Account & Billing

Yes. EMQN is committed to making External Quality Assessment (EQA) accessible to laboratories worldwide and recognises that participation costs can be a barrier in some regions.

Laboratories based in countries classified by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDEs) may be eligible to apply for a reduced participation fee. Approved laboratories can receive discounted EQA fees for a limited period, helping them establish and maintain participation in quality assurance programmes.

All applications are reviewed individually and eligibility is assessed against EMQN’s fee reduction criteria. Approval is not automatic and discounts must be granted before scheme registration. Please click here for more information.

EMQN’s standard payment terms are 30 days from the invoice date. Interest may be charged on overdue invoices in accordance with our payment policy.
For further information, please refer to the Costs of Participation page.
Please note that your organisation’s standard payment terms (for example, 60 or 90 days) do not apply to purchases made through EMQN. By registering for and purchasing EMQN EQA schemes, you agree to EMQN’s 30-day payment terms, regardless of your organisation’s internal payment policies.
If you anticipate any difficulties meeting the payment deadline, we recommend contacting EMQN as soon as possible to discuss your circumstances.

EMQN accepts payment by bank transfer or credit card.

• Bank Transfer: Our bank details can be found at the bottom of your invoice.
• Credit Card: If you would like to pay by credit card, please contact us. We will then issue an invoice that includes a secure credit card payment link.
  If you have any questions about payment methods or require assistance with an invoice, please contact our support team and we will be happy to help.

No. A Purchase Order (PO) number is not required to register for an EMQN EQA scheme.

However, if your organisation requires a PO number for invoice processing, you can enter it during checkout or add it later through your EMQN account.

Please note:

• A PO number is only used for invoicing purposes and does not affect your registration.
• If you send a PO directly to EMQN, please include your Lab ID, laboratory name, and Primary Contact details.
• Sending a PO to EMQN does not register you for a scheme. Registration is only completed when you purchase a scheme and complete the checkout process through your EMQN account.

For organisations that require a PO, we recommend providing it before your invoice is issued whenever possible.

EMQN issues invoices once per year, typically in April, after registration has closed for all schemes. As a result, you may receive an invoice for some EQA schemes before samples have been dispatched.
Invoices are sent by email to the billing contact listed on your account. It is therefore important to ensure that your billing details, including the billing contact’s email address, are kept up to date.
If you require an invoice before the annual billing cycle, please contact us and we will be happy to assist.
Please note that invoices cover all chargeable scheme registrations associated with your account at the time of billing.

If you require a copy of an existing invoice, please email finance@emqn.org and provide either:

• Your Lab ID number
• The invoice reference number

Providing this information will help us locate and resend the invoice as quickly as possible.

If you receive a payment reminder or demand for payment, it usually indicates that there is an outstanding balance on your account.

There are several common reasons why this can occur:

• Your finance department may have paid the incorrect amount or paid in the wrong currency.
• A Purchase Order (PO) may have been raised for your initial order, but additional purchases were made later (for example, repeat samples), meaning the PO no longer covered the full invoice amount.
• Your finance department may have paid only the amount stated on the original PO rather than the final invoiced amount.

Bank charges, transaction fees, or exchange rate differences may have reduced the amount received by EMQN, resulting in a remaining balance.

If you have received a payment reminder and believe your invoice has already been paid, please contact us. Our Finance team will investigate the outstanding balance and explain the reason for any amount still due.

Yes. Some EMQN EQA schemes are fully or partially subsidised through industry sponsorship, helping to reduce participation costs and support wider access to quality assessment programmes. In some cases, participation may be offered free of charge, while other schemes are available at a significantly reduced fee.

Sponsored schemes, eligibility criteria, and available places may vary each year. Details of any subsidised or sponsored opportunities are published in the annual EQA Catalogue and on the relevant scheme pages. Some sponsored schemes have limited capacity and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you would like to learn more about current sponsorship opportunities or discounted participation options, please contact the EMQN team.

Participation fees vary depending on the EQA scheme. Current pricing can be found on the scheme pages and within the annual EQA Catalogue.