Germany · Accreditation
ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in Germany
Achieve ISO 17025 accreditation in Germany with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accreditation support
- Frankfurt office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for ISO 17025 in Germany
Clients include
ISO 17025 accreditation in Germany at a glance
DAkkS accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025) is the instrument itself: it applies to the organisations within its scope, and buyers and partners in Germany ask for evidence that you meet it.
Accreditation in Germany has one door: DAkkS, the national accreditation body set up under Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 and the Akkreditierungsstellengesetz, accredits testing and calibration laboratories against DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025. There is no ISO 17025 certificate; a laboratory earns accreditation for a defined scope of methods after DAkkS assessors review its management system and witness its technical work. Calibration laboratories can also use the DAkkS calibration mark. Through its membership of the European co-operation for Accreditation, DAkkS takes part in the multilateral recognition agreements, so its accreditation carries weight with customers abroad. Industrial test houses, environmental and food laboratories, calibration providers and manufacturers' in-house laboratories are the usual applicants. Sterling's Frankfurt office prepares the quality manual, method validation, measurement uncertainty budgets and proficiency-testing plan, then supports the laboratory through the DAkkS assessment and corrective actions. The German route and frequent questions follow.
Who needs ISO 17025 in Germany, and what happens without it
In Germany the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.
- Testing laboratories (industrial, environmental, food, materials)Accreditation by DAkkS demonstrates competence for test results used by customers and authorities.
- Calibration laboratoriesDAkkS accredits calibration laboratories and operates the DAkkS calibration mark.
- In-house laboratories of manufacturersCustomers and certification schemes may require accredited testing.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the ISO/IEC 17025 readiness checkISO 17025 requirements in Germany
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO/IEC 17025 requires a laboratory to prove six things about its competence and the results it reports.
In Germany these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO/IEC 17025 explained →
How to get ISO 17025 accreditation in Germany
One team from the Frankfurt office carries the work from scoping to accreditation. All German states (Länder), on-site from Frankfurt; remote delivery for distributed teams.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against ISO/IEC 17025 and the German requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before any external review.
- The accreditation body assessmentThe accreditation body assesses and decides. Sterling supports the assessment.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does ISO 17025 accreditation take in Germany?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Germany these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of test or calibration methods in scope
- Method validation and measurement uncertainty records
- Proficiency testing history
- DAkkS assessor availability
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 17025 accreditation cost in Germany?
The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the accreditation body’s fees, which are quoted separately. In Germany these factors move both.
- Number of methods and locations in scope
- Equipment calibration and traceability
- DAkkS fees quoted separately from consulting
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
ISO 17025 consultants and assessors in Germany
Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; the accreditation body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.
- Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 17025 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Germany are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
- Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
- Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.
Laws and regulations that drive ISO 17025 in Germany (2)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| DAkkS accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025) | The instrument itself DAkkS lists 'Prüf- und Kalibrierlabore / DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025' among its accreditation activities. |
| Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 and the Akkreditierungsstellengesetz (AkkStelleG) | The instrument itself DAkkS acts as Germany's national accreditation body under these instruments. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Germany
Accreditation, not certification: DAkkS is Germany's national accreditation body and the accreditation body for ISO/IEC 17025 laboratories located in Germany. Its accreditation is recognised internationally through the mutual recognition arrangements (as DAkkS states, through its EA membership). Edition and transition details: ISO/IEC 17025 hub →
Audit language
DAkkS assessments are conducted in German; agree any English-language arrangements with DAkkS at application.
Remote and on-site
Assessments include on-site witnessing of tests or calibrations; remote elements are at DAkkS's discretion.
ISO 17025 in Germany: questions clients ask
Who accredits laboratories in Germany?
The Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS), the national accreditation body. It lists 'Prüf- und Kalibrierlabore / DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025' among its accreditation activities, so a laboratory located in Germany applies to DAkkS for accreditation of its testing or calibration work, rather than to a commercial certification body. Accredited laboratories are then recognised through the mutual recognition arrangements that DAkkS participates in.
Is ISO 17025 a certification?
No. ISO/IEC 17025 leads to accreditation by the national accreditation body, not to certification. That difference affects how a laboratory describes itself on reports, websites and tenders: where DAkkS has accredited the laboratory, the right word is accredited, and the accreditation body is DAkkS, not a certification body.
What is the DAkkS calibration mark?
DAkkS operates a calibration mark for accredited calibration laboratories. The mark belongs to the DAkkS accreditation system, so a laboratory should ask DAkkS directly about the conditions for using it, instead of assuming that any calibration certificate may carry it.
More on ISO 17025 for German organisations
- ISO/IEC 17025: the complete guide
- Watch: How to implement ISO/IEC 17025
- Calibration laboratories: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
- Chemical and microbiological testing: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
- Construction materials testing: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
- Environmental laboratories: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
- Food and agriculture: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
- Government and forensic laboratories: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
- In-house manufacturing laboratories: ISO/IEC 17025 for the sector
- Sterling in Frankfurt
- ISO 17025 accreditation in Germany and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards German businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Germany often combine ISO/IEC 17025 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Frankfurt office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
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Plan your certification with the Frankfurt team.
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