These are common questions asked by applicants seeking JAS-AAS accreditation. There is no one precise answer, but the following information provides the factors that can affect the costs and timeframes for accreditation from JAS-AAS.

How much will accreditation cost?

The costs of accreditation differ based on the following factors:

• Size of the body seeking accreditation
• The complexity of the organization, as this will have an effect on assessment durations
• The number of sites from which services are offered
• The number of schemes and standards that the body wishes to be accredited for
• The technical scope that the body is seeking accreditation for, that is the number of technical sectors and
• The number of countries that the body wishes to be accredited for.

Above factors will affect the number and type of assessments to be undertaken during the initial assessment and for ongoing surveillance.

Once accredited, the annual fees and certificate fees will be charged.

Fee Schedules (non refundable)

S.N.	Particulars	Cost (US$)	Remarks
1	Initial Application Fee	500	Onetime fee
2	Management Systems
	ISO 9001 QMS	500	Onetime fee
	ISO 14001 EMS	500	Onetime fee
	ISO 22000 FSMS	500	Onetime fee
	ISO 27000 ISMS	500	Onetime fee
	ISO 13485 QMS for Lab	500	Onetime fee
	ISO 18000 OHSAS	500	Onetime fee
	CE Marking	500	Onetime fee
	Organic Certification	500	Onetime fee
	HALAL Certification	500	Onetime fee
	Compliance Services	500	Onetime fee
	Product Certification	500	Onetime fee
	GMP Certification	500	Onetime fee
3	Location Approval Fee	500	Onetime fee
4	Transition Fee	200	Onetime fee
5	Re-accreditation Fee (after 3 years)	500	Three yearly
6	Annual Accreditation Fee
	Upto 50 Certificates	$ 120 per Certificate	Payable monthly
	51-100 Certificates	$ 100 per Certificate	Payable monthly
	101-500 Certificates	$ 80 per Certificate	Payable monthly
	500 + Certificates	$ 50 per Certificate	Payable monthly

Annual Accreditation Fees

Invoiced at time of accreditation and annually.

Terms and conditions for financial obligation:

1. The above fee does not include any professional expenses incurred while traveling (e.g., hotel, meals, transportation).
2. Refundable airfares are purchased and airfares for witnessed audits are not purchased until CB’s audit plan is received by JAS-AAS.
3. JAS-AAS may invoice CB in advance of assessments for expenses incurred by assessors (e.g., airfare). Fees for Maintenance Witnessed Audits (per JAS-AAS Accreditation Rule) When CB does not provide detail needed to confirm an assessment or information provided does not include all requested accurate information from Witnessed Audit Criteria form to confirm assessment $500 scheduling processing fee Change Fee
4. When detail of a confirmed witnessed audit is changed within 120 days of start date of CB’s audit and JAS-AAS is able to support change.
5. If JAS-AAS is unable to support change, see Cancellation Fees below. Confirmed assessment changed and cannot be re-scheduled or is cancelled by CB or organization within seven days of scheduled assessment start date 30% of confirmed day rate total charge including on-site and off-site activities charged to CB plus associated travel fees if applicable (e.g., airfare change fees) Confirmed assessment cancelled by JAS-AAS, unless because it is learned the assessment will not meet the mutual objectives of JAS-AAS and the CB Same percentage and time frame as above paid by JAS-AAS to CB
6. Note: Change and cancellation fees do not apply when the assessment is canceled or re-scheduled because of acts of nature as jointly agreed by JAS-AAS and the CB.
7. Fee Payments JAS-AAS invoices are to be paid in full by the due date on the invoice (15 days from invoice date).
8. Any tax required to be paid by a government authority in the CB’s country and/or any fees of any kind (e.g., fees charged by CB’s bank) are the responsibility of the CB and shall not be deducted from the invoice total. Late payments will be assessed interest and may result in further action per the JAS-AAS Management Systems Accreditation Manual. All fees are payable in U.S. dollars only. Fee Schedule and terms are subject to change.

Accreditation Process

• JAS-AAS grant accreditation as per requirement of ISO 17011. JAS-AAS invite application from the interested agencies looking for accreditation of JAS-AAS. Accreditation is recognition for the certification to ensure the independence and increase the credibility of the CAB.
• Interested Agencies need to apply for CAB at cab@jas-aas.org
• After getting request for CAB, the JAS-AAS assessment board will review the documents, location verification and pre assessment.
• Cost for Pre-assessment and Location Verification Audit: US$ 1000.00 and actual flight tickets/local transportation and accommodation. After satisfactorily audited, the approval will be granted for the processing.

How long will it take for our organization to become accredited after we apply?

The length of time that it will take to gain accreditation will be dependent on how well prepared the applicant is.  The major issues that we encounter with applications that extend out the timeframes include:

• Poor quality documentation. As a document review against the accreditation requirements is undertaken prior to an on-site assessment poor documentation may mean that there are several nonconformities that need to be addressed before the application can be progressed.
• Lack of evidence of implementation of the structural requirements of the accreditation criteria. The criteria require particular structures to be formed, such as mechanisms to ensure impartiality. We often find that there is a lack of understanding around these requirements, and poor implementation.
• Lack of evidence implementation of procedures. This is often detected at the initial assessment, where practices and procedures just do not match, and so nonconformities are raised that need to be addressed before accreditation can be granted.

If all is in good order, JAS-AAS can usually schedule the first visit within three months of receipt of application, with the complete process taking between 6-8 months from application to accreditation.