Yes, you certainly have to pay for the certification. Don't know personally how much it is, but quite a lot I guess.
Also, if you don't pass, you can simply pay again to be retested... and again and again, until you get the certification. So, anybody can get the certification if they're willing to spend enough money on it.
The same goes both to West Coast Lab and ICSA, I think.
So, for that reason, it's somehow "better" to look for tests like Virus Bulletin, av-comparatives, etc.