The ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA) provides significant technical underpinning to the calibration, testing, medical testing and inspection results of the accredited conformity assessment bodies and in turn delivers confidence in the acceptance of results.

The ILAC MRA supports the provision of local or national services, such as providing safe food and clean drinking water, providingenergy, delivering health and social care or maintaining an unpolluted environment.

In addition, the ILAC MRA enhances the acceptance of products across national borders. By removing the need for additional calibration, testing, medical testing and/or inspection of imports and exports, technical barriers to trade are reduced. In this way the ILAC MRA promotes international trade and the free-trade goal of “accredited once, accepted everywhere” can be realised.

How it works

The accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA have been peer evaluated in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011 to demonstrate their competence.

The ILAC MRA signatories then assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies according to the relevant international standards including calibration laboratories (using ISO/IEC 17025), testing laboratories (using ISO/IEC 17025), medical testing laboratories (using ISO 15189) and inspection bodies (using ISO/IEC 17020).

The ILAC MRA signatories agree to accept the results of each other’s conformity assessment bodies under the ILAC MRA. Hence, the results from the conformity assessment bodies accredited by the ILAC MRA signatories are able to be recognised internationally.

The ILAC MRA signatory search provides a current list of all accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA, including their contact details, the scope of their recognition and the initial date of signing the ILAC MRA. In many cases, a link to the accreditation body’s online directory of accredited facilities is also provided in the signatory search.

Using the signatory search and the accredited facilities directories, regulators and consumers can locate laboratories or inspection bodies that are accredited for the specific calibrations, tests or inspections required, as well as the contact details of these facilities, thereby ensuring the results will be accepted under the ILAC MRA. Organisations can also host the ILAC MRA signatory search on their website by copying the code.

This list of ILAC MRA signatories can be printed by clicking on the red printer button on the signatory search page. Alternatively, the PDF version of the list of ILAC MRA signatories is also available for download.

The ILAC MRA 2014 Annual Report provides information on the activities carried out as part of the peer evaluation process in 2014 to ensure that regulators and consumers of laboratory and inspection data are able to maintain confidence in the results produced under the ILAC MRA.