937.50) for each later term. For members, the membership covers the fee.

Option 3: ISACA AAIA for AI auditors

AAIA is for auditors who already hold an audit credential. You need an active CISA or another qualifying advanced-auditing credential, such as the IIA's Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) or the US CPA.

The exam has 90 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes. You can take it at a PSI test centre or at home with online remote proctoring. The domain weights are AI Operations 46%, AI Governance and Risk 33%, and AI Auditing Tools and Techniques 21%.

Fees: after you pass, you pay a one-time application processing fee of USD 50 (AED 183.63 / SAR 187.50). Ask ISACA for the current exam registration fee when you book. We do not quote it here. To keep the credential you pay an annual maintenance fee: USD 20 for ISACA members (AED 73.45 / SAR 75.00) or USD 35 for non-members (AED 128.54 / SAR 131.25). You also need at least 10 CPE hours a year and 30 over each three-year period.

The local layer: Dubai AI Seal (UAE) and SDAIA AI ethics incentive badges (KSA)

Dubai AI Seal. DCAI developed the seal as a verification system for AI businesses. AI businesses of any size that operate legally in Dubai can apply online, and the service is free. There are six tiers: E, D, C, B, A and S. They reflect how much a company contributes to Dubai's AI economy, and S is the highest. The tiers measure economic contribution, not governance maturity, so a seal does not replace ISO/IEC 42001. Each seal has a unique serial number that buyers can check on the Dubai AI Seal website. By May 2025, 325 companies operating in Dubai had applied.

SDAIA badges. A SDAIA AI ethics badge is valid for one year. After that the entity has to be re-evaluated. Private-sector entities that earn at least one incentive badge receive an AI Service Provider Accreditation Certificate, based on their level of commitment to AI ethics. Our sources do not give a fee, so ask SDAIA.

Side-by-side comparison: issuer, what is certified, cost in USD/AED/SAR, format, renewal

Scheme	Issuer	What is certified	Eligibility	Format	Cost	Validity and renewal
ISO/IEC 42001	A certification body (ISO/IEC 42006 sets additional requirements for these bodies)	Organisation: its AI management system	Any size, if it develops, provides or uses AI	Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits	Not in our sources; ask certification bodies	3 years, annual surveillance audits
AIGP	IAPP	Person: AI governance professional	Not stated in our sources	100 questions, 2.75 h plus 15-min break, online or test centre; sit the exam within one year of purchase	USD 649 / 799 (AED 2,383.45 / 2,934.33; SAR 2,433.75 / 2,996.25)	2-year term, 20 credits, USD 250 per later term for non-members
AAIA	ISACA	Person: auditor of AI	Active CISA, or CIA, US CPA or another qualifying credential	90 questions, 150 min, remote or PSI centre	Exam fee: ask ISACA. Application fee USD 50 (AED 183.63 / SAR 187.50)	USD 20 / 35 a year (AED 73.45 / 128.54; SAR 75.00 / 131.25), 10 CPE a year, 30 over 3 years
Dubai AI Seal	DCAI	Company: economic contribution tier E to S	AI businesses of any size operating legally in Dubai	Online application	Free	Not stated in our sources; ask DCAI. Unique serial number
SDAIA badges	SDAIA	Entity: commitment to AI ethics	Accreditation certificate for private-sector entities with at least one badge	Evaluation	Ask SDAIA	1 year, then re-evaluation

Which certification fits your company: three company profiles

Profile A: an AI vendor in Dubai selling to government

Start with the Dubai AI Seal. It is free, and buyers can check its serial number. Add ISO/IEC 42001 when a tender or a client asks for it. Put your product or compliance lead through the AIGP.

Known first-year costs: seal AED 0 / SAR 0. AIGP as a non-member costs AED 2,934.33 / SAR 2,996.25. The non-member AIGP exam and official online training together cost USD 1,994 (AED 7,322.97 / SAR 7,477.50). ISO/IEC 42001: no price in our sources.

Profile B: a supplier to Saudi public or private entities

Start with a SDAIA badge. As a private-sector entity, that gives you the AI Service Provider Accreditation Certificate. Plan for re-evaluation every year. Then work towards ISO/IEC 42001. Arab News reported that SDAIA itself achieved this certification.

First-year costs: ask SDAIA for its fee. ISO/IEC 42001: no price in our sources. An AIGP for your governance lead costs SAR 2,996.25 as a non-member.

Profile C: a regulated enterprise or bank with in-house AI, in either country

Get ISO/IEC 42001 for the AI management system. Put the people who own AI governance through the AIGP. Consider AAIA for internal auditors who hold an active CISA or another qualifying advanced-auditing credential, such as CIA or US CPA.

The AIGP non-member exam fee and one AAIA application fee total USD 849 (AED 3,117.95 / SAR 3,183.75). This is a subtotal, not the full first-year cost. The AAIA exam fee and the cost of ISO/IEC 42001 certification come on top.

How to check a certificate before you trust it, and a 5-step starting plan

Checklist:

ISO/IEC 42001: ask whether the certification body works to ISO/IEC 42006. Check that the certificate is less than three years old and that the latest annual surveillance audit happened.
Dubai AI Seal: check the serial number on the Dubai AI Seal website, and note the tier.
SDAIA: ask for the AI Service Provider Accreditation Certificate, and check that the badge was evaluated within the last year.
AIGP or AAIA: ask when the holder's current term or reporting year ends, and whether their CPE and fees are up to date.

Starting plan:

Pick the profile above that matches your company.
List the AI systems you build, sell or use. Use that list as a starting point when discussing the certification scope.
Compare your current controls with ISO/IEC 42001 and write down the gaps.
Book the AIGP or AAIA for the people who will own and audit the system.
Ask certification bodies to quote on your scope, then book Stage 1.