ISO/IEC 20000-6:2017 specifies requirements and provides guidance for certification bodies providing audit and certification of an SMS in accordance with ISO/IEC 20000‑1. It does not change the requirements specified in ISO/IEC 20000‑1. ISO/IEC 20000-6:2017 can also be used by accreditation bodies for accreditation of certification bodies.

A certification body providing SMS certification is expected to be able to demonstrate fulfilment of the requirements specified in ISO/IEC 20000-6:2017, in addition to the requirements in ISO/IEC 17021‑1.