Poland · Accreditation
ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in Poland
Achieve ISO 17025 accreditation in Poland 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 Poland
Clients include
ISO 17025 accreditation in Poland at a glance
Prawo zamówień publicznych refers to ISO/IEC 17025, yet none of the Polish instruments checked makes it compulsory. Buyers in Poland ask for it anyway.
Laboratories do not get certified to ISO/IEC 17025; they are accredited, and in Poland that decision belongs to the Polish Centre for Accreditation (PCA). PCA, appointed by government as national accreditation body under Regulation (EC) 765/2008, accredits testing and calibration laboratories, and it states that it is a full signatory to the EA multilateral agreement and the Global ACI arrangement, whose scopes include testing and calibration. That recognition matters for exporters. At home, a contracting authority may ask for a certificate or test report from a body accredited under Regulation 765/2008 under Art. 105 of the Prawo zamówień publicznych, and manufacturers' in-house calibration laboratories rely on accredited traceability. Sterling does not accredit; PCA assesses the laboratory. Sterling's Frankfurt office prepares the laboratory for that assessment, covering method validation, measurement uncertainty, traceability, impartiality and internal audit, and includes Effivity and Sterling Academy in the engagement. The Polish route and its questions follow.
Who needs ISO 17025 in Poland, and what happens without it
In Poland 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 serving manufacturers, construction and environmental clientsCustomers and regulators accept test reports more readily when the laboratory is accredited by the national accreditation body.
- Calibration laboratories, including in-house laboratories of manufacturersAccredited calibration supports traceability that customers' quality systems rely on.
- Laboratories whose reports feed public tendersA contracting authority may ask for a test report from an accredited conformity assessment body.
- Laboratories exporting results to other countriesAccredited results are accepted across the arrangements the national accreditation body has signed.
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 Poland
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO/IEC 17025 requires a laboratory to prove six things about its competence and the results it reports.
In Poland 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 Poland
One team from the Frankfurt office carries the work from scoping to accreditation. Clients in Poland are served from Sterling's Frankfurt office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against ISO/IEC 17025 and the Polish 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 Poland?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Poland these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of methods and measurement ranges in the scope of accreditation
- Readiness of measurement uncertainty and traceability evidence
- Proficiency testing or interlaboratory comparison results
- PCA assessment scheduling
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 17025 accreditation cost in Poland?
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 Poland these factors move both.
- Number of methods, ranges and sites in the scope
- Reference equipment, calibration and environmental control
- Proficiency testing participation
- PCA application and assessment 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 Poland
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 Poland 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 Poland (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Polskie Centrum Akredytacji (PCA) — accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories | Accreditation PCA is the national accreditation body for Poland and accredits organisations providing testing and calibration services. |
| EA Multilateral Agreement and Global ACI arrangement signed by PCA | Recognition PCA states it is a full signatory; the EA MLA scope includes testing and calibration under EN ISO/IEC 17025, and the Global ACI scope includes testing and calibration laboratories. |
| Prawo zamówień publicznych — Art. 105 (certificates and test reports) | Refers to / expects A contracting authority may request a certificate or test report from a conformity assessment body, which includes calibration and testing bodies accredited under Regulation (EC) No 765/2008; no general mandate. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Poland
Accreditation, not certification: a laboratory is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by the national accreditation body, the Polish Centre for Accreditation (PCA), which assesses competence, impartiality and performance. Sterling prepares the laboratory; PCA decides on accreditation. A laboratory outside Poland would use its own national accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements (Global ACI — Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA). Edition and transition details: ISO/IEC 17025 hub →
Audit language
PCA assessments can be held in Polish or English; agree the assessment language and the language of the quality manual and technical records with PCA at application.
Remote and on-site
Remote assessment elements are at PCA's discretion; the laboratory, its equipment and its measurement activities are assessed on-site.
ISO 17025 in Poland: questions clients ask
Who accredits laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025 in Poland?
The Polskie Centrum Akredytacji (PCA), the national accreditation body for Poland, appointed by government under Regulation (EC) 765/2008. It accredits organisations that provide testing and calibration services as well as certification, inspection and verification. A Polish laboratory should apply to PCA, which describes accreditation as demonstrating competence, impartiality and performance capability.
Are PCA-accredited results accepted outside Poland?
That is what the arrangements are designed to achieve. PCA states that it is a full signatory to the EA multilateral agreement, whose scope includes testing and calibration, and to the Global ACI arrangement covering testing and calibration laboratories. Reports from accredited bodies are then accepted as technically equivalent to those of other signatories; the importing buyer or regulator makes the final decision.
Can a Polish tender ask for an accredited laboratory report?
Yes. Art. 105 of the Prawo zamówień publicznych lets a contracting authority request a certificate or a test report from a conformity assessment body, defined as a body accredited under Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 that performs calibration, testing, certification or inspection. Where reports from a specified body are required, equivalent bodies' reports must be accepted too. Read each tender's exact wording.
Is ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation the same as ISO 9001 certification?
No. ISO 9001 certification shows that a management system meets a standard, whereas ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is PCA's assessment of a laboratory's technical competence for defined methods. A laboratory can keep a quality system aligned to ISO 9001 as well, but accreditation concerns the specific tests and calibrations in its scope.
More on ISO 17025 for Polish 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
- ISO 17025 accreditation in Poland and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Polish businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Poland 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.
Sources
- Polskie Centrum Akredytacji (PCA) — accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories — pca.gov.pl (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
- EA Multilateral Agreement and Global ACI arrangement signed by PCA — pca.gov.pl (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
- Prawo zamówień publicznych — Art. 105 (certificates and test reports) — api.sejm.gov.pl (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
Talk to a consultant
Plan your certification with the Frankfurt team.
Tell us your goals, locations and target date. We’ll help you define the scope, timeline and next steps.
germany@sterling-grc.com+1 201 263 4443 (global headquarters) · your nearest office and its number are at the top of this page
What would you like to achieve?
Choose a starting point. The enquiry form takes about a minute.
Book my free discovery callContinue to the enquiry form to share your details. Please do not include passwords, sensitive personal information or confidential files. A Sterling consultant replies within one working day. Privacy notice