NATA delivers accreditation services across a wide range of industries, from mining and construction to health and environmental sectors. 

Detailed information on the NATA accreditation process can be found here. A brief overview is provided below. 

The accreditation process includes the following steps: 

• Eligibility  

• Readiness 

• Advisory visit  

• Document review 

• Application 

• Initial assessment  

• Addressing any assessment findings  

• Granting of accreditation  

• Periodic reassessment 

Any legal organisation within Australia that provides testing, inspection, examination, calibration or related services can apply for NATA accreditation.  

To commence the accreditation process, organisations should first assess their readiness by evaluating how closely they meet the relevant NATA Accreditation Criteria (NAC), including the applicable standard for their proposed scope of accreditation.  Organisations are encouraged to engage with NATA early during their enquiry stage to discuss their accreditation needs and seek guidance. 

This is an on-site visit conducted by a NATA Lead Assessor. The advisory visit provides an opportunity to discuss the assessment process, explain key aspects of the NATA Accreditation Criteria (NAC), and review the organisation’s processes to gauge its readiness for the on-site assessment.  The advisory visit does not constitute an assessment, and NATA is not able to provide consultation as to how an organisation is to satisfy the accreditation criteria. 

Depending on the organisation’s readiness, before or after an advisory visit, but prior to the on-site assessment, will submit its proposed scope of accreditation, relevant documentation including staffing information.  This document review, conducted by the NATA Lead Assessor, compares the submitted materials against the relevant NATA Accreditation Criteria (NAC). 

An application form will be provided once the organisation is deemed ready to proceed. 

The organisation must be legally identifiable and must submit the applicable fee in line with the current NATA Fee Schedule. 

This is an on-site assessment to confirm the organisation’s compliance with the relevant NATA Accreditation Criteria (NAC) for its proposed scope of accreditation.  The assessment is conducted by a team including a NATA Lead Assessor and specialist technical assessor(s). The assessment team size and duration are tailored to the proposed scope of accreditation and complexity of activities being assessed. The assessment reviews both management system and technical aspects of the organisation against the relevant NATA Accreditation Criteria (NAC and findings are provided in a written report. 

Where applicable, the assessment report details any nonconformities that must be addressed before accreditation can be recommended.  The organisation is required to provide evidence of corrective actions, along with an analysis of the causes (such as root cause analysis), by the specified due date.

Once the criteria for accreditation (detailed in the relevant NATA Accreditation Criteria NAC) are satisfied, a recommendation to grant accreditation will be made. Accreditation is granted for a specific scope of accreditation which is the collective expression of an organisation’s accredited capabilities. 

Once formal accreditation is approved, an organisation may apply the NATA endorsement to reports, enabling it to promote its accreditation to clients for activities covered by its scope of accreditation. 

The NATA endorsement is widely recognised in Australia and overseas as a symbol of competence and reliability. NATA also promotes all accredited organisations on our website by making available each one’s scope of accreditation. 

NATA accredited organisations are required to continue to comply with the NATA Accreditation Criteria (NAC). As such, periodic reassessments are conducted. 

The organisation also has the opportunity to amend its scope of accreditation to have new activities covered or existing activities removed in between the periodic reassessments. 

Information provided by an organisation in connection with an assessment is always treated as confidential by NATA.

Please register below to express your interest in applying for accreditation or to request more information

Detailed information on the NATA accreditation process can be found here.