NABL documents list: 100A, 100B, 218A, 133 and more

Which NABL documents does a testing or calibration lab need?

You won't need all 77 documents on NABL's list. Many are for medical labs, proficiency testing providers, reference material producers, biobanks or NABL's own assessors. A testing or calibration lab needs about a dozen, at different stages.

NABL 100A clause 6.2 lists what every accredited lab is obliged to follow at all times: the relevant standard, NABL's specific criteria where applicable, NABL 131, NABL 133, NABL 142 and NABL 163. It adds NABL 143 for calibration labs.

NABL documents list for testing and calibration labs

The tables below group the documents by purpose. Each document number links to NABL's download. The last column is exactly what NABL's Documents page showed on 26 October 2026.

Applying for accreditation

Fees and scope

Terms, the NABL symbol and adverse decisions

Specific criteria

Specific criteria add requirements for a particular field on top of ISO/IEC 17025.

Assessment and surveillance

Proficiency testing

Measurement uncertainty

How these rules show up on your reports is covered in our guides to the NABL test report format and the NABL calibration certificate format.

NABL 218A: the checklist for annual surveillance

NABL 218A is the checklist an assessor fills in at your surveillance. It is a Word file, Issue 01 dated 6 August 2025, and it has not been amended since. Most rows end in an "Assessor Remark" column. It asks about:

1. The corrective actions on non-conformities from your last on-site assessment, and whether they still work "as on date".
2. Internal audit: the plan, the last two audit dates, who audited and how they were trained, and whether all activities and sites were covered.
3. Your last management review: agenda, inputs, outputs and whether actions were completed on time.
4. Complaints and how they were handled.
5. Internal quality control: the plan, the data and what you did when acceptance criteria were missed.
6. Proficiency testing against your NABL 163 plan (Form 18), with root cause analysis for any unsatisfactory result.
7. An equipment list, with model, serial number, range, last calibration, due date and who calibrated it, and a reference material list, with source, expiry and traceability. The assessor comments on both against NABL 142.
8. Training: the plan, whether it was carried out, and whether its effectiveness was checked.
9. The reports and certificates the assessor checked.
10. Changes since the last assessment, such as ownership, top management, key people, premises, major equipment and the people who authorise results.

The assessor then comments on your compliance with NABL 131, 133, 142, 143, 163 and any specific criteria. For NABL 133, the checklist asks the assessor to look at your website and promotional material, and at any reports issued while you were not accredited. Each finding goes on form NAF 4A, and the visit is summed up on NAF 6A.

What changed recently. NABL 218A itself has not changed since 2025. The desktop surveillance form, NABL 218, was amended on 7 January 2026 (Amendment 07) to remove references to ISO 15189:2012. NABL's page lists NABL 218 as Issue 01, but the file's cover and footer say Issue 03.

NABL 218A predates the four-year accreditation cycle. NABL's assessment programme of 24 June 2026 now sets two surveillances and an on-site mid-cycle assessment in each cycle. Desktop surveillance is allowed only for labs with ten years of unbroken accreditation and no adverse decision in the previous cycle. Our guide to NABL surveillance and the 4-year cycle covers the timing and how to prepare.

Looking for a "NABL 218 PDF"? NABL publishes NABL 218 as a Word .doc file and NABL 218A as a .docx file. Neither is on its Documents page as a PDF.

NABL 100A: the General Information Brochure

NABL 100A is a 40-page overview of NABL. It covers:

• NABL's history and the scope of its accreditation;
• complaints and appeals;
• the rights and obligations of NABL and of an accredited lab;
• the full list of NABL documents;
• integrated assessment with regulators, and NABL's recognition programmes;
• the fee structure (section 9), modes of payment, and the benefits of accreditation.

Which amendment is current?

NABL's own statements don't agree. All of them point to the same file, 202608311205-NABL-100A-doc.pdf:

The amendment sheet is the most detailed record. It lists Amendment 07 on 24 June 2026 and Amendment 08 on 31 August 2026. So the file you download today is the 31 August 2026 version, whichever number you call it. If your lab's document register says "100A Amd 07, 24 Jun 2026", you probably have the earlier file.

What changed in 2026

A few figures from the current fee table, for Indian testing and calibration labs. GST at 18% is extra on all of them.

For the full sequence of costs and steps, see how to get NABL accreditation.

NABL 100B: the accreditation process and procedure

NABL 100B explains what happens to your application. Its sections cover terminology, the accreditation process, application, document review, assessment, the accreditation decision, the certificate, maintaining accreditation, and the rights and obligations of NABL and of the lab.

The deadlines labs most often ask about are all in NABL 100B:

What changed recently. The current version is Amendment 03, dated 27 August 2025. Its amendment sheet gives the reasons as internal review, inclusion of biobanks, and the release of new or amended NABL documents.

NABL 100B has not been updated for the four-year cycle. Clause 8 says the accreditation certificate is valid for four years. But clauses 6.3 and 6.4 still describe annual on-site surveillance and reassessment every two years. NABL's assessment programme of 24 June 2026 is the newer document, and NABL 100A was updated for it the same month. Until NABL 100B is amended, go by the programme and the dates on your own certificate.

How do you know you have the latest version of a NABL document?

NABL 131 clause 2 requires accredited labs to have the latest versions of NABL documents and to implement them. ISO/IEC 17025 clause 8.3 asks you to control external documents too: identify their current revision, and prevent the unintended use of obsolete ones. In practice:

1. Start from NABL's Documents page. On nabl-india.org, go to Publications & Resources, then NABL Documents. NABL's website now serves its documents from new addresses. Old links in the form nabl-india.org/nabl/file_download1.php?filename=..., and the old documents list page, now return "404 Not Found". If a consultant's folder or an old bookmark points there, the copy you have may be out of date.
2. Compare three things. Check the issue number, amendment number and amendment date on NABL's page against the cover of your copy.
3. Open the file and read its amendment sheet. The last row is the latest change. Check that the page footers match the cover. As NABL 100A shows, they don't always.
4. Watch NABL's homepage. New releases are announced there as "Release of NABL ...", with the issue and amendment.
5. Keep a register of NABL documents. List each document your lab uses, with its issue and amendment, and check it against NABL's page every month or two. Mark superseded copies as obsolete, or remove them.

Where NABL's page and the file disagree

We found three cases on 26 October 2026:

• NABL 100A. The page says Amendment 07 of 24 June 2026. The file is the 31 August 2026 version, marked Amendment 07 on the cover and 08 in the footers.
• NABL 220. The page lists Amendment 02 of 22 September 2026, but its link opens the older file, Amendment 01 of 8 July 2021. The Amendment 02 file is on NABL's site too; the link in our table goes to it. It updates the checklist for the four-year cycle and adds biobank accreditation.
• NABL 218. The page says Issue 01; the file says Issue 03. The amendment number and date (07, 7 January 2026) match.

When the two disagree, go by the file's amendment sheet, note the difference in your register, and ask NABL if it matters for something you are about to submit.

Documents you may still find in old folders

• NABL 165 and NABL 201 have been withdrawn. The amendment sheets of NABL 151, 152 and 154 record their removal.
• "NABL 100" is not on NABL's current list. The general information is in NABL 100A, and the process in NABL 100B.
• NABL 112A and 112B are the 112-series documents on NABL's current list. Both are for medical labs.