Surveillance audits are routinely conducted by RAB six months after accreditation has been granted, and then on the first, second, and third anniversaries of the accreditation. A complete reassessment is required every four years. Additional audits may be performed if the registrar wishes to extend the scope of accreditation to cover additional industry sectors, or to participate in certain specialty fields. Each registrar is required to have a system for handling complaints. RAB evaluates the operation of the complaint system during its surveillance audits.
Every registrar also has an appeals system through which suppliers can appeal adverse decisions.
The registrar s appeals system is also evaluated by RAB during surveillance audits. While RAB does accept applications from registrars based outside of North America, RAB encourages such registrars to seek accreditation by their local national accreditation body. Internationally, the two terms are used interchangeably. Certification, or registration as it is called in the United States, is done by a registrar organization. It is accomplished through a series of document reviews and facility visits and audits.