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The following link provides a searchable database of questions and answers on examples of the implementation of clauses of ISO/IEC 17020 as agreed by the ILAC Inspection Committee: Inspection Committee Q&A
ILAC is the international organisation for accreditation bodies operating in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011 and involved in the assessment and accreditation of calibration laboratories (using ISO/IEC 17025), testing laboratories (using ISO/IEC 17025), medical testing laboratories (using ISO 15189) and inspection bodies (using ISO/IEC 17020).
ILAC itself does not assess and accredit laboratories and inspection bodies.
Instead, the accreditation bodies that are Full Members of ILAC i.e. signatories to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) have been peer evaluated to assess and accredit calibration laboratories (using ISO/IEC 17025), testing laboratories (using ISO/IEC 17025), medical testing laboratories (using ISO 15189) and inspection bodies (using ISO/IEC 17020). Laboratories and inspection bodies that have been accredited by the ILAC MRA signatories against the relevant international standards are able to recognised internationally under the ILAC MRA.
If you would like the accreditation of your laboratory or inspection body to be recognised internationally under the ILAC MRA, then it would be best to contact an accreditation body that is a signatory to the ILAC MRA for the relevant accreditation activities. The ILAC MRA Signatory Search provides the contact details for all the accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA and this list is searchable by organisation name, economy and accreditation scope.
Note that not all accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC are also signatories to the ILAC MRA, and therefore the results from their accredited laboratories and inspection bodies may not be recognised in other economies. The list of all accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC (including Affiliates, Associates and Full Members), by economy, is available from the ILAC membership page.
ILAC itself does not undertake calibration, testing or inspection activities and therefore ILAC itself does not issue calibration, test or inspection reports.
Instead, laboratories and inspection bodies that have been assessed and accredited against the relevant international standards by the accreditation bodies that are Full Members of ILAC i.e. signatories to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), are able to undertake various calibration, testing and inspection activities. The accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA for the relevant accreditation activities agree to accept the results of each other’s accredited laboratories and inspection bodies. Therefore, the results from the laboratories and inspection bodies accredited by the ILAC MRA signatories are able to be recognised internationally under the ILAC MRA.
The accreditation bodies are responsible for maintaining the list of laboratories and inspection bodies that they have accredited. If you would like to find an accredited laboratory or inspection body that is recognised internationally under the ILAC MRA, then it would best to contact an accreditation body that is a signatory to the ILAC MRA. Alternatively, you can search the accreditation body’s online directory of accredited laboratories and inspection bodies on their website.
The ILAC MRA Signatory Search provides the contact details for all the accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA and this list is searchable by organisation name, economy and accreditation scope. In many cases, a link to the accreditation body’s online directory of accredited laboratories and inspection bodies is also provided with the accreditation body’s contact details in the ILAC MRA Signatory Search.
Note that not all accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC are also signatories to the ILAC MRA, and therefore the results from their accredited laboratories and inspection bodies may not be recognised in other economies. The list of all accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC (including Affiliates, Associates and Full Members), by economy, is available from the ILAC membership page.
The results for goods and products that have been calibrated, tested or inspected by a laboratory or inspection body that has been accredited by an accreditation body that is a Full Member of ILAC i.e. a signatory to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), will be accepted by all the ILAC MRA signatories. However, even though a laboratory or inspection body that has been accredited by an ILAC MRA signatory is more likely to have its results accepted in a foreign market, there is still no guarantee that these results will be accepted by other parties within that market, as the work in ensuring governments and regulators understand the nature of both accreditation and the acceptance of results via the ILAC MRA is ongoing.
In many economies the government, regulators and specifiers accept the results from laboratories and inspection bodies accredited by accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA without further calibration, testing or inspection. This however cannot be mandated by ILAC. In addition, you will need to consider whether the goods are tested or inspected to a particular standard that is recognised or specified in the foreign market. Many economies have specific requirements for the testing or inspection of imported goods that must be met before the goods are accepted in their marketplace. It would be best to contact the relevant regulatory bodies in the economies where you are exporting to for information on their national requirements and legislation regarding the acceptance of calibration, test and inspection results.
The ILAC MRA Signatory Search provides the contact details for all the accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA and this list is searchable by organisation name, economy and accreditation scope.
Note that not all accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC are also signatories to the ILAC MRA, and therefore the results from their accredited laboratories and inspection bodies may not be recognised in other economies. The list of all accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC (including Affiliates, Associates and Full Members), by economy, is available from the ILAC membership page.
The system of international mutual recognition agreements now in place has enabled accredited laboratories and inspection bodies to achieve a form of international recognition, thus allowing calibration, test and inspection results accompanying exported goods and services to be more readily accepted on overseas markets.
Many economies around the world have one or more organisations responsible for the accreditation of their nation’s facilities. Most of these accreditation bodies have adopted the international standards ISO/IEC 17025 as the basis for the accreditation of their country’s testing and calibration laboratories, ISO 15189 for the accreditation of their medical laboratories and ISO/IEC 17020 for the accreditation of their inspection bodies.
Adoption of these international standards has helped countries adopt a uniform approach to determining laboratory and inspection body competence. This uniform approach allows countries with accreditation systems based on ISO/IEC 17011 to establish agreements between themselves, based on mutual evaluation and acceptance of each other’s accreditation systems.
Such international agreements, usually referred to as mutual recognition arrangements, are crucial in enabling calibration, test and inspection results to be accepted between these economies. In effect, each partner in such an arrangement recognises the other partner’s accredited laboratories and inspection bodies as if they themselves had undertaken the accreditation of the other partner’s facilities.
The aim of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) is to develop a global network of accredited facilities that can be relied on to provide accurate results. Over 52,000 laboratories and 8,000 inspection bodies are accredited world-wide under the ILAC MRA. The ILAC MRA, which came into effect on 31 January 2001, provides significant technical underpinning to international trade by promoting cross-border stakeholder confidence and the acceptance of results from accredited facilities.
This system of mutual recognition between accreditation bodies has enabled accredited facilities to achieve a form of international recognition, and allowed results from accredited facilities accompanying exported goods to be more readily accepted on overseas markets. This effectively reduces costs for both the manufacturer and the importers, as it reduces or eliminates the need for products to be retested or reinspected in another country.
Countries without viable accreditation systems can also seek to have their laboratories and inspection bodies accredited by established accreditation systems, so that their results and associated goods can be accepted on foreign markets. These countries can also endeavour to develop their own accreditation system based on the structure and experience of the systems in other countries.
Please note that the design and use of the ILAC Logo is different to the ILAC MRA Mark. Refer to ILAC R4 Rules for the Use of the ILAC Logo and Tagline and ILAC R7 Rules for the Use of the ILAC MRA Mark available from the Publications section.
The ILAC Web Link also has a different design and use. The ILAC Web Link Guidelines are available from the Media Centre section.
ILAC Logo and Tagline
ILAC members that have signed the ILAC R4-Annex 1 Declaration Form for the Use of the ILAC Logo and Tagline are able to use the ILAC Logo in accordance with ILAC R4. ILAC members must contact the ILAC Secretariat in order to obtain permission to use the ILAC Logo.
Laboratories and inspection bodies are not able to use the ILAC Logo.
ILAC MRA Mark
Accreditation bodies that are Full Members of ILAC i.e. signatories to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), must sign the ILAC R7-F1 Agreement for the Use of the ILAC MRA Mark to use the ILAC MRA Mark. The ILAC MRA signatories that have signed ILAC R7-F1 are able to use the ILAC MRA Mark in combination with their logo, i.e. the “Combined ILAC MRA Mark”, for accreditation activities covered by the scope of their ILAC MRA signatory status. ILAC MRA signatories must contact the ILAC Secretariat in order to obtain permission to use the “Combined ILAC MRA Mark”.
Laboratories and inspection bodies that are accredited by the ILAC MRA signatories must obtain permission from their accreditation body to use the ILAC MRA Mark. Accredited laboratories and inspection bodies that have obtained permission are able to use the ILAC MRA Mark in combination with the ILAC MRA signatory’s accreditation symbol that the accredited conformity assessment body (CAB) is entitled to use, i.e. the “Accredited CAB Combined ILAC MRA Mark”. Accredited laboratories and inspection bodies must contact the ILAC MRA signatory that provided their accreditation in order to obtain permission to use the “Accredited CAB Combined ILAC MRA Mark”.
ILAC Web Link
ILAC members and liaisons as well as accredited laboratories and inspection bodies are able to use the ILAC Web Link to provide a link from their websites to the ILAC website.
ILAC generally does not engage directly with governments of specific economies and their associated regulators as this activity is undertaken by the individual accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC in their respective economy.
Saying this, ILAC does have a range of information and brochures which can be accessed and used by members of the public from the Regulators page.
If you would like further assistance with engaging with a government or regulator regarding the acceptance of results under the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), then it would be best to contact the accreditation bodies in that economy as they may have an existing relationship with the government or regulators in their economy.
The ILAC MRA Signatory Search provides the contact details for all the accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA and this list is searchable by organisation name, economy and accreditation scope.
ILAC encourages the use of its publications and brochures by organisations wishing to use such material for areas related to education, standardisation, accreditation, improving the acceptance of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) or other purposes relevant to ILAC’s area of expertise or endeavour.
ILAC’s publications and brochures may be printed or distributed in full without need for formal permission from ILAC.
Organisations seeking permission to reproduce material from ILAC’s guidance, procedural or rules publication as well as brochures must contact the ILAC Secretariat. The request for permission should clearly detail:
The document in which the reproduced material appears must contain a statement acknowledging ILAC’s contribution to the document. ILAC’s permission to reproduce its material only extends as far as detailed in the original request. Any variation to the stated use of the ILAC material must be notified in advance in writing to ILAC for additional permission.
The ILAC membership categories and their associated criteria are available from the ILAC membership page.
Accreditation bodies involved in the assessment and accreditation of laboratories, inspection bodies, proficiency testing providers and reference material producers are able to become an Associate or Full Member (ILAC MRA signatory). Accreditation bodies that are in the process of establishing their own systems can join as an Associate member of ILAC, after which the accreditation body is able to apply for peer-evaluation to become a Full Member of ILAC (signatory to the ILAC MRA).
ILAC also has Stakeholder members that include associations of laboratories and inspection bodies, associations of laboratory and inspection body practitioners, trade organisations and the like. Individuals, individual laboratories and individual inspection bodies are unable to become a member of ILAC directly but may be able to join one of the many associations that are Stakeholder members of ILAC.
The regional cooperation bodies service the accreditation bodies and stakeholders in their respective regions.
If your organisation is interested in membership of ILAC, then please review the ILAC membership categories and their associated criteria before contacting the ILAC Secretariat.
The benefits of ILAC membership include the opportunity to:
ILAC as an organisation is not a proficiency testing provider (PTP) and does not participate in or organise proficiency testing programs and inter-laboratory comparison tests.
The laboratories, and in some cases inspection bodies, that are assessed and accredited by the accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC participate in proficiency testing as a requirement for maintaining their accreditation. Many of the accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC accredit PTP and the list of accreditation bodies with such a program is available from the Other Accreditation Programmes page.
A resolution was adopted at the 2014 General Assembly to allow the accreditation of PTPs to be included in the ILAC MRA. The peer evaluations to achieve this goal are now in progress.
The Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC), Inter American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) and European Accreditation (EA) have established an MRA/MLA for the accreditation of PTPs using ISO/IEC 17043.
You can also search the APAC list of PT programs and the IAAC list of PT programs. In addition, you can search the European Information System on Proficiency Testing Schemes EPTIS database of PT schemes.
ILAC as an organisation is not a reference material producer (RMP).
The facilities that produce reference materials are assessed and accredited by the accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC. Many of the accreditation bodies that are members of ILAC accredit RMP and the list of accreditation bodies with such a program is available from the Other Accreditation Programmes page.
A resolution was adopted at the 2016 ILAC General Assembly to allow the accreditation of RMPs, using ISO/IEC 17043, to be included in the ILAC MRA. The work required to implement this solution is now in progress.
The Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and Inter American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) established an MRA/MLA for the accreditation of RMPs.
ILAC is not involved in the certification process.
IAF is the international organisation for accreditation bodies involved in the accreditation of certification bodies. If you are interested in the certification of products or managements systems, then you will need to contact IAF.
Many of the ILAC members are also a member of IAF. Find out about ILAC’s relationship with IAF in the Partnerships page on the ILAC website.
ILAC members and liaisons are able to access the member’s area of the ILAC website to obtain committee documents, technical resources and liaison information.
The ILAC Secretariat issues access to the member’s area of the ILAC website to the approved representatives of ILAC members and liaisons. Please contact the ILAC Secretariat if you are a representative of an ILAC member or liaison and would like access to the member’s area of the ILAC website.
Individuals and organisations that are not an ILAC member or liaison are unable to access the member’s area of the ILAC website.
The full name of ILAC is the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation.
The acronym is now used extensively. The full name is however used for legal purposes as it is the registered name of the organisation. The decision to use the acronym, ILAC, was made as a result of consideration of the role and activities of ILAC during the implementation of the current ILAC strategic plan. ILAC now covers more than just laboratory accreditation. In particular the ILAC MRA now also includes the accreditation of inspection bodies and proficiency testing providers.
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