Standard status
- Current published edition
- ISO 9001:2026 (published September 16, 2026)
- Assessments conducted against
- The 2026 edition. ISO 9001:2015 may still be used by bodies not yet transitioned until the transition deadline below, after which only the 2026 edition applies.
- Transition deadline
- September 30, 2029
- Scheme type
- Management systems (quality)
ISO 9001:2026, the sixth edition of the international quality management system standard, was published on September 16, 2026. It replaces ISO 9001:2015 and incorporates the 2024 amendment on climate change. ISO describes the new edition as a technical revision rather than a rewrite: the clause structure and the seven quality management principles carry over. For certificates issued by ASCB-accredited certification bodies, the transition deadline is September 30, 2029, after which only the 2026 edition applies.
The transition timeline
The move to the new edition happens over a transition period rather than at the moment of publication. Certification against ISO 9001:2015 may continue for bodies not yet transitioned until September 30, 2029. After that date only the 2026 edition applies.
When and how any particular certificate moves to the new edition, including what the certification body will assess and at which visit, comes from the certification body that issued it, and an organization planning its move confirms that detail with its certification body. The current status of the standard itself can be checked at iso.org.
What changed in the 2026 edition
The changes are concentrated in a few places. In summary:
• Core management system definitions now appear in clause 3 of the standard itself; ISO 9000 remains the normative reference for quality management terminology as a whole.
• Quality culture and ethical behavior enter the requirements, through leadership, awareness, the conditions people work in and, so far as it suits the organization's circumstances, the quality policy.
• Risks and opportunities, handled as a pair in the 2015 edition, are now identified together and then acted on separately, each judged by its own test, and evaluated and reviewed as two items rather than one.
• The management of change is strengthened: the list of things weighed before a change to the quality management system grows from four items to seven, adding communication of the change, how its effectiveness will be judged, and how its results will be reviewed once it is in.
• The requirement to consider whether climate change bears on the organization, introduced by the 2024 amendment, is now part of the standard itself.
• The explanatory Annex A is expanded, and Annex B is removed.
• A set of smaller wording changes shows up on a clause-by-clause reading, among them documented information now required to be available rather than maintained or retained.
The full treatment of each change, read against the clause text of both editions, is in the ISO 9001 overview in the Standards Library.
What the revision means for a certified organization
An organization with a well-run quality management system will recognize the framework it already operates, and an organization that applied the 2024 climate change amendment has nothing new to do on that requirement. The attention falls where the changes land: how risks and opportunities are identified and acted on, how changes to the system are planned and closed out, and how quality culture and ethical behavior show up in leadership, awareness and the conditions people work in.
The transition itself is assessed by the certification body that issued the certificate, within the period above. Confirming the timing and detail with that body is the starting point for any organization planning its move.
What it means for the users of a certificate
A certificate citing ISO 9001:2015 remains a current certificate during the transition period; it does not become invalid on publication of the new edition. A buyer reading certificates during the transition may therefore see either edition cited, and both carry the same weight until the deadline. As at any other time, the certificate's current status can be verified, and the accreditation and scope of the body that issued it can be confirmed on the accredited-body search on ascb.com.
Common questions
When was ISO 9001:2026 published?
On September 16, 2026, as the sixth edition of the standard, replacing ISO 9001:2015 and incorporating the 2024 amendment on climate change.
How long do certified organizations have to transition?
For certificates issued by ASCB-accredited certification bodies, the transition deadline is September 30, 2029. The timing and detail for any particular certificate come from the certification body that issued it.
Is a certificate to ISO 9001:2015 still valid?
Yes. Certification against the 2015 edition may continue for bodies not yet transitioned until September 30, 2029, and a 2015 certificate remains current during the transition period. After that date only the 2026 edition applies.
Is ISO 9001:2026 a rewrite of the standard?
No. ISO describes it as a technical revision. The clause structure and the seven quality management principles carry over, and the changes are concentrated in the areas summarized above.
Where can the changes be read in full?
The
ISO 9001 overview in the Standards Library covers each change against the clause text of both editions. The standard itself is available from
iso.org.