Applicants must have unhindered access to the procedures, except in cases defined by the ISO 17065 Standard. The services of the Body should be accessible to all applicants whose activities fall within its scope of responsibilities. Access to the certification processes must be independent of the size of the client, their membership in a group or association, and the number of previous certifications.
The Body should not impose unjustified financial or other conditions. The Body may refuse to accept an application or to maintain a certification contract with a client when there are fundamental or proven reasons (e.g., involvement of the client in illegal activities, repeated non-conformities with certification or product requirements, relevant history).