From national competence to international recognition

The element that brings all the CA bodies in the world to the same level of operation and hence facilitates mutual recognition of CA results is the use of international standards by all these bodies.

Thus, laboratories have to comply with ISO/IEC 17025, Management system certification bodies to ISO/IEC 17021 (series), Product certification bodies to ISO/IEC 17065, Inspection bodies to ISO/IEC 17020.

The NAB assures the competence of all CABs at the national level.

But to assure this competence at the international level, the NAB itself has to be recognised as complying with ISO/IEC 17011 and this is accomplished through a peer review mechanism.