Answers checked against the ISO 9001:2026 standard (sixth edition, published 16 September 2026). Reviewed by Kaushal Sutaria, Lead Auditor, Sterling International Consulting. Questions are added weekly from our Ask the Auditor sessions.
Publication and status
Is ISO 9001:2026 published?
Yes. ISO published ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems — Requirements, on 16 September 2026 as the sixth edition of the standard. The ISO catalogue lists it at stage 60.60, International Standard published, with 36 pages.
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What does ISO 9001:2026 replace?
It cancels and replaces ISO 9001:2015 and incorporates ISO 9001:2015/Amd 1:2024, the climate-change amendment, into the main text.
Who wrote ISO 9001:2026?
ISO Technical Committee 176, Subcommittee 2 (Quality systems), in collaboration with CEN under the Vienna Agreement, so the standard is also adopted as EN ISO 9001:2026 in Europe.
Where can I buy ISO 9001:2026?
From ISO at iso.org, or from your national standards body; in the Philippines that is the Bureau of Philippine Standards under the Department of Trade and Industry. The text is copyright ISO. Pages such as this one paraphrase the requirements and cite the clause numbers; they do not reproduce the standard.
Is ISO 9001:2026 a major revision?
No. It is an evolutionary revision. The ten-clause structure, the process approach, the PDCA cycle and risk-based thinking are unchanged, and there are no new mandatory documents. The substantive changes are a new sub-clause on opportunities (6.1.3), seven new list items, about a dozen strengthened wordings, a Clause 3 with definitions, a merged Clause 10, a rewritten Annex A and the removal of Annex B.
What changed
What are the main changes in ISO 9001:2026?
ISO’s Foreword lists six: core management-system terms in Clause 3; the introduction of quality culture and ethical behaviour; the separation of risks and opportunities; strengthened management of change; enhanced explanatory content in Annex A; and the removal of Annex B. Read against the text, the additions are 4.2 c), 5.1.1 i), 6.1.3, 6.3 e) f) g), 7.3 e) and 9.3.2 c), and the strengthened wordings include 5.1.1 k), 5.2.1 e), 5.2.2 d), 5.3 e), 6.1.2, 6.3 c), 7.1.6, 8.2.1 e), 9.1.3 e) f), 9.3.2 g) h) and 10.1.
Did the clause structure change?
No. Clauses 1 to 10 keep their titles and order. Within them, 6.1 is now 6.1.1, 6.1.2 and 6.1.3, and Clause 10 has only 10.1 and 10.2, because the former 10.3 was merged into 10.1.
What is “quality culture and ethical behaviour” in ISO 9001:2026?
A new leadership commitment: top management shall promote quality culture and ethical behaviour (5.1.1 i)), and people doing work under the organisation’s control shall be aware of it (7.3 e)). NOTE 2 to 5.1.1 says these are reflected in shared values, attitudes, practices and actions. No document is required; auditors test it by interview and observation.
What is opportunity-based thinking?
The counterpart of risk-based thinking, named in 0.3.1 and 5.1.1 k): deliberately identifying, analysing, evaluating and pursuing circumstances that could improve the organisation’s ability to deliver conforming products and services and satisfy customers, addressed through 6.1.3.
What changed for risks?
Under 6.1.2 risks must now be determined, analysed and evaluated (2015 said only determined), actions must be proportionate to the potential impact on the intended results of the QMS, and the NOTE names the ability to deliver during and after a disruption. The effectiveness of risk actions is evaluated separately from opportunities in 9.1.3 e) and reviewed separately in 9.3.2 g).
What changed in planning of changes (6.3)?
Three new considerations: the communication of the changes (e)), how their effectiveness will be monitored and evaluated (f)) and how their results will be reviewed (g)). Item c) now covers the availability of information as well as resources.
What changed in the quality policy?
5.2.1 e) makes taking the organisation’s context into account and supporting its strategic direction a separate requirement (in 2015 those ideas sat inside 5.2.1 a) with softer wording), and 5.2.2 d) adds that the policy shall be implemented, as well as understood and applied.
What changed in management review?
One new input, changes in the needs and expectations of interested parties (9.3.2 c)), and the split of the effectiveness of actions on risks and on opportunities into two inputs (9.3.2 g) and h)). Outputs are unchanged.
What changed in Clause 10?
The 2015 sub-clauses 10.1 (General) and 10.3 (Continual improvement) are merged into a single 10.1, Continual improvement, which now names improving processes and addressing future needs and expectations as explicit action areas. 10.2 is unchanged apart from a NOTE that customer complaints can be a source of nonconformities.
Is climate change new in ISO 9001:2026?
No. It was added to ISO 9001:2015 by Amendment 1:2024. The 2026 edition carries the same two sentences into the base text: determine whether climate change is a relevant issue (4.1), and note that interested parties can have climate-related requirements (4.2 NOTE). No carbon accounting is required.
Does ISO 9001:2026 mention artificial intelligence?
No. It refers to technologies, emerging technologies, digital systems and automated interactions between devices in NOTEs and Annex A, and adds no requirement to use or to govern AI. AI management systems are the subject of ISO/IEC 42001.
What is in Annex A now?
Informative clarification, clause by clause (A.1 to A.10), including in A.2 the meaning of appropriate versus applicable, consider versus take into account, continual versus continuous, ensure, “shall be available as documented information” versus “as evidence of”, and strategic direction. Annex A adds no requirements. Annex B has been removed.
Why does Clause 3 now contain definitions?
Because the 2026 edition applies the current Harmonized Structure for ISO management system standards, which places the common terms in each standard. ISO 9001:2026 defines 23 terms across 3.1 to 3.20; ISO 9000 remains the normative reference, now undated.
Documents and records
Does ISO 9001:2026 add new mandatory documents?
No. The set of documents and records required is the same as in 2015. The verbs “maintain” and “retain” are replaced by “shall be available as documented information” and “documented information shall be available as evidence of”.
Does ISO 9001:2026 require a quality manual?
No, and it has not since 2015.
Does ISO 9001:2026 require documented procedures?
No procedure is named as mandatory. The organisation determines what its processes need (4.4.2 a), 7.5.1 b)).
Do we need a documented risk register?
Not explicitly; Clause 6.1 has no documented-information requirement. Because risks and opportunities must now be analysed and evaluated and the effectiveness of actions reviewed, a register is the practical evidence.
What should we update in our documents for ISO 9001:2026?
References to ISO 9001:2015 and to 2015 list letters; anything citing 10.3; the quality policy (5.2.1 e)); the risk and opportunity registers (6.1.2, 6.1.3); the change-planning template (6.3); the management review agenda (9.3.2 c), g), h)); the internal audit checklist; and awareness material (7.3 e)). The full list is on our documented information page.
Certificates and transition
Is my ISO 9001:2015 certificate still valid?
Yes. ISO 9001:2015 certificates remain valid until 30 September 2029, the end of the transition period set by Global ACI in Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M). They do not lapse because the new edition was published; they must be transitioned by a transition audit before that date.
How long is the transition period for ISO 9001:2026?
Three years, ending 30 September 2029. Global ACI published the transition requirements (Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), issued 4 September 2026) on 16 September 2026, with four milestones before the end date: accreditation bodies ready by 31 March 2027, certification bodies’ transition declarations by 30 June 2027, accreditation decisions by 30 September 2027, and initial certifications only to the 2026 edition from 31 March 2028.
Who sets the transition deadline: ISO, IAF or someone else?
Global ACI (Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated), which took over the roles of IAF and ILAC on 1 January 2026. ISO publishes the standard; Global ACI sets the transition requirements for accredited certification, and it did so on 16 September 2026 in Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M). National accreditation bodies apply them to the certification bodies they accredit.
Can we be certified to ISO 9001:2026 now?
Not on an accredited basis until your certification body has had its accreditation extended to the 2026 edition. Under the Global ACI requirements accreditation bodies must be ready by 31 March 2027 and complete their decisions by 30 September 2027, so accredited ISO 9001:2026 certificates appear body by body during 2027. Ask your certification body for its date.
Someone has offered to “re-issue” our certificate to ISO 9001:2026 without an audit. Is that real?
No. An accredited certificate to the new edition requires a transition audit against the changed requirements by a certification body whose accreditation covers the 2026 edition, and no certification body can hold that accreditation before its accreditation body has completed the transition assessment set out in Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), a process that runs through 2027. Treat the offer as a warning sign and check the certification body’s accreditation.
How does the transition audit work?
Under the Global ACI requirements the certification body assesses the changed requirements of ISO 9001:2026, changes in your organisation’s context and the need for any other changes to your system, during a scheduled surveillance or recertification audit or as a special transition audit, on site or remotely by ICT, with any additional audit time decided and justified by the certification body. It expects to see a gap analysis, updated documentation, an internal audit and a management review conducted against the 2026 edition, and closed findings.
When should we transition?
Early enough that the internal audit and management review against the 2026 edition are complete before the certification body’s transition visit, and well before 30 September 2029, when certification-body capacity will be tightest. For most organisations that means starting the gap analysis now and transitioning at the first scheduled audit after the certification body is accredited for the 2026 edition, which the Global ACI milestones place during 2027.
What does the transition cost?
The work is the difference between your 2015 system and the 2026 requirements, not a new system, so it is a fraction of an original implementation. Certification bodies typically charge additional audit time for the transition assessment. Sterling’s Revise™ service prices the transition as a fixed scope after a week-two gap report.
Will government tenders and DPWH still accept ISO 9001:2015 certificates?
A valid accredited ISO 9001:2015 certificate remains a valid ISO 9001 certificate until 30 September 2029. Procuring entities should be told that accredited ISO 9001:2026 certificates cannot exist before certification bodies are accredited for the edition during 2027, and that Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M) is the document that says so.
First-time certification
We are implementing ISO 9001 for the first time. Should we build to 2015 or 2026?
Build to ISO 9001:2026. Every 2015 requirement is retained and the additions are known. Whether your first certificate says 2015 or 2026 depends on when your certification body is accredited for the new edition; from 31 March 2028 initial certifications can only be issued to the 2026 edition, and a 2015 certificate issued before then must be transitioned by 30 September 2029.
Should we wait for the transition requirements before starting?
No. The standard’s text is final and the transition requirements are published; the deadline is 30 September 2029.
Is ISO 9001:2026 suitable for a small business?
Yes. The standard is applicable to any organisation regardless of size (Clause 1), and its requirements on documentation, risk analysis and review are meant to be applied proportionately.
Audits and training
Do we need an internal audit against ISO 9001:2026 before the transition audit?
Certification bodies expect the system to have been internally audited against the 2026 edition, with findings closed and results reviewed by management, before the transition audit.
Can we reuse our 2015 internal audit checklist?
Not without rebuilding it. List lettering changed in 5.1.1, 5.3, 6.1.1, 6.2.1, 6.3, 7.3, 9.1.3 and 9.3.2; 6.1 gained a third sub-clause; 10.3 no longer exists; and the new requirements need their own questions.
How will auditors audit quality culture?
By interviewing people at several levels with the same questions and comparing the answers, observing how problems are received, reading records for what they imply, and checking whether the reward system contradicts the stated values.
Do our internal auditors need retraining?
Their competence for the 2026 edition must be evidenced under 7.2. A transition module is proportionate for experienced auditors; new auditors should be trained on the 2026 standard.
Is there a plain-language checklist for ISO 9001:2026?
Yes, for what changed: the free online ISO 9001:2026 gap check asks twenty plain-language questions with clause references and scores them into an instant readiness report, and the quick checklist (PDF) with the same questions comes with the report. The plain-English requirements page on this site walks through every requirement in Clauses 4 to 10.
Where can I ask a question that is not answered here?
Post it in our Ask the Auditor session on LinkedIn on Fridays, or send it to info@iso-philippines.com. Questions of general interest are added to this page with the answer.
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Read next
The clause-by-clause register; the transition deadline and timeline; the documented information list; the ISO 9001:2026 playbook; the plain-language checklist download; and ISO 9001:2026 transition consulting.
Sources
ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems — Requirements, sixth edition (published 16 September 2026). ISO catalogue entry for ISO 9001:2026 and ISO news release of 16 September 2026. Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), Transition Requirements for ISO 9001:2026 (issued 4 September 2026, published 16 September 2026; verified on global-aci.org on 18 September 2026). UKAS announcement on the launch of Global ACI, 1 January 2026.
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