Accreditation and the ISO/IEC 17000 Series
Accreditation is how the quality and credibility of testing and certification are assured. It confirms that the bodies which test, inspect, and certify products, processes, and organizations are independent and competent. This page explains what accreditation bodies do, how accreditation is organized from the national to the global level, and which standards of the ISO/IEC 17000 series apply.
The role of accreditation bodies
Accreditation bodies hold a central position in the quality infrastructure. They ensure the competence and integrity of conformity assessment bodies. In the EU, Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 requires each Member State to appoint a single national accreditation body (Article 4(1)). Examples are the German national accreditation body DAkkS, COFRAC in France, and ACCREDIA in Italy.
The main task of accreditation bodies is to assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies such as laboratories, inspection bodies, and certification bodies. They assess the technical competence, independence, and integrity of these bodies against internationally recognized standards, in particular the ISO/IEC 17000 series. This ensures that accredited bodies can carry out their specific tasks reliably and competently.
Accreditation bodies regularly carry out surveillance and reassessment of accredited bodies to make sure they continue to meet the accreditation requirements. This includes on-site assessments, document reviews, and the evaluation of results in proficiency tests. This ongoing surveillance maintains trust in the work of accredited bodies.
Accreditation bodies also link national regulators with the international accreditation system. They work closely with authorities to make sure that accreditation meets regulatory requirements and supports the implementation of legislation. At the same time, they represent national interests in international organizations such as the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) and, at global level, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). Since January 1, 2026, Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI) has taken over the roles of IAF and ILAC.
Another important task is to promote mutual understanding and the harmonization of accreditation practice at international level. Accreditation bodies take part in multilateral agreements such as the EA MLA (Multilateral Agreement) and the global arrangements previously run by IAF (IAF MLA) and ILAC (ILAC MRA, Mutual Recognition Arrangement), which Global ACI now continues. In this way, they help ensure that accreditations and the resulting conformity assessments are recognized worldwide. This facilitates international trade and reduces technical barriers to trade.
Accreditation bodies also play a role in developing the accreditation system further. They contribute to new standards and guidelines, offer training and information events for conformity assessment bodies, and promote a general understanding of why accreditation matters to the economy and society.
The accreditation hierarchy
Accreditation is organized as a multi-level system at national, regional, and international level. Its purpose is to ensure the quality and comparability of conformity assessments worldwide. At the base are the national accreditation bodies, such as DAkkS in Germany. They accredit conformity assessment bodies such as laboratories, inspection bodies, and certification bodies, and they review their competence regularly.
At the next level is the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA), the regional umbrella organization of the national accreditation bodies in Europe. The EA plays a decisive role in harmonizing accreditation practice within Europe and promotes the mutual recognition of accreditations between European countries. It carries out peer evaluations of the national accreditation bodies to ensure their competence and conformity with international standards.
At global level, two organizations long shared the work: the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). The IAF focused mainly on the accreditation of certification bodies for management systems, products, processes, and services, and of validation and verification bodies. It worked toward worldwide harmonization of accreditation practice and promoted mutual recognition of accreditations among its members.
ILAC focused on the accreditation of laboratories and inspection bodies. It worked closely with the IAF to build a global network for the recognition of accreditations. Both organizations maintained multilateral recognition arrangements (MLA/MRA) that allow accreditations and the resulting conformity assessments to be recognized worldwide. Since January 1, 2026, Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI) has carried out the roles of both organizations.
The levels of this hierarchy work closely together. National accreditation bodies are usually members of the EA (in Europe) and of the global organization. The EA in turn is a recognized regional member at global level. These links ensure a consistent approach to accreditation from the national to the global level.
This multi-level structure aims to create a coherent and internationally recognized accreditation system. It allows conformity assessments carried out by accredited bodies to be trusted and accepted worldwide. This supports international trade, reduces technical barriers to trade, and improves the global quality infrastructure.
The ISO/IEC 17000 series
The ISO/IEC 17000 series is the foundation of international standardization for conformity assessment. This family of standards is developed jointly by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It defines the basic principles, requirements, and guidelines for conformity assessment bodies and their activities. It plays a central role in ensuring the quality, consistency, and comparability of conformity assessments worldwide.
At the top of the series is ISO/IEC 17000, which sets out the vocabulary and general principles for conformity assessment. It provides the terminology for all other standards in the series and ensures a common understanding of the terms used throughout conformity assessment.
ISO/IEC 17011 defines the requirements for accreditation bodies that accredit conformity assessment bodies. It ensures that accreditation bodies work competently and impartially, so that the bodies they accredit can be trusted. This standard is essential for the integrity of the entire accreditation system.
For laboratories, ISO/IEC 17025 is the relevant standard. It sets out the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories and ensures that laboratory results are reliable, accurate, and internationally comparable. ISO 15189 complements it with specific requirements for medical laboratories.
ISO/IEC 17020 applies to inspection bodies. It ensures that organizations performing inspections do so competently, consistently, and impartially. It is used in many fields, from technical inspection to food safety.
For certification bodies, there are several specific standards. ISO/IEC 17021 sets out the requirements for bodies that audit and certify management systems. ISO/IEC 17024 applies to organizations that certify persons, and ISO/IEC 17065 defines the requirements for bodies that certify products, processes, and services.
ISO/IEC 17029 defines general principles and requirements for validation and verification bodies. It is the basis for accrediting organizations that offer validation and verification services. It sets competence requirements and specifies criteria for carrying out validation and verification in various fields, including environmental information, sustainability reports, and financial information.
ISO/IEC 17043 is relevant for providers of proficiency testing. It ensures that these providers are competent to organize and evaluate comparisons between laboratories. This standard contributes significantly to quality assurance in laboratory work.
For producers of reference materials, which play an important role in many areas of conformity assessment, ISO 17034 is the relevant standard. It defines the requirements for the competence of reference material producers and is the basis for their accreditation.
Further standards and technical specifications cover specific aspects of conformity assessment. One example is ISO/IEC 17007, which provides guidance for drafting normative documents for use in conformity assessment. Although it is not used directly for accreditation, it supports the development of consistent and effective conformity assessment schemes.
ISO and IEC continually revise and extend the ISO/IEC 17000 series to keep pace with technological developments and changing market requirements. Together, the standards form a coherent system that provides the basis for trustworthy and internationally recognized conformity assessment. Applying them improves the quality and safety of products and services worldwide, makes international trade easier, and strengthens consumer trust.