NDT Compliance Regimes in International, applied through national accreditation bodies
Inspection service providers working in International, applied through national accreditation bodies deal with 2 distinct regimes: ISO/IEC 17020, ISO/IEC 17025. They are enforced by different bodies and demand different evidence, so a firm holding one is not thereby compliant with another.
The practical problem in International, applied through national accreditation bodies is not any single regime but the overlap: a firm bidding across sectors can need several at once, each with its own documents, personnel-certification route, audit cycle and renewal date. 2 of these accept employer-based personnel certification, which means a contracted Level III can sign for the firm; the rest require certification through the scheme itself.
Source: Per-regime research files: ISO/IEC 17020; ISO/IEC 17025
| Regime | Authority | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 17020 | Developed by the ISO Committee on Conformity Assessment (CASCO) in collaboration with CEN/CLC/JTC 1. Enforced by accreditation bodies — in the United States by ANAB (which runs a dedicated NDE inspection body programme), A2LA (which covers NDT under both ISO/IEC 17020 and ISO/IEC 17025), IAS and PJLA. Since 1 January 2026 those bodies operate under the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI) MRA, which replaced the separate ILAC MRA and IAF MLA when ILAC and IAF were wound up. | NDT and inspection service providers that issue statements of conformity rather than raw measurements — in-service. |
| ISO/IEC 17025 | Developed under ISO's Committee on Conformity Assessment (CASCO). Enforced by accreditation bodies — in the United States principally A2LA, ANAB and PJLA — which since 1 January 2026 operate under the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI) MRA that replaced the ILAC MRA and IAF MLA. A2LA's NDT programme is governed by its R212 specific requirements document, with the P102 metrological traceability policy and the F215 scope selection list. | NDT service providers that report measured test results rather than conformity judgements — fixed laboratories, mobile. |
Which NDT compliance regimes apply in International, applied through national accreditation bodies?
ISO/IEC 17020, ISO/IEC 17025. Which of them binds a given firm is set by the sector it works in and by the client contract above it, not by geography alone — a firm doing aerospace and pressure-equipment work in the same city answers to two entirely separate regimes.
Does one approval in International, applied through national accreditation bodies cover the others?
No. Each is issued by its own authority against its own criteria, and they are not interchangeable. Firms bidding across sectors hold several concurrently, which is why the renewal calendar rather than the initial application is where compliance usually slips.
Can an outsourced Level III cover a firm in International, applied through national accreditation bodies?
For the regimes accepting employer-based certification, yes — the obligation sits on the employer and a contracted Level III can write and sign the written practice, approve procedures and administer examinations. For the centrally-certified schemes the technicians are certified by the scheme, and the consultant's value shifts to procedures, documentation and audit readiness.
Where do firms in International, applied through national accreditation bodies most often get caught?
On records rather than capability, and on renewal dates. The work is generally being done correctly; the evidence is either not retained or not retrievable during the audit window, and certificates lapse because renewal was diarised from the wrong date.
How should a firm entering International, applied through national accreditation bodies sequence its approvals?
By what the first contract requires, not by what looks most prestigious. Approvals take months and cost real money, and an approval the firm is not yet bidding against is capital tied up. Map the target contracts, find the regimes those name, and start with the one gating the nearest bid.
Do US approvals transfer to International, applied through national accreditation bodies?
Generally no. Local regulators and accreditation bodies audit against their own criteria, and personnel certification schemes differ. Documented training and experience transfer as evidence and shorten the work, but the approval itself has to be obtained locally.
Regimes in detail
- ISO/IEC 17020 — NDT and inspection service providers that issue statements of conformity rather than raw measurements — in-service inspection, third-party witness and.
- ISO/IEC 17025 — NDT service providers that report measured test results rather than conformity judgements — fixed laboratories, mobile and field crews reporting.
Related: ISO/IEC 17020, ISO/IEC 17025, outsourced ASNT Level III cover.