Three dates
- 16 September 2026: the 2026 edition is published. It replaces the 2015 edition and incorporates its 2024 amendment on climate change.
- 31 March 2028: from that day, every initial certification is issued only to the 2026 edition.
- 30 September 2029: the transition ends. A 2015 certificate that has not migrated loses validity.
The transition can take place at a surveillance audit, at recertification or in a separate audit. The longest wait does not depend on you but on the certification body, which first has to be accredited to audit the 2026 edition. Before scheduling anything, ask it when that will be.
The changes that create new obligations
These are the points where the auditor can ask for evidence that was not asked for before.
- Interested parties (4.2): listing what they expect from you is no longer enough. You must decide which of those expectations are addressed through the management system.
- Quality culture and ethical behaviour (5.1.1 and 7.3): top management must promote them and staff must be aware of them. The evidence is what management says and does, the induction and the interviews.
- Risks (6.1.2): besides identifying them you must analyse and evaluate them. The standard imposes no formal method, but without a written criterion the analysis cannot be demonstrated.
- Opportunities (6.1.3): they leave the risk matrix and get their own cycle: determine them, evaluate them, act and check whether it worked.
- Change management (6.3): when planning a change you must foresee how it is communicated, how it is monitored and how its result is reviewed.
- Contingencies (8.2.1): you must tell the customer what happens to their order or service if there is a disruption.
- Management review (9.3.2): a new input comes in, how the needs of interested parties have changed, and risks and opportunities are reviewed separately.
The risks and opportunities matrix is split into two registers. The risk of the single technical-fabric supplier gets an assessment with a written criterion. The opportunity to sell motorized blinds moves to its own register, with an owner and a review date. The change form, the one used when the cutter was commissioned, gains three boxes: who is told, how it is checked and when it is reviewed.
What only changes number or wording
- Improvement (10): continual improvement moves from 10.3 to 10.1, and 10.3 ceases to exist. Procedures that cite it must be renumbered.
- 6.1.2 is no longer the same: in 2015 it covered actions on risks and opportunities together; in 2026 it is risks only. Migrating documents by matching numbers is the easiest mistake to make.
- Documented information: the words “maintain” and “retain” disappear. The standard now distinguishes between what must be available as a document and what must be available as evidence, which is the record. The substance does not change.
- Reordered lists: several clauses changed the order of their items. When citing a letter, cite the edition too.
- Annexes: Annex A was rewritten and remains informative; it cannot be the basis of a nonconformity. Annex B is gone.
What the 2026 edition does not require
With every edition, requirements circulate that are not in the text. If someone tells you 2026 requires something on this list, ask for the clause.
- Artificial intelligence governance. That is what ISO/IEC 42001 is for.
- Sustainability reporting. Climate comes in only as a context issue, and was already required since 2024.
- Cybersecurity. That is ISO/IEC 27001 territory.
- A formal risk management method. ISO 31000 remains optional.
- A quality manual, a management representative or mandatory procedures. Still not required.
- Management software.
What to do depending on where you are
- You already hold a 2015 certificate: it remains valid. Ask your body when it will be accredited, choose the audit at which you will transition and, before it, run an internal audit and a management review against the 2026 edition.
- You are implementing against 2015: you can finish and certify, but that certificate will have to migrate before 30 September 2029. If your body already audits 2026, switching now costs less than migrating later.
- You are about to start: start with 2026, unless your body is not yet accredited and a contract or tender date is pressing.
The ISO 9001 page sums up where the standard stands and how The Ark of ISO works with it. This guide explains it in our own words; the official text has to be bought.