ISO 9001:2026 was published on September 16, 2026. It is the sixth edition, a technical revision of ISO 9001:2015, and it incorporates the 2024 climate change amendment into the standard itself. Organizations holding a certificate issued by an ASCB-accredited certification body transition to the new edition by September 30, 2029. Other accreditation bodies may set different dates, so a certificate holder elsewhere should confirm with the body that issued it.

The architecture is unchanged. The seven quality management principles carry through, and so do the process approach, the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and risk-based thinking. An organization running a functioning quality management system is not facing a rebuild.

The substantive changes are contained. Core management system terms have been added to clause 3, with ISO 9000 remaining the normative reference for terms. Quality culture and ethical behavior are brought into the requirements, around leadership, awareness and the environment for the operation of processes. Risks and opportunities are separated. The management of change is strengthened. Annex A has been expanded as informative guidance that adds no new requirements, and Annex B has been removed.

The practical sequence is ordinary: obtain the new edition, review the existing system against it, and agree the timing of the transition audit with your certification body. Transition audits are normally combined with a scheduled surveillance or recertification visit rather than run separately.

The full overview, written from the accreditation angle, is in the Resource Center Standards Library.