INTERNATIONAL OIML P 1

PUBLICATION Edition 2003 (E)

OIML Certificate System

for Measuring Instruments

Système de Certificats OIML

pour les Instruments de Mesure
OIML P 1 Edition 2003 (E)

ORGANISATION INTERNATIONALE
DE MÉTROLOGIE LÉGALE

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
OF LEGAL METROLOGY
OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

Contents

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3

0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 4

1 Scope ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4

2 Abbreviations and terminology ............................................................................................................................. 5

3 Processing a Certificate .......................................................................................................................................... 6

3.1 Application for a Certificate
3.2 Consideration of the application
3.3 Tests of conformity
3.4 Test Report
3.5 Issue of a Certificate

4 Registration of a Certificate ................................................................................................................................... 9

5 Use of a Certificate - Recognition of test results and acceptance of a Certificate ........................................... 10

6 Supervision and control ....................................................................................................................................... 10

6.1 General
6.2 Appeals
6.3 Role of CIML Members
6.4 Misuse of a Certificate by its owner
6.5 Certificate issued on the basis of wrong conclusions
6.6 Revision of a Recommendation
6.7 Revision of a Certificate
6.8 Withdrawal of a Certificate
6.9 Transfer of a Certificate

References ...................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Annex A General model for a Certificate (Mandatory) ............................................................................................ 13

Annex B Reference number of a Certificate (Mandatory) ....................................................................................... 16
Annex C Summary of the tasks of an Issuing Authority (Informative) .................................................................. 18

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 OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

Foreword

T
he OIML Certificate System for Measuring Instruments was This revised Publication extends the scope of application to
introduced in 1991 to facilitate harmonizing approval categories of instruments including families of instruments,
procedures and lowering costs associated with the inter- modules and families of modules covered by OIML International
national trade of measuring instruments subject to legal control. Recommendations that satisfy the provisions included in Sub-
clause 1.2.
The System provides the possibility for a manufacturer to obtain an
OIML Certificate and a Test Report indicating that a given If necessary, the rules laid down in this Publication may be extended
instrument type complies with the requirements of relevant OIML or adapted in accordance with future decisions of the International
International Recommendations that are applicable within the Committee of Legal Metrology.
System.
Up to date information and a database related to the System can be
OIML Certificates may be provided by OIML Member States that found on the OIML web site (www.oiml.org).
have established Issuing Authorities responsible for processing
applications by manufacturers that request certification of their This publication - reference OIML P 1 Edition 2003 (E) - was
instrument types. developed by the OIML Technical Subcommittee TC 3/SC 5
Conformity Assessment. It was approved for final publication by the
OIML Certificates are accepted by national metrology services on a
International Committee of Legal Metrology in 2002 and supersedes
voluntary basis, and as the climate for mutual confidence and
the previous edition dated 1991.
recognition of tests results develops between OIML Members, the
OIML Certificate System serves to simplify the type approval process OIML publications may be obtained from the Organization’s
for manufacturers and metrology authorities by eliminating costly headquarters:
duplication of test procedures.
The System was established to take into account the general
principles applicable to testing, certification, conformity assess- Bureau International de Métrologie Légale
ment, accreditation and related subjects as laid down by other 11, rue Turgot - 75009 Paris - France
International Organizations such as ISO, IEC and ILAC. A decision Telephone: 33 (0)1 48 78 12 82 and 42 85 27 11
of the Tenth International Conference of Legal Metrology in 1996 Fax: 33 (0)1 42 82 17 27
confirmed and enhanced these objectives and also included E-mail: biml@oiml.org
reference to the WTO in the context of the TBT Agreement. Internet: www.oiml.org

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OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

OIML Certificate System

for Measuring Instruments

0 Introduction any OIML Member State that participates in the Sys-

tem. Likewise, any Certificate may be accepted and
utilized by any national metrology service or national
responsible body in any country.
0.1 The OIML Certificate System for Measuring In-
struments (hereafter referred to as the System) is a
Note: In this Publication, the word “Certificate” means
system for issuing, registering and using OIML Certifi-
OIML Certificate of Conformity as defined in
cates of Conformity (hereafter referred to as Certifi-
2.11. When necessary for its application in
cates) for types of measuring instruments (including
Member States, it should be clearly distin-
families of measuring instruments, modules, or fami-
guished from product certification or legal cer-
lies of modules), based on the requirements of Recom-
tificates as defined by the national certification
mendations of the International Organization of Legal
systems or by the national legislation or regula-
Metrology (OIML). It is a voluntary system and aims
tion.
to facilitate, accelerate, and harmonize the work of na-
tional and regional bodies that approve types of meas-
uring instruments that are subject to state control
within OIML Members, or within regions including
OIML Members. In the same way, instrument manu- 1 Scope
facturers, who are required to obtain type approval in
some countries in which they wish to sell their prod-
ucts, should benefit from the System through provid- 1.1 An OIML Certificate of a type of measuring in-
ing evidence that their instruments comply with the strument (including a family of instruments, a module
requirements of the relevant OIML Recommendations. or a family of modules) attests to the conformity of
The System also aims to facilitate initial verification of that type, as represented by the sample(s) submitted,
measuring instruments in countries where type ap- tested, and examined according to the requirements of
proval is not required, and may help to promote the the relevant OIML Recommendation.
manufacture, marketing, and use of measuring instru-
ments that comply with OIML requirements for appli-
cations that are not subject to legal control. 1.2 A Certificate may be issued only for the cate-
gories of measuring instruments (including families of
instruments, modules, or families of modules) for
which the relevant Recommendation specifies: (a) the
0.2 General rules for the certification of products, metrological and technical requirements, (b) the test
processes, and services have been documented by rec- procedures, and (c) the Test Report Format.
ognized international organizations (see References).
Concerning families of instruments, modules and fam-
The System follows these general rules and applies
ilies of modules, the relevant Recommendation(s) shall
them to the type evaluation and certification of meas-
uring instruments. Those who implement and those specify what can be considered as a family and/or a
who participate in the System should promote the ob- module as well as the specific metrological and techni-
servance of the international guidelines on certifica- cal requirements and test procedures applicable to
tion and testing. such families/modules.

Note: A list of the categories of instruments con-

cerned, with references to the relevant Recom-
mendations, is maintained by the International
0.3 A manufacturer or its representative from any Bureau of Legal Metrology (BIML) under the
country may apply for type evaluation and a Certifi- supervision of the International Committee of
cate to be issued by a designated Issuing Authority in Legal Metrology (CIML).

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1.3 A Certificate is issued by an Issuing Authority of 2.2 Category of instruments

an OIML Member State. In a given Member State,
there may be one or several Issuing Authorities; how-
ever, for each category of measuring instrument, there Identification or classification of instruments accord-
shall be only one Issuing Authority. The CIML Member ing to unique metrological and technical characteris-
in a given Member State may be responsible for the Is- tics that may include the measured quantity, the meas-
suing Authority or one of the Issuing Authorities in uring range, and the principle or method of
that State. measurement.

1.4 Member States that choose to implement the 2.3 Family of measuring instruments
System shall ensure that documented procedures for
the operation, supervision, and control of the System, Identifiable group of measuring instruments belonging
including appeals, are established and are consistent to the same manufactured type within the same cate-
with national laws and with the requirements of this gory that have the same design features and metrologi-
Publication. cal principles for measurement but which may differ
in some metrological and technical performance char-
acteristics, as defined in the relevant Recommenda-
tion.

2 Abbreviations and terminology

2.4 Module
The following abbreviations and definitions apply:
Identifiable part of a measuring instrument or of a
OIML International Organization family of measuring instruments that performs a spe-
of Legal Metrology cific function or functions and that can be separately
CIML International Committee evaluated according to prescribed metrological and
of Legal Metrology technical performance requirements in the relevant
Recommendation.
BIML International Bureau
of Legal Metrology
Member State OIML Member State 2.5 Family of modules
OIML Members OIML Member States and
Corresponding Members
Identifiable group of modules belonging to the same
Recommendation OIML International manufactured type that have similar design features
Recommendation but may differ in some metrological and technical per-
System OIML Certificate System formance requirements as defined in the relevant Rec-
for Measuring Instruments ommendation.

Certificate OIML Certificate of Conformity

Type Covers the model of a measuring 2.6 Type of a measuring instrument or module
instrument or its module or
modules and also the models
of a family of instruments or a Definitive model of a measuring instrument or module
family of modules. (including a family of instruments or modules) of
which all of the elements affecting its metrological
properties are suitably defined.

2.1 Measuring instrument

2.7 Type (pattern) evaluation
Device intended to be used to make measurements,
alone or in conjunction with supplementary device(s). Systematic examination and testing of the perform-
(VIM 4.1) ance of one or more specimens of an identified type

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(pattern) of measuring instrument against document- tificates of Conformity according to the rules of the
ed requirements, the results of which are contained in OIML Certificate System for Measuring Instruments.
an evaluation report, in order to determine whether
the type may be approved. (VIML 2.5) Note 1: A CIML Member may be responsible for an
Issuing Authority.
Note 2: A list of all Issuing Authorities in the various
2.8 Examination Member States is maintained by the BIML
and is permanently available to Member
(Official) visual inspection of an instrument or device States and other interested parties on the
and relevant documentation to ensure that some speci- OIML web site and on request.
fied requirements are met. Note 3: The Issuing Authority that issues OIML Cer-
tificates may or may not be the same organiza-
tion as the national body that issues national
2.9 Conformity
type approval certificates and whose responsi-
bilities are governed by national regulations.
Fulfillment by a measuring instrument type of metro-
logical and technical requirements as specified in the
relevant Recommendation.
3 Processing a Certificate
2.10 OIML Certificate System for
3.1 Application for a Certificate
Measuring Instruments
3.1.1 The manufacturer of a type or an authorized
Voluntary system for issuing, registering, and using representative of the manufacturer may apply to a des-
OIML Certificates of Conformity. ignated Issuing Authority for a Certificate.

3.1.2 The application shall include the following:

2.11 OIML Certificate of Conformity
a) the name and address of the manufacturer and, if
appropriate, of the authorized representative;
Document issued under the rules of the System by the
Issuing Authority providing confidence that the identi- b) a statement that no concurrent application for
fied type of measuring instrument is in conformity OIML type evaluation has been made to any other
with the requirements of the relevant Recommenda- OIML Issuing Authority;
tion. c) a description of the type as distinct from other
types, and any information related to testing; in
the case of a family of instruments or modules, the
2.12 Test Report description of the operation may include, as ap-
propriate, information concerning each instru-
ment or module that belongs to the family;
Report, prepared according to the Test Report Format
specified in the relevant Recommendation, that gives d) a description of the instrument’s operation, includ-
the results of the examinations and testing carried out ing the manufacturer’s operating instructions; in
during type evaluation on an identified sample or sam- the case of a module, the description of the mod-
ples of a given type and a conclusion as to whether the ule’s operation may include, as appropriate, infor-
sample or samples meet the specified requirements. mation concerning the characteristics of the cate-
gory of instruments of which the module may be
Note: For the implementation of the System, the Test part;
Report constitutes the evaluation report referred
to in 2.7. e) a list of specified manufacturer’s documentation,
necessary and sufficient for the identification of
the type submitted such as parts lists, serial or ref-
2.13 Issuing Authority erence number for electronic components, soft-
ware programs, etc.;

Certifying body or person in an OIML Member State, f) if applicable, results of reports of previous type
designated by its CIML Member that issues OIML Cer- evaluation(s) (see 3.3.4).

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3.1.3 The applicants may also submit their own test vious type evaluation (see 3.3.4) and, therefore, it may
results, or those of a third party laboratory, in support not be necessary to test new samples of the type. The
of the claim that the instruments or modules meet the Issuing Authority, however, shall obtain evidence that
requirements of the relevant Recommendation (see the type for which a Certificate is requested is identi-
also 3.3.4). cal to the previously evaluated type. If previous test re-
sults are accepted, the Test Report or accompanying
document shall indicate which previous results were
accepted and utilized.
3.2 Consideration of the application

3.2.1 The Issuing Authority receiving the application

shall review it and may request the applicant to pro- 3.2.6 In the case of a family of instruments or mod-
vide additional information and documents prior to ules, the Issuing Authority shall inform the applicant
further processing of the application. of the identity and number of instruments or modules
of the family that are to be submitted for testing ac-
cording to the requirements specified in the relevant
3.2.2 The Issuing Authority may refuse the applica- Recommendation.
tion if any of the following apply:

a) the Issuing Authority is unable to have the neces-

sary tests conducted for the category of instru- 3.2.7 For modules, the Issuing Authority shall inform
ments concerned; the applicant which instruments or simulation setup
b) the type does not correspond to the category cov- may be necessary to enable testing according to the re-
ered in the relevant Recommendation; quirements specified in the relevant Recommendation.
c) the information required for the application (in-
cluding any additional information and documents
requested) is incomplete; 3.2.8 The Issuing Authority shall inform the applicant
d) other clearly identified reasons. of the fee for application, an estimate of the fees for
type evaluation and issuing the Certificate, and the ex-
act amount of the registration fee. The fees for testing
and issuing Certificates shall be determined according
3.2.3 In the first case under 3.2.2, the Issuing Authority, to national practice, and fees for registration shall be
however, may refer the applicant to an Issuing Author- determined by the CIML.
ity in another Member State, which may be capable of
conducting the type evaluation, without obligating the
latter thereby.
3.2.9 The Issuing Authority shall inform the applicant
in writing of the approximate time necessary to draw
3.2.4 The Issuing Authority shall inform the applicant up a Test Report and complete the type evaluation.
in writing of its decision concerning the acceptance or
refusal of an application. If the application is refused,
the reason shall be given.

Note: The Issuing Authority may also request the ap- 3.3 Tests of conformity
plicant to provide any specialized equipment
necessary to conduct the tests.

3.3.1 The tests for type evaluation shall be performed

3.2.5 If the application is accepted, the Issuing Au- in the laboratories designated by the Issuing Authority
thority shall inform the applicant of the rules of the that accepted the application. These laboratories shall
System and of the number of samples of the type that comply with requirements in international guides or
are required for testing. This number is usually speci- standards on testing, such as in ISO/IEC 17025 “Gen-
fied in the relevant Recommendation but, if not, it eral requirements for the competence of testing and
shall be mutually agreed upon by the Issuing Authority calibration laboratories” [9] and other relevant guides
and the applicant. In certain cases, the Issuing Author- and publications. OIML publications concerning the
ity may be satisfied with the results of reports of a pre- type evaluation processes shall also be observed.

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3.3.2 It is recommended that the competence of the f) name and address of the manufacturer;
testing laboratory, which performs the test of conform- g) name and address of the applicant for the Certifi-
ity, be assessed by a body within a national accredita- cate;
tion system, by peers, or by other means.
h) dates of testing;
The assessment team utilized shall include at least one
i) place of testing;
member who is an expert in legal metrology for the
relevant category of measuring instruments or devices. j) information concerning the instrument or the sim-
ulation setup used for testing, especially in the
case of a module or family of modules;
3.3.3 The test procedures shall be consistent with
those described in the relevant Recommendation. k) examination and test results;
l) conclusion as to whether the samples meet the re-
3.3.4 The test procedures may be abbreviated or quirements of the relevant Recommendation;
omitted if the Issuing Authority considers that the con- Note: In some countries, a distinction is usually
clusions necessary for issuing the Certificate may be made between test results (recorded meas-
drawn from a previous type evaluation, provided that urement results) and evaluation (judgment
they were carried out according the requirements of and conclusions on the test results). In this
3.3.1 and 3.3.2 above. Where applicable, relevant test System, the Test Report includes both kinds
results of the manufacturer or a third-party testing of information, and the users of a Test Re-
laboratory may be considered. The conditions under port will have to take this into account,
which such test results may be considered shall be when necessary.
specified by documented requirements of the Issuing m) annexed listing of the manufacturer’s documenta-
Authority. tion submitted with the application for a Certifi-
cate and used for identification of the type submit-
ted (see 3.1.2).
3.4 Test Report
3.4.2 The Test Report shall be dated, signed, and pro-
3.4.1 The Test Report shall give, as appropriate, the vided with a unique identification number by the re-
results of various tests and examinations obtained for sponsible person or persons of the laboratory that per-
samples of the type and shall be drawn up in the for- formed the type evaluation.
mat provided in the relevant Recommendation. It shall
include at least the following:
3.4.3 The Test Report shall be in English and/or
a) name and address of the laboratory or laboratories
French.
identified according to the specific tests per-
formed, with a statement of compliance with the
Note: In some cases, translation of the Test Report
guidelines mentioned in 3.3.1 giving details of any
into additional languages other than English or
accreditation, peer assessment, or assessment by
French may assist in national or regional inter-
other means;
pretation and implementation.
b) reference (number and year of edition) to the rele-
vant Recommendation;
c) identification of the type (e.g. reference to specific 3.4.4 The Issuing Authority shall keep on file a copy
designation, description, external and internal of the Test Report and the information provided with
photographs, marking, inscriptions, specifications, the application (see also 3.4.5). By agreement with the
etc. including, if applicable, the accuracy class); in applicant, the tested samples may be kept by the Issu-
the case of a family of instruments or a module or ing Authority, the testing laboratory, or the applicant,
family of modules, additional information accord- the decision taking into account the size and, if appro-
ing to 3.1.2 shall be provided; priate, the commercial value of those samples.
d) identification of the specific samples tested; in the
case of a family of instruments or modules, identi- 3.4.5 In a declaration of the conformity of the type,
fication of the specific samples tested with a justi- the following apply:
fication of their selection;
e) identification of any authorized and agreed upon a) if it is concluded that the samples meet all the re-
adjustments or modifications made to the sample quirements of the Recommendation, a Certificate
or samples during the testing; shall be issued in accordance with 3.5;

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b) if the samples do not meet requirements, the appli- the indication of the numbering of the Issuing Au-
cant shall be informed in writing of the reason for thority for the category of instruments concerned
the failure, and the Test Report shall be given to in that Member State;
the applicant, if requested. c) the year of issue;
d) a sequential two-digit number.
3.4.6 In subsequent applications, the applicant may
submit a new application with samples of a modified
or newly identified type. New tests may be conducted 3.5.5 The Certificate shall also include the identifica-
but may be limited to those requirements for which tion number or numbers of the associated Test Re-
the previous type was found not to comply only if evi- port(s) as indicated in Annex A.
dence provided supports the conclusion that the in-
strument’s performance for all other requirements is
3.5.6 The Certificate and the associated Test Report(s)
not likely to have been affected by the modification of
shall be given to the applicant, who then becomes
the type. If the application applies to a type for which
their owner. The Issuing Authority shall keep a copy of
a Certificate has already been issued, the procedure in
the Certificate and the Test Report.
6.7 applies.

3.4.7 Fees for testing shall be collected in accordance 3.5.7 The fees for issuing the Certificate shall be col-
with the national practice. lected in accordance with the national practice.

3.5 Issue of a Certificate

4 Registration of a Certificate
3.5.1 If the type is found to conform to all the re-
quirements of the relevant Recommendation, a Certifi-
cate shall be issued after the completion of the type 4.1 The Issuing Authority shall send a copy of each
evaluation. Certificate it issues to the BIML for registration either
directly or via its CIML Member (according to the
3.5.2 The Certificate shall be drawn up according to agreement between the Authority and the Member)
the model given in Annex A. It shall be signed by the (see also 3.5.2). An electronic copy of each Certificate
Issuing Authority and may also be signed by the CIML shall also be sent to the BIML in the format specified
Member, if the latter is not the Issuing Authority and if by the latter.
this is permitted by national practice. The BIML shall
be informed whether the signature of the CIML Mem-
ber is required. The signature of the CIML Member, 4.2 The BIML shall send the owner of the Certifi-
who is not the Issuing Authority, is only intended to cate an invoice for the registration fee. A Certificate
confirm the identity of the designated Issuing Authori- shall be registered only after the fee has been collect-
ty and that this designation has not been cancelled ed. Alternatively, the registration fee may have been in-
(see 6.3 for other responsibilities of the CIML Mem- cluded in the fees charged for issuing the Certificate
ber). (see 3.5.6), in which case the invoice for the registra-
tion fee shall be sent to the Issuing Authority con-
cerned, upon its request.
3.5.3 The Certificate shall be in English or French
and, if appropriate, also in the national language of
the Issuing Authority (see the Note under 3.4.3). 4.3 The BIML shall send a confirmation of the reg-
istration and a copy of the Certificate to the owner and
a copy of the Certificate to all CIML Members and all
3.5.4 The Certificate shall have a unique reference
OIML Corresponding Members.
number established according to the form specified in
Annex B, indicating the following:
4.4 Periodically, the BIML shall inform the Member
a) the relevant Recommendation with the year of States and other interested parties of the registration
publication; of Certificates, through appropriate publications in-
b) the ISO country code [12] of the Member State in cluding the OIML Bulletin, and shall make lists of reg-
which the Certificate was issued, supplemented by istered Certificates available on the OIML web site.

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5 Use of Certificate - Recognition of test 5.4 The legal metrology service (or other responsi-
results and acceptance of a Certificate ble body) to which the application for type approval is
made should take into consideration the Certificate
and the associated Test Report to the extent that is
5.1 The owner may use a registered Certificate and possible. The legal metrology services of OIML Mem-
associated Test Report as follows: bers should especially consider the advantages that
may result from the recognition of Certificates and the
a) in support of an application for type approval in acceptance of the reported test results in facilitating,
any country or group of countries; it is the respon- accelerating, and harmonizing the processes of nation-
sibility of the applicant to give evidence upon re- al or regional type approval.
quest that the type presented for approval is identi-
cal to that identified on the Certificate;
Note: If requested by the regional or national ap- 5.5 OIML Members are encouraged to adopt mech-
proval authority, the complete Test Report anisms to recognize and accept Test Reports accompa-
shall be presented by, or on behalf of, the nied by Certificates through appropriate measures, in-
owner together with the Certificate. cluding various bilateral or multilateral mutual
b) in support of the presentation of an individual in- acceptance arrangements.
strument for initial verification in a country in
which type approval is not required; it is the re-
sponsibility of the applicant to give evidence upon
request that the instrument presented for verifica- 6 Supervision and control
tion is of the type that is identified on the Certifi-
cate; 6.1 General
c) to inform buyers, users, and other interested par-
ties that the type of measuring instrument (repre- The CIML shall supervise the implementation of the
sented by the tested samples) was found to con- general rules, their adaptation to changing needs, and
form to the requirements of the relevant the formulation of additional rules that may be neces-
Recommendation. sary for the effective operation of the System.
Note: Such evidence of conformity (and the name
of the OIML Member State in which the
Certificate was issued) may be referred to or 6.2 Appeals
included in e.g. manufacturer’s catalogues
and other marketing literature (however, see 6.2.1 Each Issuing Authority shall have documented
5.2 and 5.3). procedures for accepting, considering, and resolving
appeals against decisions.

5.2 It is the obligation of the manufacturer that has 6.2.2 A CIML Member may act as a technical advisor
been granted a Certificate to produce individual in- and may request assistance from the BIML, the re-
struments that conform to those submitted for type sponsible OIML Technical Committee or Subcommit-
evaluation; however, a Certificate shall not be used as tee, and/or the CIML in resolving technical issues asso-
proof of conformity of an individual instrument with ciated with appeals and disputes of decisions of an
the requirements of the relevant Recommendation. In Issuing Authority in his or her country.
particular, neither the reference number of the Certifi-
cate nor any other reference to the OIML (e.g. the
OIML logo) shall be affixed to an individual instru- 6.3 Role of CIML Members
ment.

In addition to the various tasks described in this publi-

cation, it is the responsibility of CIML Members to
5.3 Apart from the mention of the Certificate’s refer- carry out the following:
ence number with the name of the OIML Member
State in which the Certificate was issued (see 5.1), par- a) designate an Issuing Authority that is competent
tial quotation of the Certificate or of the associated to issue Certificates according to the requirements
Test Report is not permitted, though they may be re- specified in this publication and the relevant Rec-
produced in full. ommendation and that complies with the require-

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 OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

ments in international guidelines on certification, parties accordingly. In such cases, the conditions un-
in particular in ISO/IEC Guide 65 “General re- der which the fees for the tests and for the issue of the
quirements for bodies operating product certifica- Certificate are reimbursed shall be determined by an
tion systems” [8]; agreement between the Issuing Authority, or the CIML
b) promptly inform the BIML of the establishment of Member of the Member State involved, and the owner.
(or change in) any Issuing Authority in his or her
country;
c) provide the Issuing Authorities (and via them the 6.6 Revision of a Recommendation
testing laboratories) in his or her country with cur-
rent information concerning the operation of the
System; 6.6.1 After revision of the relevant Recommendation
d) also sign the Certificates if he or she is not the Is- for a given category of measuring instrument(s) for
suing Authority and if this is permitted by the na- which Certificates may be issued, the responsible
tional practice, and inform the BIML as to OIML Technical Committee or Subcommittee shall de-
whether his or her signature is required. This sig- clare, and the CIML shall confirm, whether instru-
nature is only intended to confirm the identity of ments complying with the previous relevant Recom-
the designated Issuing Authority and that this des- mendation are also deemed to comply with the revised
ignation has not been cancelled. Recommendation.

6.6.2 If the instruments are declared to comply with

6.4 Misuse of a Certificate by its owner the revised Recommendation, an owner of a Certifi-
cate provided in accordance with the previous Recom-
mendation may apply for a Certificate referring to the
6.4.1 The BIML shall consult the CIML Member of revised Recommendation. A new Certificate shall be
the Member State in which a Certificate was issued issued to the owner by the relevant Issuing Authority
when documented and substantiated evidence is pre- for a specified fee and shall be registered at no charge
sented that the Certificate is being used by its owner in by the BIML.
a manner contrary to the requirements of clause 5. De-
pending on the conclusions of the consultation, the
BIML shall both inform other Member States and in- 6.6.3 If the instruments are declared as not necessari-
terested parties accordingly, and also directly inform ly complying with the revised Recommendation, the
the owner that continued misuse of the Certificate will owner may apply for a new Certificate according to
lead to corrective actions being taken by the CIML the revised Recommendation by submitting the same
that could result in the Certificate being de-listed by type or modified type for evaluation according to the
the BIML. procedure indicated in 3.3. The tests required for issu-
ing a new Certificate, however, may be abbreviated ac-
6.4.2 In the event of de-listing, the BIML shall notify cording to 3.3.4.
the owner of the Certificate, inform the Member States
and any other interested parties, and publish a notice 6.6.4 After the publication date of a revised Recom-
in appropriate publications including the OIML Bul- mendation, the CIML may declare a specific transition
letin and the OIML web site. period during which it is possible to apply for a Cer-
tificate that may be issued based on the previous Rec-
ommendation.
6.5 Certificate issued on the basis of
wrong conclusions
6.7 Revision of a Certificate
The BIML shall consult the CIML Member of the
Member State in which a Certificate was issued when
documented and substantiated evidence is presented 6.7.1 It may be necessary to amend an issued and reg-
indicating that the tests providing the basis for issuing istered Certificate for reasons such as:
the Certificate were performed or interpreted incor-
rectly. Depending on the results of the consultation, a) to correct an error made by the applicant or the Is-
BIML may de-list the Certificate and shall also inform suing Authority; or
the owner and other Member States and interested b) to modify the Certificate upon request of its owner.

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OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

In such cases, the Issuing Authority shall amend the 6.9.2 The Issuing Authority shall review the applica-
Certificate using the same reference number as for the tion and documentation indicated in 6.9.1 and shall
initial Certificate, indicating in addition the revision decide whether the new owner is competent to contin-
number (Revision 1, Revision 2, etc. together with the ue the production of the previously evaluated type
statement “This revision replaces the preceding one”) (model). If the decision is favorable, then a new Cer-
and a new date, if appropriate. Depending on the ef- tificate may be issued based on the previous type eval-
forts required and the reasons put forward for amend- uation with an identification of its new owner. The
ing the Certificate, the Issuing Authority may decide if necessary fee for the transfer of ownership will be de-
the owner shall pay an additional fee or not for issuing cided on by the Issuing Authority.
the amended Certificate. A registration fee shall be re-
quired to be paid to the BIML for an amended Certifi- 6.9.3 The transferred Certificate will be transmitted
cate. to BIML for registration and the latter will charge the
usual fee.
6.7.2 If a Recommendation has been replaced by a re-
vised edition, a correction of an error according to
6.7.1 a) may be made on a Certificate based on the
previous Recommendation. No other revisions of Cer-
tificates based on a Recommendation that has been re- References
placed by a revised edition may be made after the
transition period referred to in 6.6.4.

[1] OIML D 19: 1988, “Pattern evaluation and pat-

6.7.3 At the same time as an amended Certificate is tern approval”
registered, the previous Certificate shall be deleted
[2] VIM: 1993, “International vocabulary of basic
from the lists maintained by BIML.
and general terms in metrology”
[3] VIML: 2000, “International vocabulary of terms
in legal metrology”
6.8 Withdrawal of a Certificate [4] “Framework for a mutual acceptance arrange-
ment on OIML type evaluations (MAA)” (Draft
OIML Document, 2003)
The owner of a registered Certificate may request the
BIML to withdraw that Certificate from the lists main- [5] ISO/IEC Guide 2:1996, “Standardization and re-
tained by the latter for reasons other than those indi- lated activities - General vocabulary”
cated in 6.5 and 6.7 (e.g., the instruments are no [6] ISO/IEC Guide 58:1993, “Calibration and testing
longer manufactured, a single Certificate has been is- laboratory accreditation systems - General re-
sued for a family of instruments, etc.). In this case, the quirements for operation and recognition”
BIML shall proceed in the same way as described in [7] ISO/IEC Guide 61:1996, “General requirements
4.4 for the registered Certificates. for assessment and accreditation of certifica-
tion/registration bodies”
[8] ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996, “General requirements
for bodies operating product certification sys-
6.9 Transfer of a Certificate
tems”
[9] ISO/IEC 17025:1999, “General requirements for
6.9.1 A new owner of a company may apply to the competence of testing and calibration laborato-
original Issuing Authority for the transfer of a Certifi- ries”
cate previously owned by the purchased company pro-
vided that: [10] “Checklists for issuing authorities and testing
laboratories carrying out OIML type evalua-
a) the same type (model) will continue to be pro- tions” (Draft OIML Document, 2003)
duced by the new owner; [11] WTO TBT Agreement, “Agreement on technical
b) the new owner is also in possession of all of the barriers to trade”
technical documentation and equipment necessary [12] ISO 3166-1:1997, “Codes for the presentation of
to continue the production of the identified type names of countries and their subdivisions -
(model). Part 1: Country codes”

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 OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

Annex A
General Model for a Certificate
(Mandatory)

A.1 The Certificate issued by an Issuing Authority ules, may be developed by the OIML Technical Com-
shall be either identical to the General Model present- mittee or Subcommittee that is responsible for devel-
ed in this Annex or based on that model, including the oping and maintaining the relevant Recommendation.
essential elements. A model Certificate thus developed shall be consistent
with the model presented here and shall be included in
The French version of this publication provides the the relevant Recommendation.
same general model in French. Bilingual Certificates
in which the text is in English or French and another
language may be issued.

A.2 Specific model Certificates for certain cate- A.3 The logo of the Issuing Authority may be placed
gories of instruments, including families and/or mod- on the Certificate according to national rules.

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OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

OIML Member State OIML Certificate No.

————————————— —————————————

OIML CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMITY

Issuing Authority

Name: ........................................................................................................................................................................

Address: .....................................................................................................................................................................

Person responsible: ......................................................................................................................................................

Applicant

Name: ........................................................................................................................................................................

Address: .....................................................................................................................................................................

Manufacturer of the certified type (if the manufacturer is not the applicant)

Name: ........................................................................................................................................................................

Address: .....................................................................................................................................................................

Identification of the certified type (continue on next page, if necessary)

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

This Certificate attests the conformity of the above identified type (represented by the sample or samples identi-
fied in the associated Test Report) with the requirements of the following Recommendation of the International
Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML):

R ................... Edition (Year): ...................

for accuracy class (if applicable): ...................

This Certificate relates only to the metrological and technical characteristics of the type of instrument covered
by the relevant OIML Recommendation identified above.

This Certificate does not bestow any form of legal international approval.

Page … of … pages

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 OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

OIML Certificate No.

—————————————-

The conformity was established by the results of tests and examinations provided in the associated Test Report:

No. ................... that includes ................... pages.

Identification(s) and signature(s) or stamp(s) (as applicable)

The Issuing Authority The CIML Member

(if applicable)

................................................................................... .....................................................................................

................................................................................... .....................................................................................

................................................................................... .....................................................................................

Date: ................... Date: ...................

* *

Important note: Apart from the mention of the Certificate’s reference number and the name of the OIML
Member State in which the Certificate is issued, partial quotation of the Certificate and of the
associated Test Report is not permitted, although either may be reproduced in full.

Page … of … pages

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OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

Annex B
Reference Number of a Certificate
(Mandatory)

B.1 The reference number of a Certificate is divided Note 1: If one of the Issuing Authorities in a Member
into the following parts: State ceases to issue Certificates, its “serial
number” shall not be allocated to any other Is-
a) the number and year of the edition of the relevant suing Authority.
Recommendation as specified in the latest pub-
Note 2: Provisionally, the sole Issuing Authority may
lished list of Recommendations included in the
continue to use its country code without indi-
System;
cating the serial number “1” for Certificates is-
b) a two-letter code indicating the Member State in sued in 2003. However, as soon as a second Is-
which the Certificate was issued in accordance suing Authority is identified in a Member
with the ISO country codes [12] - as indicated in State and registered by the BIML, the first Is-
B.2 - along with the number indicating the specific suing Authority shall add “1” to its country
Issuing Authority beginning with 1 (Example 1) code (e.g. in the case of Example 2 the first Is-
and in the order as designated by the CIML Mem- suing Authority in country “BB” shall be
ber; and changed for “BB1” in all future certificates.
c) the last two figures of the year of issue of the Cer- Note 3: For amended Certificates, the same reference
tificate followed by its two-digit sequential number number shall be used as for the initial Certifi-
for that particular year for each Issuing Authority. cate (see 6.7.2).

Example 1 Example 2

R76/1992-AA1-03.04 R60/2000-BB2-01.02

Signifies that the Signifies that the

instrument type The first Issuing instrument type The 2nd Issuing
on the Certificate Authority of the on the Certificate Authority of the
conforms to OIML OIML Member Represents the conforms to OIML OIML Member Represents the
Recommendation State with the ISO 4th Certificate Recommendation State with the ISO 2nd Certificate
R 76, Edition 1992 country code “AA” issued in 2003 R 60, Edition 2000 country code “BB” issued in 2001

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 OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

B.2 ISO country codes for Member States [12]

Albania ........................................................ AL Japan ........................................................... JP

Algeria ........................................................ DZ Kazakhstan ................................................ KZ
Australia ..................................................... AU Kenya ......................................................... KE
Austria ......................................................... AT Dem. People’s Rep. of Korea ..................... KP
Belarus ....................................................... BY Republic of Korea ..................................... KR
Belgium ...................................................... BE The F.Y.R. of Macedonia .......................... MK
Brazil .......................................................... BR Monaco ...................................................... MC
Bulgaria ..................................................... BG Morocco .................................................... MA
Cameroon .................................................. CM Netherlands ............................................... NL
Canada ........................................................ CA Norway ...................................................... NO
China .......................................................... CN Pakistan ...................................................... PK
Croatia ....................................................... HR Poland ......................................................... PL
Cuba ........................................................... CU Portugal ...................................................... PT
Cyprus ........................................................ CY Romania .................................................... RO
Czech Republic .......................................... CZ Russian Federation ................................... RU
Denmark .................................................... DK Saudi Arabia ............................................... SA
Egypt .......................................................... EG Serbia and Montenegro ............................. YU*
Ethiopia ...................................................... ET Slovakia ...................................................... SK
Finland ........................................................ FI Slovenia ....................................................... SI
France ......................................................... FR South Africa ............................................... ZA
Germany .................................................... DE Spain ........................................................... ES
Greece ........................................................ GR Sri Lanka .................................................... LK
Hungary ..................................................... HU Sweden ....................................................... SE
India ............................................................ IN Switzerland ................................................ CH
Indonesia .................................................... ID Tanzania ..................................................... TZ
Islamic Republic of Iran ............................ IR Tunisia ........................................................ TN
Ireland ......................................................... IE United Kingdom ........................................ GB
Israel ............................................................ IL United States of America .......................... US
Italy .............................................................. IT Zambia ...................................................... ZM

* Serbia and Montenegro, formerly Yugoslavia. The code will

change as soon as reference [12] is changed by ISO

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OIML P 1: 2003 (E)

Annex C
Summary of the Tasks of an Issuing Authority
(Informative)

C.1 This Annex summarizes the tasks of the Issuing e) reviews the results of type evaluation included in
Authority included in the text of this publication in or- the Test Report;
der to assist them in understanding their central role
in implementing the System. f) for a successful evaluation, issues a Certificate for
the type (of measuring instrument) to the appli-
C.2 The Issuing Authority carries out the following cant;
tasks:
g) for an unsuccessful evaluation, notifies the appli-
a) designates the laboratory that is competent to car-
cant in writing of the deficiencies in performance
ry out the necessary examinations and tests of the
of the type (of measuring instrument);
submitted type (of measuring instrument) and pre-
pares the Test Report of the results;
h) submits (directly or via its country’s CIML Mem-
b) ensures that the testing laboratory is competent ber according to the mutual agreement between
according to requirements compatible with the two) the Certificate to the BIML for registra-
ISO/IEC 17025:1999, “General requirements for tion;
the competence of testing and calibration labora-
tories” [9];
i) maintains active liaison with its CIML Member,
c) ensures that the application and test procedures whenever appropriate; and
reflect the current System requirements;
d) specifies documented conditions under which the j) makes available documented procedures for ac-
manufacturer’s or third party’s test results may be cepting, considering, and resolving appeals against
considered; decisions.

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Printed in France GRANDE IMPRIMERIE DE TROYES