The new edition of ISO 9001 was published on 16 September 2026. ISO 9001:2026 replaces ISO 9001:2015, together with its 2024 amendment on climate change, and it is the first full revision of the standard in more than a decade.
If your organization already holds ISO 9001 certification, there is no need to rush. Your current certificate stays valid while you make the move, and you have three years to do it. Here is what has changed, the dates that matter and what to expect at your audits.
The key dates
- 16 September 2026: ISO 9001:2026 is published.
- Over the following 12 months: certification bodies complete their own transition with their accreditation body. They can only issue accredited ISO 9001:2026 certificates once that is done.
- Around March 2028: new, first-time certifications are expected to be issued to ISO 9001:2026 only.
- 30 September 2029: the transition period ends, and ISO 9001:2015 certificates are no longer valid after this date.
The transition rules are set by Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI, formerly the International Accreditation Forum) and applied by accreditation bodies such as ANAB.
Is our ISO 9001:2015 certificate still valid?
Yes. Certificates to ISO 9001:2015 remain valid during the transition period, as long as your surveillance audits carry on as normal. Nothing changes overnight, but the move to the new edition has to be completed, with a successful transition audit, before 30 September 2029.
What has changed in ISO 9001:2026
The revision is an update, not a rewrite. The standard keeps the same clause structure (clauses 4 to 10) that it shares with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, and most requirements will look familiar. The main changes are:
- Quality culture and ethical behaviour. Top management is now expected to promote a quality culture and ethical behaviour (clause 5.1.1), and the awareness requirements cover them too (clause 7.3).
- Risks and opportunities are handled separately. Clause 6.1 is split so that risks and opportunities each have their own requirements for determining and addressing them (clauses 6.1.1 to 6.1.3).
- Climate change is built in. The climate change wording added by the 2024 amendment is now part of the standard. Organizations determine whether climate change is a relevant issue for their quality management system (clause 4.1), and whether interested parties have requirements related to it (clause 4.2).
- Stronger management of change. The requirements for planning changes to the quality management system (clause 6.3) have been reinforced.
- Key terms inside the standard. Clause 3 now sets out the core terms and definitions directly, alongside the reference to ISO 9000.
- More guidance in Annex A. The expanded annex explains the intent behind the requirements. It is guidance only and does not add new requirements.
The operational requirements in clause 8 see mostly minor wording changes.
What stays the same
- The common structure shared with ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001, which keeps integrated audits straightforward
- The process approach, the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and risk-based thinking
- The certification cycle: a three-year certificate, with surveillance audits at least once a year
How the transition works for certified companies
You move to the new edition through a transition audit. It focuses on the new and changed requirements, and it is normally combined with a surveillance or recertification audit you already have scheduled, although it can also be done on its own. Depending on the accreditation rules, some additional audit time may be needed.
Once the transition audit is successful and any major nonconformities are closed, an updated certificate referencing ISO 9001:2026 is issued.
If the transition is not completed by 30 September 2029, the ISO 9001:2015 certificate is no longer valid and certification has to be re-established, which takes more time and effort than a transition audit. Leaving it to the last few months also leaves little room to close any nonconformities that come up.
What certified companies should do now
- Get a copy of ISO 9001:2026 and read the new and changed clauses. Standards can be purchased from ISO or a national standards body.
- Brief top management. The new requirements on quality culture and ethical behaviour are aimed directly at them.
- Compare your system with the changes: how you address risks and opportunities, climate change in your context and interested parties, how you plan changes, and what your people know about quality culture.
- Update your documented information where needed, such as your quality policy, objectives and risk and opportunity records.
- Cover the new requirements in your internal audit and management review, so there is evidence that the updated system is working.
- Agree the timing with your certification body. Most organizations plan the transition around an existing surveillance or recertification audit, well before the 2029 deadline.
Getting certified for the first time?
If you are starting out now, ask your certification body which edition your audit will cover. Certification bodies can only issue accredited ISO 9001:2026 certificates once their accreditation body has transitioned them, so for a while some new certifications will still be to ISO 9001:2015. A 2015 certificate would itself need to transition before 30 September 2029, so it makes sense to build your system with the 2026 requirements in mind.
Common questions
Is ISO 9001:2026 a big change?
For an organization with a working quality management system, the changes are moderate. The structure and most requirements are the same. The new work is mainly around leadership and culture, separating risks from opportunities, climate change and the management of change.
Do we need a separate transition audit?
Usually not. The transition is normally combined with a surveillance or recertification audit that is already scheduled, although extra audit time may apply.
Has ISO 14001 changed too?
Yes. ISO 14001:2026 was published in April 2026, and its transition period ends on 30 April 2029, five months before the ISO 9001 deadline. If you hold both certificates, the two transitions can often be planned together, since the standards share the same structure.
Planning your transition?
Apex Systems Registrar is an affiliate of American Registration Inc., an ANAB-accredited certification body, certifying ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001 across Canada and the United States. If you are certified with us, raise the transition at your next audit or contact us to talk about timing. If you are thinking of changing registrars at the same time, see how to switch ISO registrars, or request a quote — no charge, no obligation.
As a certification body we audit and certify management systems. We cannot design or implement your system for you, because that would compromise our impartiality.