Accreditation application without a statutory office in the Netherlands

As the national accreditation body of the Netherlands, the Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA) primarily provides accreditation services to Dutch companies and institutions. However, under certain conditions, the RvA also handles applications for accreditation from organizations based outside the Netherlands. Please read the conditions below carefully to determine whether submitting your accreditation application meets these conditions.*

Explanation European Union and National Accreditation Bodies

Explanation European Union and National Accreditation Bodies
All member states of the European Union have a National Accreditation Body (NAB). This is laid down by law in European Regulation 765/2008. All European accreditation bodies are members of the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA). Accreditation bodies outside Europe can also be members of the EA, or can subscribe to the EA Multilateral Agreement (EA MLA).

The EA is tasked with organizing peer reviews and promoting harmonization among members. Accreditation bodies do not compete among themselves, but have an understanding of working together.

How do I know if my organization’s headquarters are statutorily located within the European Accreditation (EA) Zone?

Consult the EA site for this information.

My organization is not statutorily based in the Netherlands, but is based in another country within the EA Zone. Am I eligible for accreditation by the RvA?

In principle, no. To be accredited, you need to contact the accreditation body (NAB) of the country where your organization is located. If this NAB cannot or will not perform the activities you have requested, you can submit an application to the RvA. We ask you to submit written proof of this from your NAB with your application. Please note that the RvA must have sufficient experience with the activities in question. And also to have laid down in policy rule RvA-BR010 that the activities in question can also be accredited outside the Netherlands. Consult the RvA-BR010 here.

Do you have any questions about the above? Please contact cfa@rva.nl.

My organization is located outside the EA Zone. Am I eligible for accreditation by the RvA?

The RvA can grant accreditation to your organization under the following conditions:

  • Your country of establishment does not have a national accreditation body (NAB),
  • OR The NAB cannot perform the activities to be requested. You must submit written proof of this with the accreditation application,
  • OR the NAB can carry out the activities to be requested, but you wish to have a second accreditation from the RvA. In this case, the activities to be requested from the RvA must correspond to activities of an existing accreditation. You must submit written proof of this with the accreditation application.
  • The RvA has gained sufficient experience in the field and has laid down in policy rule RvA-BR010 that the activities in question can also be accredited outside the Netherlands. Consult the RvA-BR010 here.

Do you have any questions about the above? Please contact cfa@rva.nl.

* This page expresses the main conditions that the RvA applies to foreign clients. It happens that applications are rejected on one of these conditions. Policy BR007 contains a complete overview of the conditions the RvA applies to foreign clients.