Technical data

The China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) has released a new accreditation logo and adjusted the design of accreditation certificates and the accreditation mark. To ensure the continuity of accreditation results, maintain the authority of accreditation, and protect the rights and interests of accreditation stakeholders, a transition policy has been formulated, and the relevant matters are hereby notified as follows:

I. Implementation and Transition of CNAS-R01 "Rules for the Use of Accreditation Marks and Declaration of Accreditation Status"

The newly revised CNAS-R01:2015 "Rules for the Use of Accreditation Marks and Declaration of Accreditation Status" was reviewed and approved by the CNAS plenary committee and released on June 1, 2015, and implemented on September 1, 2015. From the date of implementation of this document, CNAS begins to use the new CNAS accreditation mark; conformity assessment bodies should manage the reports and certificates they issue in accordance with the requirements of this document. Considering the correlation between the implementation of this document and the issuance of new accreditation certificates, the transition requirements for the use of accreditation certificates and the accreditation mark are detailed in Parts II and III of this document.

II. Issuance of New Accreditation Certificates and Transition of Old Accreditation Certificates

(I) Certification Bodies
1. Effective September 1, 2015, for certification bodies obtaining accreditation for the first time, CNAS will issue new accreditation certificates and their annexes according to the basic accreditation system.

2. From September 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016, is the transition period for accreditation certificate conversion. Old CNAS accreditation certificates issued before the end of the transition period will continue to be recognized by CNAS. During the transition period, CNAS will, in conjunction with the most recent assessment, unify the accreditation scope within each basic accreditation system and, in accordance with the basic accreditation system, reissue new CNAS accreditation certificates and their annexes to certification bodies through reassessment. CNAS will use the longest expiry date of a specific sub-accreditation system (certification field) as the validity period of the new accreditation certificate, thereby unifying the validity period of the previously issued accreditation certificates for each sub-accreditation system (certification field). (II) Laboratories, Testing Bodies, and Related Organizations

1. Effective September 1, 2015, CNAS will issue new versions of accreditation certificates (including annexes) to organizations that obtain accreditation for the first time or undergo recertification.

2. For other organizations that have already obtained accreditation, CNAS will issue new certificates through periodic reviews, or they may voluntarily apply for a new accreditation certificate. Certificate annexes may be temporarily not renewed and will remain valid, depending on the circumstances.

(III) No fees will be charged for the renewal of accreditation certificates (including annexes).

(IV) Effective January 1, 2017, the old version of CNAS accreditation certificates will be abolished.

III. Use of the New Accreditation Mark and Transition of the Old Accreditation Mark

(I) Certification Bodies

1. Effective September 1, 2015, organizations that obtain accreditation for the first time should use the new version of the accreditation mark or the international mutual recognition joint accreditation mark;

2. Accredited organizations that intend to use the new version of the international mutual recognition joint accreditation mark can directly use it within the scope of mutual recognition signed by CNAS without signing a usage agreement. 3. From May 1, 2015, accredited organizations can download the new version of the accreditation mark or the international mutual recognition joint accreditation mark from the CNAS website using their original password, and should adopt the new version of the accreditation mark as soon as possible. For certification certificates already issued with the old version of the accreditation mark, certification bodies should replace them within a maximum of one certification cycle, and make corresponding conversion arrangements for certification certificates with the old version of the accreditation mark and the use of the old version of the accreditation mark by certified organizations. CNAS will monitor the implementation of the conversion arrangements. Organizations using promotional materials or other materials already printed with the old version of the accreditation mark should cease using them no later than December 31, 2018.

4. From January 1, 2019, certification certificates with the old version of the accreditation mark will become invalid.

(II) Laboratories, Inspection Bodies and Related Organizations

1. Organizations that obtained accreditation for the first time on September 1, 2015, should adopt the new version of the accreditation mark or the international mutual recognition joint accreditation mark. 2. Organizations intending to adopt the new version of the international mutual recognition joint accreditation mark, having already signed a usage agreement with CNAS, do not need to re-sign the agreement.

3. From May 1, 2015, accredited organizations can download the new version of the accreditation mark or the international mutual recognition joint accreditation mark from the CNAS website using their original password and should adopt the new version as soon as possible. Organizations using promotional materials or other materials already printed with the old version of the accreditation mark must cease using them no later than December 31, 2018.

4. From January 1, 2019, testing/calibration, inspection reports, or certificates bearing the old version of the accreditation mark will become invalid.

5. From September 1, 2015, the CNAS Secretariat no longer provides accreditation mark engraving services. The new version of the accreditation mark must be engraved by the accredited organizations themselves according to the requirements of the documents (proportional scaling, clarity, and legibility).