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Virtual Audits: COVID-19

The GOTS organisation developed guidelines for GOTS Approved Certification Bodies who require to replace on-site audits by Virtual Audits (VAs) due to travel and meeting restrictions imposed by health authorities because the threat of infection and spread of COVID-19.

The latest version of the Guidelines Document that was developed after inputs from Approved Certifiers is available here. These guidelines will continue to be developed with new inputs from Certifiers so the latest version should be referred to in all cases.

The decision to conduct a Virtual Audit (VA) or not will remain with the Certifiers.

For more information contact .

Explanatory Note:

GOTS also prescribes Remote Audits under certain circumstances. These are desktop audits based on review documentation and do not require a meeting of the auditor and auditee, in person or virtually. VAs however will require live interaction between the two parties, in addition to documentation review.

Previous and further documents:

GOTS Guidelines for Virtual Audits in the times of COVID-19 Version 5 (05 January 2022)

GOTS Guidelines for Virtual Audits in the times of COVID-19 Version 4 (27 April 2021)

GOTS Guidelines for Virtual Audits in the times of COVID-19 Version 3 (5 March 2021)

Changelog to GOTS Guidelines for Virtual Audits - Revision Version 2.0 to 3.0 (5 March 2021)

GOTS Guidelines for Virtual Audits in the times of COVID-19 Version 2 (23 June 2020)

Changelog to GOTS Guidelines for Virtual Audits - Revision Version 1.0 to 2.0 (23 June 2020)

GOTS Guidelines for Virtual Audits in the times of COVID-19 Version 1 (7 April 2020)

GOTS Measures related to COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak (Extension of Scope Certificates, "Virtual Audits") (Update as of 17 April 2020)

GOTS Measures related to COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak (Extension of Scope Certificates, "Virtual Audits") (19 March 2020)

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