If your organisation holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, you now need to move to ISO 9001:2026. This guide explains what has changed in the quality management system (QMS) requirements, what stays the same, and what you need to update to keep your certificate.
New to the standard, or want a refresher first? Start with our ISO 9001 in Plain English guide, then come back to the transition steps below.
Where things stand
Updated 7 October 2026. ISO 9001:2026, the sixth edition of the standard, was published on 16 September 2026. It cancels and replaces ISO 9001:2015 and brings the 2024 climate change amendment into the main text. I have rewritten this article against the published standard, so the clause references below match the text you will be audited against.
Key transition dates
UKAS has published its transition timetable. The dates that matter to certified organisations are:
- 16 September 2026: ISO 9001:2026 published, and UKAS starts accepting transition evidence from certification bodies.
- 30 September 2027: all UKAS transition decisions for certification bodies must be complete. Your certification body needs its own transition approved before it can issue accredited 2026 certificates.
- 16 March 2028: certification bodies stop accepting new applications against ISO 9001:2015.
- 30 September 2029: certification bodies must have moved all certified organisations to ISO 9001:2026. After this, a 2015 certificate is no longer valid.
Your ISO 9001:2015 certificate stays valid until you transition, so there is no need to rush. Most certification bodies will carry out the transition at a surveillance or recertification visit, though, so plan back from your next audit date rather than from 2029.
What has actually changed
The good news is that ISO 9001:2026 keeps the same high-level structure, the process approach and the plan-do-check-act cycle. There are no brand-new management system elements to build from scratch. The changes tighten and clarify what was already there, and they fall into the areas below.
Quality culture and ethical behaviour
Clause 5.1.1 now expects top management to promote a quality culture and ethical behaviour, and to take accountability for the effectiveness of the QMS. A new note explains that quality culture shows in an organisation’s shared values, attitudes, practices and actions. Clause 7.3 adds awareness of the organisation’s quality culture and ethical behaviour to what people need to understand.
Evidence to prepare: leadership communications, a values statement or code of conduct that links to quality, and awareness training records that cover it.
Risks and opportunities are now separate
Clause 6.1 has been split into 6.1.1 (determining risks and opportunities), 6.1.2 (actions to address risks) and 6.1.3 (actions to address opportunities). Actions on risks must be proportionate to their potential impact, and actions on opportunities must suit the organisation’s context. Clause 5.1.1 also now names opportunity-based thinking alongside risk-based thinking.
Evidence to prepare: a risk and opportunity register that shows opportunities being actively pursued, not just listed, with actions sized to the impact.
Climate change
Clause 4.1 now says the organisation shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue, and a note to 4.2 recognises that interested parties can have climate-related requirements. This came from the 2024 amendment and is now part of the standard itself.
Evidence to prepare: a recorded decision in your context review, with your reasoning, whichever way it goes.
Planning of changes
Clause 6.3 now has a seven-point list of things to consider when you plan a change to the QMS. The additions ask you to consider how the effectiveness of the change will be monitored or evaluated, and how its results will be reviewed.
Evidence to prepare: a change plan or change request form that captures both points, and one or two completed examples.
Environment for the operation of processes
Clause 7.1.4 now spells out social, psychological and physical factors. The psychological factors include stress reduction, burnout prevention and emotional protection, and a note links some of these factors to quality culture. ISO 45003 is a useful guide here, even if you are not certified to ISO 45001.
Evidence to prepare: how you identify and manage these factors, for example staff surveys, workload reviews and welfare arrangements.
Terms, definitions and Annex A
Clause 3 now includes a small set of core terms directly, rather than only pointing to ISO 9000, which remains the normative reference. “Conformance” is now listed as a deprecated alternative to “conformity”. Annex A has been expanded with clause-by-clause explanation, and the old Annex B list of related standards has been removed.
What stays the same
Customer focus, the process approach, documented information, internal audit, management review, corrective action and continual improvement all carry on as before. If your 2015 system works well, the transition is an update, not a rebuild.
A practical transition plan
- Buy the published ISO 9001:2026 standard and ask your certification body for its transition rules and your likely transition audit date.
- Carry out a gap analysis against the changes above.
- Update your context review, risk and opportunity register, change process and any affected procedures.
- Brief top management on quality culture, ethical behaviour and their accountability for the QMS.
- Run awareness training for staff, covering quality culture and any updated policy wording.
- Carry out at least one internal audit against the 2026 requirements.
- Hold a management review that records transition progress and decisions.
- Close any gaps and have the evidence ready for your certification body.
Suggested 90-minute transition training agenda
- Why ISO 9001 was updated and what it means for a certified organisation
- The changes, clause by clause
- Workshop: map your current processes to the changes
- Evidence checklist for the transition audit
- Your transition plan, owners and dates
- Questions
What to tell your team
ISO 9001 has not been replaced, it has been updated. If our system already works, most of what we do stays the same. The changes ask us to show how leadership drives a healthy quality culture, to treat opportunities as seriously as risks, and to manage change and working conditions more deliberately.
Frequently asked questions
Is my ISO 9001:2015 certificate still valid?
Yes, until you transition. Certification bodies have until 30 September 2029 to move every certified organisation to the 2026 edition.
Do I need to rewrite my quality manual?
No. ISO 9001 has not required a quality manual since 2015. You need to update the documented information affected by the changes, which for most organisations is a handful of documents and records.
Can I be certified to ISO 9001:2026 straight away?
Only once your certification body has had its own transition approved. UKAS decisions run until 30 September 2027, so ask your certification body when it expects to be ready.
Getting ready for your transition audit
The ISO Training Institute’s free ISO 9001:2026 and ISO 14001:2026 transition course covers what changed and what your system needs before your transition audit.
If you’d rather have the update done for you, CAW Consultancy can gap-assess your system against the new edition and update it ahead of your certification body’s visit.
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