Overview
ISO/IEC 17065:2012, "Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services", specifies requirements to ensure that third‑party certification bodies operate in a competent, consistent and impartial manner. Applicable to product, process and service certification, the standard sets out organizational, resource, process and management system requirements that enable certification bodies to provide credible certificates and marks of conformity accepted nationally and internationally.
Key topics and technical requirements
ISO/IEC 17065 is organized to cover both general principles and detailed operational requirements. Major topics include:
- Scope and terms - definitions for client, certification requirements, product/process/service concepts (Clauses 1–3).
- General requirements - legal and contractual matters, management of impartiality, liability, non‑discrimination, confidentiality and publicly available information (Clause 4).
- Structural requirements - organizational structure, top management responsibilities and mechanisms for safeguarding impartiality (Clause 5).
- Resource requirements - competence and qualifications of certification body personnel, and resources required for evaluations (Clause 6).
- Process requirements - the full certification workflow: application, application review, evaluation, review, certification decision, documentation, directories of certified items, surveillance, handling of changes, suspension/withdrawal, records, complaints and appeals (Clause 7).
- Management system requirements - two options for management system implementation and controls for documents, records, internal audits, management review and corrective/preventive actions (Clause 8).
- Informative annexes - principles for product certification bodies (Annex A) and application guidance for processes and services (Annex B).
Key practical controls emphasized are impartiality mechanisms, competence assessment of personnel, surveillance of certified items, confidentiality and transparent public information.
Applications and who uses it
ISO/IEC 17065 is used by:
- Certification bodies seeking to design or improve product/process/service certification schemes.
- Accreditation bodies when assessing or accrediting third‑party certifiers.
- Scheme owners and governmental authorities using it as a criteria document for recognition or designation.
- Manufacturers, service providers and purchasers who rely on certified products, processes or services for market access, regulatory compliance or supplier assurance.
Typical uses include establishing certification procedures, demonstrating impartiality and competence for accreditation, and harmonizing certification practice across borders to facilitate international trade.
Related standards
Normative references and complementary standards commonly used with ISO/IEC 17065 include:
Adopting ISO/IEC 17065 helps certification bodies deliver credible, internationally recognized conformity assessment services.