# Authorised signatory

> An authorised signatory is a named person, approved within an accredited inspection body or laboratory and recognised by the accreditation body, who may review, sign and release reports or certificates within a defined technical scope.

- Source: https://amps.global/glossary/authorised-signatory/
- Type: Glossary
- Published: 2026-09-05
- Tags: accreditation, quality

## Key facts

- Approval is per technical scope (method, product) and is assessed during NATA or IANZ visits
- Signatories are usually Level 2 or 3 technicians with demonstrated competence and knowledge of the quality system
- Reports issued with the accreditation symbol must be signed by an authorised signatory
- Changes of signatory must be notified to the accreditation body

Also known as: approved signatory, report signatory, key technical personnel.

## Why it exists

Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020 or 17025 is granted to the company, but the competence to release results is personal. Naming signatories makes clear who takes technical responsibility for each report and lets the accreditation body interview and assess those people.

## Signatories in AMPS

AMPS records who created, reported and closed each job through its history feature, and reports can be signed electronically in AMPS, so the signatory trail for a job is available without digging through email.

## Related pages

- [ISO/IEC 17020](https://amps.global/glossary/iso-iec-17020/)
- [E-signature](https://amps.global/glossary/e-signature/)
- [Audit trail](https://amps.global/glossary/audit-trail/)

## Sources

- [NATA - National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia](https://nata.com.au/)
- [IANZ - International Accreditation New Zealand](https://www.ianz.govt.nz/)