Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation, A.C.
Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation, A.C.
Full Members of the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) are independent accreditation bodies, legally established in countries of the Americas, which are responsible for accrediting organizations that perform conformity assessment activities, such as testing and calibration laboratories, inspection, certification, verification, validation bodies, reference material producers and proficiency testing providers, among others.
In order to become a full member, an organization must demonstrate, through peer reviews, that it operates in accordance with the-regarded international standards, such as ISO/IEC 17011, and must have obtained the signature of IAAC’s Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MLA), which makes it a signatory to that agreement.
This status ensures transparency, technical competence and confidence in its accreditation processes, both nationally and internationally.
What makes full members especially important is that the accreditations they issue are recognized by other countries in the region and the world, through the global recognition scheme of which IAAC is part through its affiliation with organizations such as the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
The applicant organization sends to the IAAC Secretariat its membership application and copy of the document that proves that the organization has been legally established (Statutes, Deeds, etc.) together with the supports that are required in the application form. For this initial registration a fee of $100 USD (initial registration fee) must be paid
The IAAC Secretariat sends the application and documents to the IAAC Executive Committee for review and voting for a period of 30 days.
Once approved by the Executive Committee, the application is sent to the IAAC General Assembly for voting (may be by e-mail vote, for a period of 30 days).
Once approved by the General Assembly, the IAAC membership payment is made, the organization signs the IAAC Memorandum of Understanding and submits its annual membership fee. Established in PR 015 IAAC Membership Dues Procedure
The process to become a Full Member of the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) is clearly defined and regulated by document MD-002 IAAC MLA Procedure, which establishes the steps to be followed by accreditation bodies interested in obtaining this recognition.
Once a body has passed the initial stages of the membership process and has the formal approval of the General Assembly, its application is submitted to the IAAC MLA Group.
This group is made up of accreditation bodies that are already signatories to the IAAC Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MLA), who are responsible for evaluating and voting on the inclusion of new signatories. This decision is made once the body has passed peer review and has demonstrated implementation in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011 and the mandatory IAAC, IAF and ILAC documents.
Voting to accept a new full member may take place:
During interim meetings or at the General Assembly, or
Through an electronic ballot, with a 30-day voting period.
This process ensures transparency, impartial technical evaluation and compliance with international standards, strengthening trust and mutual recognition among accreditation bodies in the region.
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