It seems very scary how easy it is to be a "certified" locksmith in diffrent countries around the world, especialy with the knolwedge that locksmiths pick up, and know.
In here you will not need any licensing but a "security clearance" card from the police says enough. The card practically means that you don't have felonies or anything crime related in your history.
On the other hand, if you need licensing, you will, as you said, jump through a couple of hoops and applications and it is done.
So being certified doesn't necessarily mean anything, but this is so heavily country/state dependant, that it is not an easy question to answer.
