Overview
ISO/IEC 6523-2:2025 specifies the registration procedure for organization identification schemes and the administration of International Code Designator (ICD) values used to designate those schemes. It defines the roles and responsibilities of the Registration Authority (RA), Sponsoring Authorities (SA) and Issuing Organizations (IO), required contents of the ICD register, evaluation criteria, application processing rules and publishing obligations (including the RA Handbook and public ICD register).
Keywords: ISO/IEC 6523-2:2025, International Code Designator, ICD register, organization identification schemes, registration authority (RA).
Key topics and technical requirements
- Registration services and governance
- RA must provide registration services in conformity with ISO/IEC 6523-1 and an RA Agreement (RAA).
- RA must publish an RA Handbook describing application procedures and forms.
- Roles and responsibilities
- RA: evaluate applications, assign ICD values, maintain and publish the ICD register, and respond to SAs (decision within 30 days of a complete application).
- SA: endorse applications and confirm fulfilment of responsibilities and evaluation criteria.
- IO: administer a specific organization identification scheme and provide contact details.
- Evaluation and processing
- Applications must be endorsed by an SA and include the information specified in Clause 6.1.
- RA applies evaluation criteria (completeness, SA endorsement, no forbidden amendments) and either accepts, requests changes, or rejects with reasons and advice.
- ICD values are assigned sequentially in the order entries are added.
- ICD register content
- Mandatory registration data includes preferred scheme name, purpose, identifier format (number of characters, check characters, display rules), character repertoire, support for organization parts, minimum reallocation period*, IO/SA contact details, coverage and specification language(s).
- RA records assigned ICD, date of issue and amendment history.
- Items marked with an asterisk (*) (e.g., identifier format, character repertoire, minimum reallocation period, assigned ICD and issue date) cannot be changed by amendment.
Applications and who uses it
- System architects, identity and access management teams, enterprise architects and software vendors implementing global identifier schemes.
- Standards bodies, national registration authorities and sponsoring authorities managing organization identifier namespaces.
- Organizations that issue unique organization identifiers for directories, e‑invoicing, supply chain systems, messaging and interoperability frameworks.
- Use cases include ensuring global uniqueness, long‑term persistence, and interoperability of organization identifiers across IT systems and international exchanges.
Related standards
This standard is essential for any body establishing or registering organization identification schemes and for implementers who rely on stable, internationally registered ICD values for interoperability.
Open preview (PDF)Information technology — Structure for the identification of organizations and organization parts — Part 2: Registration of organization identification schemes
