Accreditation Procedure

Conformity assessment bodies are assessed by ESYD at every stage, before accreditation is granted or extended and through surveillance and renewal. An accreditation certificate is valid for five years.

1. 01InformationThe candidate organization for accreditation is informed with regard to the Criteria, Regulations, Fees and the Accreditation Procedure, from the documents issued by ESYD, by visiting the web site or by addressing ESYD services.
2. 02ApplicationThe organization submits a completed written Application to ESYD, accompanied with two copies of the quality manual and the respective procedures, and reimburses the Application Fees.
3. 03Examination of the Application and Assignment of the Assessment TeamInitial review of the completeness of the submitted documents. Examination of ESYD capability for immediate response and, in positive case, assignment and acceptance (or not) of the proposed assessment team by the applicant.
4. 04Pre-assessment at the applicant’s premises (not mandatory)Identification of potential major deficiencies and their completion by the organization. Finalization of the assessment team and budget of accreditation fees.
5. 05Assessment at the applicant’s premisesPayment in advance of part of the accreditation fees. Identification of non-conformities, proposal and implementation of corrective actions by the applicant. For certification, inspection and verification bodies and environmental verifiers, witnessed audits or inspections of the applicant, where necessary.
6. 06RecommendationRecommendation of the lead assessor to the respective Accreditation Manager for granting accreditation, which is next recommended to the National Accreditation Council.
7. 07ApprovalThe National Accreditation Council approves the recommendation and the Board of Directors decides the granting of the accreditation certificate to the organization concerned. The organization is informed of the offered scope of accreditation.
8. 08Accreditation GrantingThe organization, provided that it accepts the offered Scope of Accreditation, reimburses the accreditation fees and receives the respective Accreditation Certificate.
9. 09SurveillanceSurveillances are scheduled every 18 months. In the first accreditation cycle, an additional surveillance is planned, 6 months after the issue date of the accreditation certificate. The organization concerned reimburses the respective surveillance fees.
10. 10ReassessmentEvery five years an overall reassessment of the organization is carried out.