Certification, Accreditation & Conformity Assessment Bodies
Organizations seeking ISO certification, laboratory accreditation, inspection services, testing, calibration, or other conformity-assessment services may encounter different types of organizations within the international accreditation and certification system.
Top ISO provides guidance on understanding applicable certification, accreditation, and conformity-assessment requirements based on the relevant ISO standard, certification scheme, industry, scope, regulatory requirements, and target market.
Understanding Certification and Accreditation
Certification is a conformity-assessment process in which an independent certification body evaluates an organization's management system, product, process, or service against applicable requirements.
Accreditation is the formal recognition of the competence of a conformity-assessment body to perform specified activities within an identified scope.
Accreditation and certification are therefore not the same thing. An accreditation body generally evaluates the competence and impartiality of conformity-assessment bodies, while certification bodies perform certification activities within their applicable scope.
The appropriate route depends on what an organization needs to demonstrate and the requirements applicable to its industry or market.
Major Accreditation Bodies
The following are examples of recognized national or regional accreditation organizations. Their responsibilities and accreditation scopes vary by country and conformity-assessment activity.
India
NABCB – National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies
NABL – National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories
NABCB is associated with accreditation of certification and inspection bodies, while NABL provides accreditation services for laboratories and related conformity-assessment activities within its applicable scope.
United Kingdom
UKAS – United Kingdom Accreditation Service
UKAS is the UK's national accreditation body and accredits organizations performing specified conformity-assessment activities.
Europe
Examples include:
DAkkS – Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle, Germany
COFRAC – Comité français d'accréditation, France
Accredia – Italian Accreditation Body, Italy
ENAC – Entidad Nacional de Acreditación, Spain
RvA – Raad voor Accreditatie, Netherlands
SAS – Swiss Accreditation Service, Switzerland
INAB – Irish National Accreditation Board, Ireland
BELAC – Belgian Accreditation Body, Belgium
FINAS – Finnish Accreditation Service, Finland
TÜRKAK – Turkish Accreditation Agency, Türkiye
Asia-Pacific
Examples include:
JAB – Japan Accreditation Board, Japan
IAJapan – International Accreditation Japan
KOLAS – Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme, South Korea
CNAS – China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment
SAC – Singapore Accreditation Council
Standards Malaysia – Department of Standards Malaysia
JAS-ANZ – Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand
NATA – National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia
IANZ – International Accreditation New Zealand
North and South America
Examples include:
ANAB – ANSI National Accreditation Board, United States
A2LA – American Association for Laboratory Accreditation, United States
IAS – International Accreditation Service, United States
SCC – Standards Council of Canada
ema – Entidad Mexicana de Acreditación, Mexico
CGCRE/INMETRO – General Coordination for Accreditation, Brazil
Africa and Middle East
Examples include:
EGAC – Egyptian Accreditation Council
SANAS – South African National Accreditation System
SADCAS – Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service
EIAC – Emirates International Accreditation Centre
Regional and International Accreditation Cooperation
Accreditation systems also operate through regional and international cooperation arrangements. These organizations help develop harmonized accreditation practices, recognition arrangements, technical cooperation, and confidence in conformity-assessment results.
Examples include:
EA – European co-operation for Accreditation
APAC – Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation
AFRAC – African Accreditation Cooperation
ARAC – Arab Accreditation Cooperation
IAAC – Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation
SADCAS – Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service
The role of a cooperation organization is different from that of a national accreditation body. Organizations should therefore consider the specific accreditation scope and applicable recognition arrangement rather than relying only on the name of an accreditation organization.
Certification Bodies
Certification bodies assess organizations, products, processes, or services against applicable certification requirements.
For management-system certification, a certification body may audit an organization's implementation of standards such as:
ISO 9001 – Quality Management
ISO 14001 – Environmental Management
ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety
ISO/IEC 27001 – Information Security
ISO 22000 – Food Safety
ISO 13485 – Medical Devices
ISO 22301 – Business Continuity
ISO 37001 – Anti-Bribery Management
The certification body selected should be appropriate for the organization's standard, scope, industry, geographical market, and required certification scheme.
Testing and Calibration Laboratories
Some organizations require independent testing, measurement, calibration, or laboratory services.
Accredited laboratories may operate under applicable accreditation requirements for activities such as:
Material testing
Product testing
Environmental testing
Chemical analysis
Microbiological testing
Calibration
Measurement services
The required laboratory accreditation scope should match the specific test, measurement, method, equipment, or technical activity required.
Inspection Bodies
Inspection bodies perform specified inspection activities according to applicable requirements and standards.
Depending on the industry, inspection may relate to:
Equipment
Machinery
Construction
Industrial facilities
Products
Safety-related activities
Lifting equipment
Pressure equipment
Other regulated or contractual requirements
The applicable inspection scope and accreditation status should always be checked for the specific service required.
Certification, Accreditation and Conformity Assessment for International Markets
Organizations serving international customers may need to consider requirements beyond obtaining an ISO management-system certificate.
Depending on the product, service, industry, destination country, contract, or regulatory framework, requirements may involve:
Management-system certification
Product certification
Laboratory testing
Calibration
Inspection
Regulatory conformity assessment
Customer-specific requirements
Sector-specific certification schemes
Accreditation requirements
The appropriate assessment route depends on the specific market and applicable requirements.
How Top ISO Can Help
Top ISO provides consultancy and guidance to organizations seeking to understand their ISO certification and conformity-assessment requirements.
Our support may include:
Identifying applicable ISO standards
Understanding certification requirements
Documentation guidance
Management-system implementation support
Internal audit preparation
Corrective-action guidance
Certification audit preparation
Understanding accreditation and certification terminology
Guidance on selecting an appropriate certification or conformity-assessment route
We help organizations understand the requirements before approaching the relevant independent certification, accreditation, testing, calibration, or inspection organization.
Important Notice
The names of accreditation bodies, certification bodies, laboratories, inspection organizations, and cooperation organizations are provided for general informational purposes.
Accreditation does not mean that every service offered by an organization is accredited. Accreditation is normally scope-specific, and recognition may depend on the applicable standard, scheme, technical activity, geographical market, and current recognition arrangements.
Organizations should verify the current accreditation scope and applicable requirements directly with the relevant accreditation or conformity-assessment organization before making a certification or assessment decision.
Top ISO does not represent that it is an accreditation body or certification body unless specifically stated and independently verifiable. Certification decisions are made by the relevant independent certification body.
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