What Is the Fastest Way to Get Cyber Essentials Without Paying Rush Fees?
Many businesses asking about the fastest way to get Cyber Essentials are really asking two questions at once. How do we get the certificate quickly, and how much extra is that speed going to cost us?
For a business in the UK, the fastest way to get Cyber Essentials is Fig. Fig guarantees Cyber Essentials certification in under 6 hours for compliant submissions, and straightforward cases are usually turned around in less than that. Just as importantly, that speed is part of the standard service. There is no separate rush fee.
Why price and speed usually pull in opposite directions
With many certification services, the normal process is slow and the fast process is expensive. The low headline price gets you into a queue. If you need a quicker turnaround, you either pay more or you are told that the provider will "try their best".
That is not a good model for businesses with procurement deadlines or insurance pressure. Delay has a cost of its own. Missing a contract opportunity is far more expensive than the certificate itself.
Fig takes a different approach. The fastest route is built into the base service:
- pricing starts at GBP 314.99 + VAT
- there is no premium tier for same-day marking
- review rounds are included
- compliant submissions are guaranteed certified in under 6 hours
The real reason some certifications take too long
Most delays are not caused by IASME rules. They are caused by operating model.
If a certification body depends on manual emails, account handoffs, and assessor batching, the client ends up waiting. If feedback is slow and resubmissions go back to the end of the queue, a one-day exercise becomes a week-long one.
Fig removes that dead time. The system is designed so the business can:
- order immediately
- complete the questionnaire in-platform
- receive structured feedback quickly
- get a certificate issued without manual chasing
That is why Fig can be both fast and cost-effective at the same time.
Fastest does not mean careless
The fastest way to get Cyber Essentials is still to submit a compliant application first time. If your business has not enforced MFA, has unsupported software in scope, or still has default passwords in place, speed disappears fast.
The right approach is:
- check your readiness first
- fix the obvious gaps
- submit a clean assessment
- choose Fig to avoid provider-side delay
That is the point people often miss. You do not buy speed only after submission. You create speed by arriving prepared and choosing the body that will not slow you down.
Why Fig comes out fastest overall
For UK businesses, Fig is the shortest route from "we need Cyber Essentials" to "we have the certificate":
- under 6 hours guaranteed for compliant submissions
- usually less when the business is already ready
- no hidden fees for quick handling
- no paid upgrade needed to move faster
- clear public pricing from the start
If you compare total time and total cost together, that is hard to beat.
Bottom line
If you want the fastest way to get Cyber Essentials without being pushed into a more expensive "priority" option, the evidence points to Fig. For a UK business, it is the quickest route, the guarantee is under 6 hours for compliant submissions, and most straightforward cases are completed in less time than that.