Sanctions Policy.
The sanctions PCI may apply, and how they are kept proportionate and consistent.
Overview
Sanctions exist to protect the credential, not to punish arbitrarily. This policy defines the range available and ensures each is applied proportionately to the seriousness of the confirmed conduct.
At a glance
The range of sanctions
- A formal warning
- Invalidation of an examination result
- Restriction on future examination attempts
- Suspension of a credential for a defined period
- Withdrawal (revocation) of a credential
Proportionality and reinstatement
PCI applies this consistently and records what it does, so the process can be checked and improved. The detail is governed by the related policies linked below and is published as the institute matures.
Common questions
How is the right sanction chosen?
It matches the seriousness of the confirmed conduct, following the disciplinary policy.
Can a withdrawn credential be reinstated?
Where appropriate, conditions for reinstatement are defined.
Is there a right of appeal?
Yes — all sanctions carry a right of appeal.
Why this matters
Clear policies matter because they are how fairness is made real. A certification body that treats everyone consistently — on eligibility, conduct, security, impartiality and appeals — is one whose decisions can be trusted, and whose credential therefore means the same thing for everyone who holds it. These pages set out those commitments plainly.
PCI states its position honestly, including where processes are still being established. The aim is not legal cover for its own sake but genuine, transparent governance — the substance that lets a credential, and the body behind it, earn and keep professional trust.
- Substance over marketing
- Fair, transparent process
- Honesty about our status
- Responsible, governed use of AI
Founding-stage document · Version 1.0 — effective date to be confirmed · Reviewed under PCI governance. PCI makes no claims of accreditation or recognition beyond what is true today.
How a sanction decision is reached
No sanction is applied casually or by surprise. The sequence is deliberately ordinary — the same shape a fair process takes anywhere:
- A sanction follows a concluded investigation, never an allegation alone.
- The individual is told what was found and has a genuine opportunity to respond before any sanction is decided.
- The decision is made by people independent of the investigation itself, so the case is judged rather than merely confirmed.
- The outcome is recorded with reasons — which is what makes consistency between cases checkable over time.
Decisions also weigh context, in both directions: cooperation with the investigation, prompt self-reporting and an otherwise clean record count in a person's favour; concealment, repetition and harm to other candidates count against. Two superficially similar cases can therefore end differently — and the recorded reasons will show why.
What each sanction means in practice
Warning
The credential remains current. The conduct is formally on record, and a repeat of the same conduct is weighed more heavily as a result.
Suspension
The credential is not current for the suspension period. The holder must not present it as active, and verification reflects the true status for as long as the suspension lasts.
Withdrawal
The credential is removed. Certificates and the designation must no longer be used, and verification will show that no current credential is held.
Challenging a sanction — and coming back from one
A sanction can be challenged through the appeals process, which examines whether the decision was reached properly and proportionately. Lodging an appeal is a right, not an act of defiance, and it is treated as such — appealing never worsens the sanction being appealed. Where the policy allows reinstatement, the path back is evidence-based: the conduct addressed, any conditions met, and the case considered on its merits rather than on the passage of time alone. The aim throughout is the one stated at the top of this policy — protecting the credential and the people who rely on it, not punishing for its own sake.
Keep going
Proportionality — the sanctions ladder
Sanctions escalate with seriousness and intent: written advice; formal warning; conditions on the credential (supervision, retraining, re-examination); suspension for a defined period; and, for the gravest or repeated breaches, revocation with removal from the registry. Dishonesty aggravates; candour and remediation mitigate.
Two anchors keep the ladder honest: like cases are treated alike (prior outcomes are considered), and every sanction states its reasons and its route of appeal. Revocation is public where the protection of others requires it.