Any laboratory may apply for Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation if it meets all of the following criteria

• The laboratory is located outside of the United States and its territories.
• If required by law, the laboratory has a facility license or registration to conduct its scope of services.
• The laboratory provides services addressed by the current JCI accreditation standards for laboratories.
• The laboratory accurately identifies in its application for survey the services it currently provides, indicating which services it provides directly, under contract, or through some other arrangement. (Those services that are planned and thus not identified in the electronic application, and begin operations after an initial survey occurs, may require a separate extension survey to evaluate the services.)
• The laboratory is open and in full operation at the time of the accreditation survey. (See the definition for “full operation” in the “Glossary.”)
• The laboratory meets the conditions described in the “Accreditation Participation Requirements” (APR) chapter.
• Consistent with JCI's normal survey process for the size and type of organization (as described in the Joint Commission International Laboratory Survey Process Guide, 4th Edition), laboratory services identified by the organization in the survey application are immediately available for a comprehensive evaluation against all relevant JCI standards such as through the following activities:
• Tracer activities
• Quality control process review
• Proficiency testing monitoring
• Competence assessment and credentials evaluations
• Direct observation of laboratory processes, collection stations, and off-site laboratory services
• The laboratory assumes, or is willing to assume, responsibility for improving the quality of its services.

Contact JCI Accreditation at JCIAccrediation@jcrinc.com prior to submitting an electronic application (that is, E-App) to discuss the criteria and validate whether the laboratory meets the above criteria and is in full operation. JCI may request utilization statistics for laboratory services showing consistent activity levels and types of services provided for at least four months or more prior to accepting the E-App or conducting the survey. In addition, JCI will not begin a survey, may discontinue a survey, or may cancel a scheduled survey when it determines the laboratory is not in full operation.

Note: If in its reasonable discretion JCI determines that the applicant laboratory does not meet the published eligibility criteria, JCI will not accept or process the E-App and will notify the laboratory of its decision.