DAR Handbook

The DAR Handbook describes basic rules for accreditations granted within the DAR till 31 December 2009.
Changes to the Handbook will no longer be made.

Handbook of DAR - 4. Accreditation Procedure
4th Edition As of 31 December 2009
Handbook of DAR - 4.1. General Arrangements
4th Edition As of 31 December 2009
Accreditations performed under the aegis of the DAR are based upon the
EN 45000 and the EN ISO/IEC 17000 standards series.

General regulations for accreditation procedures are endorsed within the DAR by implementing this seris of standards.

Special regulations on procedures as well as technical assessment criteria are defined in the Rules of Procedures laid down by the respective accreditation bodies.
The responsibility to draw up rules exclusively lies in the technical competence of these bodies.

The DAR recommends to its members the following general accreditation procedure:


Handbook of DAR - 4.2. Application for Accreditation
4th Edition As of 31 December 2009
The application for accreditation is to be submitted to the accreditation body operating in the respective mandatory or voluntary area and carrying out the accreditation.

Applications sent to the DAR Secretariat are automatically passed on to the respective accreditation body/bodies.

Handbook of DAR - 4.3. Assessment
4th Edition As of 31 December 2009
The assessment is carried out applying the general criteria for the assessment of testing laboratories, certification or inspection bodies (EN ISO/IEC 17011) and specific technical criteria laid down by the accreditation body.

An assessment activity requires the assessor to fulfil the specific criteria.
Further details are explained in Chapter 5.

The appointment of the technical assessors lies within the responsibility of the accreditation bodies.

The applicant has the right to object to the appointment of an assessor.

Handbook of DAR - 4.4. Decision on Accreditation
4th Edition As of 31 December 2009
The decision on accreditation is taken by the responsible committee of the accreditation body (for a joint accreditation by the responsible committee of the accreditation bodies involved) or by the responsible State or Federal Authority.

Basis for the accreditation are the procedural documents submitted to the accreditation body:
  • Application documents
  • Accreditation contract between accreditation body and the applicant
  • Assessment documents
  • Assessment reports (individual and final reports)
  • Surveillance reports
  • Reports on renewal, extension, suspension and termination of accreditation
  • Further correspondence on the accreditation procedure.
The accreditation is subject to withdrawal, if the contractual preconditions cease to exist.

Granted accreditations are published by the DAR Secretariat based on the notifications provided by the accreditation bodies (Chapter 6).

Handbook of DAR - 4.5. The DAR Accreditation Certificate
4th Edition As of 31 December 2009
If the accreditation bodies express the wish, the accreditation is confirmed on a uniform accreditation certificate of the German Accreditation Council issued by the responsible accreditation body.

The accreditation bodies represented in the DAR as well as the organisations accredited by them are free to use the accreditation certificate and the DAR Logo, as far as they comply with the rules recommended by the DAR within their legal constrainst, if necessary (DAR-3-EM-03 (63 kB), DAR-3-EM-04 (30 kB)).

Only one original certificate in German language exists. If the accredited body expresses an economic interest in a foreign-language certificate, a translation can be arranged to be done. If desired, the translation can be approved by the accreditation body or by the DAR Secretariat.

A survey of approved examples of the accreditation certificates as well as instructions for their use are provided in the Annexes DAR-3-EM-03 (63 kB), DAR-3-EM-04 (30 kB) and DAR-3-EM-05 (77 kB).
The approved examples of certificates are kept at the DAR Secretariat.

Handbook of DAR - 4.6. Surveillance and Extension
4th Edition As of 31 December 2009
Procedures and intervals for the surveillance of accredited bodies as well as extension of accreditation by re-assessment are settled by the accreditation bodies.