Regulations for HKAS Accreditation

HKAS 002: Regulations for HKAS Accreditation is the foundational administrative, legal, and operational policy document published by the Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS), an agency under the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Operating in strict alignment with international standards—specifically ISO/IEC 17011 for accreditation bodies—this normative document sets out the mandatory terms, conditions, rights, and obligations governing all conformity assessment bodies (CABs) seeking or maintaining accreditation in Hong Kong. It applies across HKAS's three major accreditation schemes: HOKLAS (testing, calibration, and medical laboratories), HKIAS (inspection bodies), and HKCAS (certification bodies and validation/verification bodies). The regulations govern the entire accreditation lifecycle, including application requirements, initial assessment, surveillance visits, periodic reassessments, proficiency testing participation, use of accreditation symbols, subcontracting rules, procedures for scope extensions, and protocols for suspension, reduction, or termination of accreditation status. Serving as an essential open educational resource, this regulatory framework provides critical legal context, quality management principles, and international compliance criteria for undergraduate and postgraduate students, quality assurance directors, laboratory managers, civil engineers, and compliance auditors studying conformity assessment, ISO standards, quality infrastructure, and regulatory metrology.