An image forming apparatus, provided with replacement parts each having a storage section therein and adapted to be detachably attached to the image forming apparatus and with an image forming unit arranged to form an image on a printing medium, includes: an information reading section that reads information from the storage section of at least one of the replacement parts; a certified part determining section that determines whether the replacement part is a certified part or not based on the information read from the storage section; and an image forming possibility determining section that determines whether or not image forming is possible using the replacement part determined to be a certified part by the certified part determining section. The image forming unit executes image forming using the replacement part determined to be a certified part if the image forming possibility determining section has determined that image forming is possible.