Accreditation is the process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.

Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited certification bodies". The accreditation process ensures that their certification practices are acceptable, typically meaning that they are competent to test and certify third parties, behave ethically and employ suitable quality assurance.

“Third-party accreditation is recognized around the world as the highest and most credible type a certification or inspection body can obtain.”

It is a process of validation in which certification bodies and other institutions of auditing are evaluated. The standards for accreditation are set by a peer review board whose members include auditor from various accredited certification bodies.

Accreditation is the means by which an authoritative body (such as AFIST) gives formal recognition that an organization (such as a CB) is competent to carry out specific tasks. Accreditation provides assurance to a CB's customers that the CB continues to operate according to internationally accepted criteria.

Accreditation provides formal recognition to competent organizations. It provides a conduit for regulators and industry to find reliable products and services to meet their specific needs. Accreditation is a means to reduce costs and redundancy and eliminate trade barriers. Most important, accreditation assures industry and government decision-makers that accredited organizations are competent and their results can be relied on.

Accreditation is used to validate or verify the conformance of a certification body to the requirements of national and/or international criteria.

An accreditation body is an organization that grants the authority to issue certificates to the certification body. An accredited certification body is an organization assessed and recognized by an accrediting body for its competence to audit and issue (and withdraw) certification attesting that an organization, product, or person meets the requirements of a standard or other requirements.

Organizations can be accredited to carry out a defined conformity assessment activity, such as:

• Testing
• Calibration
• Inspection

Certification of:

• Person
• Product Service or Process
• Management System

AFIST provides accreditations to conformity assessment bodies (CAB).

A CAB may be accredited by AFIST if it meets the requirements of the corresponding international standards.
Certification Bodies: for Persons ISO/IEC 17024, for Management Systems ISO/IEC 17021, for Products ISO/IEC 17065
Inspection Bodies: ISO/IEC 17020
Laboratories: for Testing and Calibration Laboratories ISO/IEC 17025, Medical Laboratories ISO 15189