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The standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017 “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories” was published on 30 November 2017. Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017 replaces the equally named standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005. The International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC) has decided there will be a transition period of 3 years for the transition from ISO/IEC 17025:2005 to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, in other words until 30 November 2020. The changes concern new texts that add new requirements, changes to texts of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 that re-formulate requirements as well as the non-adoption in ISO/IEC 17025:2017 of requirements from ISO/IEC 17025:2005. This explanatory note describes the RvA policy and the RvA procedure relating to assessments against ISO/IEC 17025:2017, the taking of decisions for accreditation against this new standard and the replacement of the accreditation declarations and scopes of accreditations. .