Accreditation procedure

The SAS sets out its accreditation procedures in practical guidelines for all types of conformity assessment bodies. The process is clearly structured and comprises application, information meeting and preliminary visit, assessment, accreditation, as well as regular surveillance and renewal. All relevant guidelines and documents are available online.

A diagram showing four arrows arranged side by side, illustrating the accreditation process: application, review, assessment and accreditation.

How to be accredited as a conformity assessment body?

The SAS has described the accreditation procedure in detail in its guides and check lists, andthis for each of the following types of accreditation:

  • Testing laboratories
  • Inspection bodies
  • Calibration laboratories
  • Medical laboratories
  • Certification body for products, processes and services
  • Certification bodies for management systems
  • Certification body for persons
  • Reference material producers
  • Proficiency testing providers

These guides, reference documents and further documents such as the ordinance on the Swiss Accreditation System and the notification of testing, conformity assessment, registration and approval bodies, application documents and detailed requirements for accredited bodies can be downloaded from this website:

Accreditation procedure

  • Registration
  • Information meeting
    (serves for the mutual comprehensive information)
  • Preliminary visit
    (serves for the preparation of the audit and the final definition of the scope of accreditation)
  • Assessment
  • Accreditation
  • Surveillance
    (as a rule annually)
  • Renewal of accreditation at the latest after 5 years
    (at the latest after 5 years)

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Contact

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO
Swiss Accreditation Service SAS
Holzikofenweg 36
CH - 3003 Bern