NDT Procedures for ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP)
ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP) names this requirement as "Employer-signed verification of industrial NDT experience, expressed in days per method". The Level III who approves them owns it, alongside the certification scheme rather than replacing it.
The finding auditors record against this document is: Firm treats ASNT NDT Level III as equivalent to an ISO 9712 Level 3 certificate — different schemes, different examination structure, different accreditation status. The programme named in most older specifications no longer exists under that name. ASNT retired the ASNT Central Certification Program (ACCP) and replaced it with the ASNT 9712 Certification Program, launched by ASNT Certification Services LLC in March 2023 and built on ANSI/ASNT CP-9712 (ISO 9712:2021):2023, the ANSI-approved identical adoption of ISO 9712:2021. For an inspection service provider this is a personnel credential, not a company accreditation: it certifies the individual, travels with the technician, and cannot be signed for by a contracted Level III. ASNT's implementation choices inside the ISO framework include an 80% pass mark on practical examinations, mandatory flaw detection, psychometric validation of practical assessments, and acceptance of employer-based training certificates as qualifying documentation.
Source: ASNT newsroom, 'Important Update to ACCP and CWI/SCWI Certification Program' (asnt.org) — verbatim dates: new applications stopped 15 May 2023, renewals stopped 30 August 2023, transition to September 2028, 24-month CWI/SCWI extension from 1 July 2023. ASNT Materials Evaluation, 'Understanding ASNT 9712: How It Relates to ISO 9712 and What Sets It Apart' (asnt.org/me/26/8) — identical adoption, 80% practical pass mark, mandatory flaw detection, psychometric validation, acceptance of employer-based training certificates, ACCP retirement with last certifications expiring 2029, and the statement that ASNT is pursuing ANAB ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation for ASNT 9712. ASNT 9712 Level II and Level III certification pages, certification.asnt.org — training days, experience days, exam structure, five-year validity, ten-year training validity, and published fees (Level II single technique US$1,270 member / US$1,345 non-member; multi-technique bundles US$1,620–1,970 member; Level III packages roughly US$1,190–1,820 member depending on method and whether the candidate already holds ASNT NDT Level III; individual exam components US$120–655). ANSI/ASNT CP-9712 (2023) listed on asnt.org/standards-publications/standards as the US adoption of ISO 9712:2021. All checked August 2026.
| Item | What applies | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | ASNT 9712 Certification Program, operating to ANSI/ASNT CP-9712 (ISO 9712:2021):2023 — the replacement for the ASNT Central Certification Program (ACCP) | Enforced by ASNT Certification Services LLC, the entity that manages and operates ASNT's certification programmes. The scheme document is ANSI/ASNT CP-9712 (ISO 9712:2021):2023, the ANSI-approved identical adoption of ISO 9712:2021. Accreditation status differs by programme: ASNT's separate ASNT NDT Level III programme is ANAB-accredited to ISO/IEC 17024, while ASNT has stated it is still pursuing ANAB accreditation for the ASNT 9712 programme. |
| Document | NDT Procedures | the method-specific instructions technicians actually work to, and the approval that makes them valid |
| Owner | the Level III who approves them | The signature an auditor traces back |
| Where it is checked | Certification decision and certificate issued by ASNT Certification Services; the employer separately provides job-specific training and authorises the. | Usually against a sampled job, not in isolation |
| Common failure | Firm assumes its employer-issued SNT-TC-1A certificates satisfy a client's ISO 9712 requirement — they do not, because ASNT 9712 certifies the person against a third-party scheme | The gap between the manual and the job file |
What must a ndt procedures contain under ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP)?
It has to satisfy ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP) as ASNT Certification Services LLC, the entity that manages and operates ASNT's certification programmes. The scheme document is ANSI/ASNT CP-9712 (ISO 9712:2021):2023, the ANSI-approved identical adoption of ISO 9712:2021. Accreditation status differs by programme: ASNT's separate ASNT NDT Level III programme is ANAB-accredited to ISO/IEC 17024, while ASNT has stated it is still pursuing ANAB accreditation for the ASNT 9712 programme. enforces it: the method-specific instructions technicians actually work to, and the approval that makes them valid. The test is not completeness on paper but traceability — an auditor picks a finished job and works backwards to this document, so anything it claims must be demonstrable on that job.
Who signs the ndt procedures for ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP)?
The Level III who approves them. This regime requires central or third-party certification, so the signature works alongside the scheme rather than substituting for it.
How does a ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP) auditor test this document?
By sampling. They take a completed job, find the technicians and equipment used, and trace each back through this document to the evidence behind it. A document that reads well but cannot survive that trace is the most common finding across every regime, not just this one.
How long must ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP) records be kept?
Certificates run five years and are renewed through a structured credit-point system rather than automatic re-examination; technical training supporting the initial certification stays valid for a maximum of ten years. ACCP transition dates are fixed and published: ASNT stopped accepting first-time ACCP applications on 15 May 2023 and stopped renewing existing ACCP certificants on 30 August 2023, with a transition period running to September 2028 when the ACCP programme sunsets. A 2026 ASNT article describes the last active ACCP certifications expiring in 2029. A restricted ACCP Level II VT route for AWS CWI/SCWI holders was extended by 24 months beginning 1 July 2023 by agreement between ASNT and AWS. Retention is set by the regime and by the client contract above it, and the longer of the two governs. Firms that set one retention period for everything and document it fare better at audit than firms tracking different periods per record type and losing track.
Does a generic template satisfy ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP)?
No. A downloaded template describes a generic firm, and the first question an auditor asks is whether the document describes THIS firm — its methods, its equipment, its people, its actual workflow. Templates are a starting structure; the content has to be the firm's own or the trace fails immediately.
What happens if this document is missing at a ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP) audit?
It is a finding, and depending on the regime it can suspend the certificate rather than merely generate a corrective action. The related finding auditors record most often is: Firm assumes its employer-issued SNT-TC-1A certificates satisfy a client's ISO 9712 requirement — they do not, because ASNT 9712 certifies the person against a third-party scheme
Where this sits in the ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP) evidence pack
- ASNT 9712 application naming method, level and the practical technique coverage sought (single technique, or all techniques for the method)
- Employer-signed verification of industrial NDT experience, expressed in days per method
- Training certificates evidencing the required days of training, dated inside the ten-year validity window
- Level II certificate or equivalent evidence where applying for Level III by the Level II route
- Vision examination evidence — near vision acuity and colour vision
- Existing ACCP certificate and its expiry date, where transitioning from the retired programme
- Structured credit-point documentation assembled across the five-year cycle, for renewal
- Records of the employer's job-specific training and the resulting authorisation to work on the employer's products
Personnel certification context
Central, third-party certification. ASNT Certification Services LLC issues the certificate against the ASNT 9712 scheme; the employer cannot issue it, and an outsourced Level III cannot sign for the firm — the value here sits with the individual, not the programme. What the employer still supplies is verified experience and training documentation: ASNT explicitly accepts employer-based NDT programme training certificates as qualifying evidence, with technical training remaining valid for a maximum of ten years from completion. This is the single clearest break from SNT-TC-1A and CP-189, and it changes what an outsourced Level III can and cannot do for a bid.
Related: the ASNT 9712 (formerly ACCP) overview, outsourced ASNT Level III cover, written practice development, NDT procedure development, a programme gap assessment, interim Level III cover.