ISO 9001:2026 is the sixth edition of the quality management systems standard, published by ISO on 16 September 2026. It cancels and replaces ISO 9001:2015, folds the 2024 climate-change amendment into the main text, separates opportunities from risks, adds quality culture and ethical behaviour to the leadership and awareness requirements, and tightens the planning of changes. Global ACI published the transition requirements on the same day: ISO 9001:2015 certificates remain valid until 30 September 2029, no new 2015 certificates may be issued from 31 March 2028, and accredited 2026 certificates appear during 2027. This playbook sets out the changes, the dates and the work for organisations in the Philippines.
Gap assessment, documentation update, training, internal audit and support through your transition audit, delivered end to end by our expert, experienced, professional and friendly local Filipino lead auditors.
Where the revision stands on 18 September 2026
ISO 9001:2026 is published. ISO released the sixth edition on 16 September 2026: 36 pages, catalogue stage 60.60, prepared by ISO/TC 176/SC 2 with CEN. On the same day Global ACI published Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), the transition requirements that fix a three-year period ending 30 September 2029. Nothing about the text or the deadline remains to be decided. The only open date is the one on which each certification body’s accreditation is extended to the 2026 edition.
| Item | Position on 18 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Standard | ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems — Requirements, sixth edition, published 16 September 2026; 36 pages; ISO catalogue stage 60.60 |
| Replaces | ISO 9001:2015, with Amendment 1:2024 (climate change) now incorporated into the main text |
| Transition rules | Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), Transition Requirements for ISO 9001:2026, version 1.0, issued 4 September 2026, published 16 September 2026 |
| Transition period | Three years, ending 30 September 2029 |
| Milestones | 31 March 2027 (accreditation bodies ready), 30 June 2027 (certification-body declarations), 30 September 2027 (accreditation decisions), 31 March 2028 (new certifications only to 2026), 30 September 2029 (all transitions completed) |
| Your ISO 9001:2015 certificate | Valid until its expiry date and in no case beyond 30 September 2029 |
| Accredited ISO 9001:2026 certificates | Issued only by certification bodies whose accreditation has been extended to the 2026 edition; the first appear body by body during 2027 |
| Who set the rules | Global ACI (Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated), which took over the roles of IAF and ILAC on 1 January 2026 |
Earlier versions of this page were written against the Final Draft International Standard, whose ballot closed on 10 July 2026, and against an expected rather than a published transition. Every statement below has been checked against the ISO 9001:2026 standard and against the Global ACI document. Where the earlier draft-based reading differed from the final text, the final text wins, and the clause-by-clause register records each item with its clause number. The news special on the publication covers the announcement itself.
Key dates at a glance
Nine dates govern the ISO 9001:2026 transition. Three are behind us (the FDIS ballot, publication and the Global ACI document), one is ISO’s own product date, and the other five are the Global ACI milestones still ahead. Every date in this table is fixed; none is an estimate. Put the last five in your management review calendar now, because your certification body is already planning its diary around them.
| Date | Event | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| 10 July 2026 | FDIS ballot on ISO/FDIS 9001 closed (ISO close-of-voting record) | ISO/TC 176/SC 2 |
| 16 September 2026 | ISO 9001:2026 published (sixth edition) | ISO |
| 16 September 2026 | Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), Transition Requirements for ISO 9001:2026, published | Global ACI |
| 1 October 2026 | ISO 9001 included in ISO’s first offering of digitally enhanced content, available from this date | ISO |
| 31 March 2027 | Accreditation bodies ready to assess certification bodies against the 2026 edition | Global ACI |
| 30 June 2027 | Certification bodies’ transition declarations due | Global ACI |
| 30 September 2027 | Accreditation-body transition decisions completed | Global ACI |
| 31 March 2028 | From this date, initial (new) certifications may be issued only to ISO 9001:2026; no new ISO 9001:2015 certificates after it | Global ACI |
| 30 September 2029 | All transitions completed; ISO 9001:2015 certificates and accreditations are no longer valid after this date | Global ACI |
The transition deadline page explains each milestone from the certified organisation’s side, and why the usable part of the three years is shorter than it looks.
What changes in ISO 9001:2026, theme by theme, verified against the ISO 9001:2026 standard
Five themes carry almost every change between ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 9001:2026: alignment with the Harmonized Structure and a rebuilt Clause 3; climate change in 4.1 and 4.2; the separation of risks from opportunities in 6.1.2 and 6.1.3; quality culture and ethical behaviour in 5.1.1 i) and 7.3 e); and a set of strengthened requirements on strategy, change, knowledge, customer communication and improvement. Each theme below gives the clause references an auditor will use.
| Theme | Clauses | Type of change |
|---|---|---|
| Harmonized Structure, terms and structure | Clause 3 (3.1 to 3.20, 23 terms); 6.1.1 to 6.1.3; 10.1 and 10.2; Annex A.1 to A.10; Annex B removed | Structural and editorial |
| Climate change | 4.1; 4.2 NOTE | Amendment 1:2024 incorporated |
| Risks and opportunities | 5.1.1 k); 5.3 e); 6.1.1; 6.1.2 with NOTE 1; 6.1.3; 9.1.3 e) and f); 9.3.2 g) and h) | New sub-clause and strengthened wording |
| Quality culture and ethical behaviour | 5.1.1 i) with NOTE 2; 7.1.4 NOTE; 7.3 e) | New list items and an informative NOTE |
| Strategy, change and operations | 4.2 c); 5.2.1 e); 5.2.2 d); 6.3 c), e), f), g); 7.1.6; 8.2.1 e); 9.3.2 c); 10.1 | New list items and strengthened wording |
Harmonized Structure and Clause 3 terms
The 2026 edition follows the Harmonized Structure that ISO uses for its management system standards, so the ten clause titles and their order are the same as in 2015. What moved is inside the clauses. Sub-clause 6.1 is now three parts: 6.1.1 on determining risks and opportunities, 6.1.2 on actions to address risks and 6.1.3 on actions to address opportunities. Clause 10 has two parts only: 10.1, Continual improvement, which absorbs the former 10.3, and 10.2, Nonconformity and corrective action. There is no 10.3 in ISO 9001:2026, and any procedure, checklist or audit report that cites one is citing a clause that no longer exists.
Clause 3 now defines 23 terms in entries 3.1 to 3.20 instead of pointing readers to ISO 9000 alone, and the normative reference to ISO 9000 is undated, so the current edition of ISO 9000 applies whenever it is revised. Annex A remains informative and has been rewritten as A.1 to A.10; Annex B, the 2015 list of related standards, is removed. The phrasing for documentation also changed: “maintain” and “retain” give way to “shall be available as documented information” and “documented information shall be available as evidence of”, explained in Annex A.2 e). The set of required documentation is unchanged, which the documented information page lists in full. The terms and Annex A page walks through the definitions.
Climate change in 4.1 and 4.2
Amendment 1:2024 is now part of the main text. Clause 4.1 requires the organisation to determine whether climate change is a relevant issue for its context, and the NOTE to 4.2 records that interested parties can have climate-related requirements. That is the whole of it. There is no carbon accounting, no emissions target and no environmental objective in ISO 9001:2026; those belong to ISO 14001, not to a quality management system. A one-line determination, with reasoning, satisfies 4.1 whether the answer is yes or no.
Organisations that applied the 2024 amendment when their certification body asked for it already conform. Those that did not now have a hard requirement rather than an amendment sheet, and Philippine sites with typhoon, flood or power-supply exposure will find the honest answer to 4.1 is usually “relevant”, which then feeds 6.1.2 and 8.2.1 e). The climate change page shows what a proportionate determination looks like.
Risks and opportunities part ways: 6.1.2 and 6.1.3
This is the change with the widest reach in a working system. In 2015, one sub-clause covered risks and opportunities together and most registers treated an opportunity as a risk with a positive sign. In 2026, 6.1.2 requires risks to be determined, analysed and evaluated, with actions proportionate to the potential impact on the intended results of the quality management system; NOTE 1 names disruption as one of the things that potential impact includes. Sub-clause 6.1.3, new in this edition, requires opportunities to be determined, analysed and evaluated in their own right, with actions appropriate to the organisation’s context.
The separation runs through the rest of the standard. Top management must promote opportunity-based thinking as well as risk-based thinking (5.1.1 k)); reporting on opportunities for improvement is a separately assigned responsibility (5.3 e)); the effectiveness of actions on risks and the effectiveness of actions on opportunities are evaluated as two items in 9.1.3 e) and f) and reviewed as two inputs in 9.3.2 g) and h). A register that never records an analysis, an evaluation or a review of effectiveness will not pass 6.1.2 in 2026, whatever it passed in 2015. The risks and opportunities page sets out a register format that meets both sub-clauses.
Quality culture and ethical behaviour: 5.1.1 i), NOTE 2, 7.1.4 NOTE, 7.3 e)
Clause 5.1.1 gains item i): top management demonstrates leadership and commitment by promoting quality culture and ethical behaviour, the standard’s own phrase. NOTE 2 to 5.1.1 explains that these are reflected in shared values, attitudes, practices and actions, which tells an auditor to look at what people do, not at a poster. Clause 7.1.4, on the environment for the operation of processes, gains an informative NOTE on culture. Clause 7.3 gains item e): persons doing work under the organisation’s control must be aware of the organisational quality culture and ethical behaviour.
Nothing here requires a code of ethics as a document, although many organisations will use one. What is required is that leadership promotes both, that people can describe what the organisation expects of them, and that practice matches. This is the requirement that takes longest to evidence, because awareness has to be delivered and lived before it can be sampled in interviews, and it is why every credible transition plan starts with a leadership briefing. The quality culture and ethics page and the leadership and quality policy page cover the evidence in detail.
Strategy, change and the operational touches: 5.2.1 e), 5.2.2 d), 6.3, 7.1.6, 8.2.1 e), 10.1
The remaining changes are individually small and collectively the bulk of the wording work in a transition:
- Interested parties. New item 4.2 c) requires the organisation to decide which interested-party requirements its quality management system will address, and new input 9.3.2 c) brings changes in the needs and expectations of interested parties into management review.
- Quality policy. Item 5.2.1 e) now states separately that the policy takes the organisation’s context into account and supports its strategic direction, a requirement that sat inside 5.2.1 a) in 2015. Item 5.2.2 d) requires the policy to be implemented as well as understood and applied. Clause 5.1.1 now runs a) to l) and 5.3 runs a) to f).
- Planning of changes. Clause 6.3 keeps its 2015 items and strengthens c) to the availability of resources and information, then adds e) communication of the changes, f) how the effectiveness of the changes is monitored and evaluated, and g) how the results are reviewed. The planning of changes page turns 6.3 a) to g) into a one-page change plan.
- Organisational knowledge. Clause 7.1.6 requires knowledge to be retained, applied and shared, not only determined and maintained.
- Customer communication. Item 8.2.1 e) extends contingency communication to disruptions to the provision of products and services, and a NOTE recognises websites, social media and FAQs as customer communication channels.
- Improvement. Clause 10.1 now covers processes explicitly and reaches forward to future needs and expectations; a NOTE to 10.2.1 names complaints as a source of nonconformities.
- Informative NOTEs on modern working. Clause 7.1.3 notes remote and hybrid work; 8.3.1 and 8.3.3 note iterative design and development. NOTEs create no requirement. ISO 9001:2026 does not mention artificial intelligence; ISO/IEC 42001 is the AI management system standard. The technology, remote work and AI page explains what each NOTE does and does not ask of you.
The management review inputs page and the Clause 10 page cover the last two themes at the level of an agenda and a procedure.
What is not changing
Most of ISO 9001:2026 is ISO 9001:2015 with new clause references. Clause 8, the operational core, is substantively identical. Clause 9.2 on internal audit is unchanged in substance. No mandatory document or record has been added, and the standard still requires no quality manual, no documented procedures and no management representative. The certificate still comes from an accredited certification body after an audit, and the audit still samples what your people do.
| Still true in ISO 9001:2026 | Reference |
|---|---|
| Ten clauses with the same titles in the same order | Clauses 1 to 10 |
| Operational requirements for planning, customer requirements, design, external providers, production and release | Clause 8, substantively identical to 2015 |
| Internal audit at planned intervals by impartial auditors, with results reported and corrected | 9.2, unchanged in substance |
| The same set of required documented information as 2015, in new wording | Annex A.2 e) |
| No quality manual, no documented procedures, no management representative | Whole text |
| No carbon accounting; climate change is a context determination only | 4.1; 4.2 NOTE |
| No requirement for software, a platform or a specific tool; NOTEs on remote work and digital channels are informative | 7.1.3 NOTE; 8.2.1 NOTE |
| No requirement about artificial intelligence | Whole text; ISO/IEC 42001 covers AI management systems |
| Certification by an accredited certification body after an audit; consultants do not certify | ISO/IEC 17021-1; Global ACI transition requirements |
That stability is what makes a transition a bounded project. The plain-English requirements page restates every clause of the 2026 edition in ordinary language, and the FAQ page collects the short answers.
Myths and sales tactics to ignore
Publication has produced a wave of offers in the Philippine market, and four of them contradict the transition rules. There is no instant upgrade, nobody can issue an accredited ISO 9001:2026 certificate today, there are no new mandatory documents to buy, and there is no reason to wait. Each of these claims is answered by a specific line in the ISO 9001:2026 standard or in Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M).
| Claim you will hear | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| “We can upgrade your certificate to 2026 without an audit” | An accredited ISO 9001:2026 certificate is issued only by a certification body whose accreditation has been extended to the 2026 edition, after a transition audit that reviews the changed requirements, changes in your context and any other needed changes. A re-issued certificate without an audit is not an accredited certificate. |
| “Get your ISO 9001:2026 certificate today” | Accreditation bodies have until 31 March 2027 to be ready to assess certification bodies against the 2026 edition and until 30 September 2027 to complete their decisions. The first accredited 2026 certificates appear during 2027, body by body. A certificate dated September 2026 should be checked with the issuer’s accreditation body. |
| “The new edition requires a new manual, new procedures and a new software system” | ISO 9001:2026 adds no mandatory documents or records, does not require a quality manual or documented procedures, and does not mandate software. Existing documents need updated wording and clause references; the evidence for the new requirements comes from operating the system, and that is where a platform earns its keep: Effivity, our group’s low-code GRC and ISO automation platform, gives the new registers, change plans and management review inputs a home with an audit trail, and Vegam AI, our AI-native process automation platform, automates the routine process work behind them. |
| “Wait for the guidance before doing anything” | The text is final and the transition rules are published. The items that take longest, quality culture and ethical behaviour, evaluated opportunities and planned changes with monitored effectiveness, need months of operation before they can be audited. Waiting shortens the runway without changing the deadline. |
| “The deadline is only indicative” | Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M) states 30 September 2029, after which ISO 9001:2015 certificates and accreditations are no longer valid. |
Sterling’s position is on the record on the instant certificate upgrade warning page, and the certificate verification guide shows how to check any certificate you are shown, including your own.
Your transition timeline, quarter by quarter
The transition runs across thirteen quarters, from the last quarter of 2026 to the third quarter of 2029, and the Global ACI milestones fall in five of them. The plan below assumes a certified organisation with a maintained ISO 9001:2015 system; it places the work in the earliest quarter where it is useful and shows which milestone constrains it. Most Philippine organisations should aim to complete their transition audit between the last quarter of 2027 and the end of 2028.
| Quarter | Global ACI milestone in the quarter | Work for a certified organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Q4 2026 | None (transition requirements already published on 16 September 2026); ISO’s digitally enhanced content available from 1 October 2026 | Obtain the ISO 9001:2026 standard; brief top management on 5.1.1 i) and k), 5.2.1 e), 6.1.3 and 6.3 e) to g); run the gap assessment against the ISO 9001:2026 standard; write to the certification body about its accreditation date and audit approach; decide whether the target is surveillance, recertification or a special audit |
| Q1 2027 | 31 March 2027: accreditation bodies ready to assess certification bodies against the 2026 edition | Close the wording gaps: policy, registers split into risks and opportunities, change-planning template, awareness content, audit checklist, management review agenda; remove every reference to 10.3 and to 2015 item letters |
| Q2 2027 | 30 June 2027: certification bodies’ transition declarations due | Operate the updated system; deliver 7.3 e) awareness; plan the next real change under 6.3 a) to g); train internal auditors on the 2026 edition; ask the certification body what its declaration said |
| Q3 2027 | 30 September 2027: accreditation-body transition decisions completed; accredited 2026 certificates begin to appear body by body | Complete one internal audit to the 2026 edition; address nonconformities under 10.2; confirm the certification body’s accreditation extension in writing |
| Q4 2027 | None | Hold a management review with the 9.3.2 c), g) and h) inputs; early movers whose surveillance falls here take their transition audit |
| Q1 2028 | 31 March 2028: initial certifications only to ISO 9001:2026 from this date | Transition audits at scheduled surveillance; from 31 March, first-time certifications to the 2026 edition only |
| Q2 2028 | None | Transition audits continue; the least crowded part of the window |
| Q3 2028 | None | Transition audits continue; certification-body diaries filling for 2029 |
| Q4 2028 | None | Last comfortable quarter for a transition audit that leaves time to close findings without pressure |
| Q1 2029 | None | Transition audits under time pressure; allow for nonconformity closure and the certificate decision before the deadline |
| Q2 2029 | None | Same as Q1 2029, with fewer available audit days |
| Q3 2029 | 30 September 2029: all transitions completed | Any audit in this quarter must have findings closed and the certificate decision made before 30 September; ISO 9001:2015 certificates and accreditations are no longer valid after that date |
The transition checklist turns this table into nine steps with clause references, owners and evidence.
Transition scenarios: find yours
Seven positions cover nearly every organisation in the Philippines that ISO 9001:2026 affects, and each has a different best route. The variables are whether you hold a certificate, when your recertification falls relative to the 2027 accreditation extensions and the 30 September 2029 deadline, whether you are part-way through a first implementation, and whether you also hold ISO 14001 or another certificate with its own transition.
| Your position | Recommended route | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Certified to ISO 9001:2015, recertification due in 2027 | Recertify as scheduled; if the certification body’s accreditation is extended before the audit, ask whether it can conduct the recertification to the 2026 edition; otherwise transition at the first surveillance audit after the extension | Accreditation bodies complete decisions by 30 September 2027, so a recertification early in 2027 will usually be to 2015; the evidence for 5.1.1 i), 7.3 e) and 6.3 f) and g) needs elapsed time anyway |
| Certified, recertification due in 2028 | Make the recertification audit the transition audit | The certification body will be accredited for the 2026 edition; combining the two audits is the most economical route and leaves 2029 free for contingencies |
| Certified, recertification due in 2029 | Transition at a surveillance audit in 2028 rather than at the 2029 recertification | A 2029 recertification leaves no margin for nonconformity closure before 30 September 2029, and certification-body diaries are fullest in that year |
| Certified, certificate expiring after 30 September 2029 | Transition at a surveillance audit inside the window | No ISO 9001:2015 certificate is valid after 30 September 2029 regardless of the printed expiry date |
| Mid-implementation to ISO 9001:2015 | Switch the build to the 2026 standard now; certify to whichever edition the certification body can issue at audit time | The changes are bounded and a system built to 2026 passes a 2015 audit; a 2015 certificate issued before 31 March 2028 then needs a light transition |
| First-time certification, not started | Build to ISO 9001:2026 from the first document | Initial certifications may be issued only to the 2026 edition from 31 March 2028; a 2015 build started now would need a transition within a year of its first certificate. See the first-time certification page |
| Multi-standard (ISO 9001 with ISO 14001, ISO 45001 or ISO/IEC 27001) | Run an integrated transition timed to the earliest deadline | ISO 14001:2026 transitions end on 30 April 2029, five months before ISO 9001; one plan, one internal audit and one management review cover both. See the integrated transition page |
How auditors will check the new clauses: evidence, theme by theme
Certification-body auditors will test the 2026 changes mostly through interviews and records of operation, not through documents written for the audit. The Global ACI transition requirements direct the transition audit at the changed requirements, at changes to your context and at any other changes the system needs, so the auditor arrives with the list of changes below and asks for evidence against each line.
| Theme | Clauses | What the auditor will ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Context and interested parties | 4.1; 4.2 c); 4.2 NOTE | The determination of whether climate change is relevant, with reasoning; the decision on which interested-party requirements the system addresses, not only a list of parties |
| Leadership | 5.1.1 i) with NOTE 2; 5.1.1 k); 5.3 e) | How top management promotes quality culture and ethical behaviour, and where that shows in decisions and behaviour; how it promotes risk-based and opportunity-based thinking; who is assigned to report on opportunities for improvement |
| Quality policy | 5.2.1 e); 5.2.2 d) | Where the policy reflects the organisation’s context and strategic direction; objectives, decisions and resource allocations that trace back to it, showing it is implemented |
| Risks | 6.1.1; 6.1.2 with NOTE 1; 9.1.3 e); 9.3.2 g) | A register in which risks are analysed and evaluated, actions proportionate to the potential impact on the intended results of the system, disruption considered, effectiveness evaluated and reviewed at management review |
| Opportunities | 6.1.3; 9.1.3 f); 9.3.2 h) | Opportunities determined, analysed and evaluated separately from risks; actions appropriate to context; effectiveness evaluated and reviewed as a distinct input |
| Change management | 6.3 a) to g) | For at least one real change: purpose and consequences, integrity of the system, resources and information (c)), responsibilities, how the change was communicated (e)), how its effectiveness was monitored and evaluated (f)) and how the results were reviewed (g)) |
| Knowledge and awareness | 7.1.6; 7.3 e) | How knowledge is retained, applied and shared; whether people at every level can describe the organisational quality culture and ethical behaviour in their own words |
| Customer communication | 8.2.1 e) and NOTE | How customers are informed of contingency actions including disruptions to provision; which channels, including website, social media or FAQs, carry it |
| Performance evaluation and review | 9.1.3 e) and f); 9.3.2 c), g), h) | Analysis results for the two effectiveness items; management review inputs covering changes in interested-party needs and expectations and the two effectiveness items, with recorded outputs |
| Improvement | 10.1; 10.2.1 NOTE | Improvement of processes as well as products and services, with future needs and expectations considered; complaints feeding the nonconformity process; no reference to a 10.3 anywhere |
The internal audit checklist contains the questions Sterling’s auditors use against each of these lines, for the changed clauses and for the unchanged ones.
The 2015 to 2026 change map for your documentation
ISO 9001:2026 adds no mandatory document or record, so the documentation work in a transition is an update, not a rebuild. The required set is the same as in 2015 under new wording (Annex A.2 e)): eight points where documented information shall be available and nineteen where it shall be available as evidence. The documented information page lists all of them; the table below is the set of changes most 2015 systems need.
| Document or record | State in a typical 2015 system | Update for 2026 | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope statement | Cites ISO 9001:2015 | Cite ISO 9001:2026; content otherwise unchanged | 4.3 |
| Context analysis | Issues listed; climate not mentioned unless Amendment 1:2024 applied | Add the climate-change relevance determination; record which interested-party requirements the system addresses | 4.1; 4.2 c) |
| Quality policy | Commitments stated; context and strategy implicit | Show how the policy takes context into account and supports strategic direction; evidence of implementation | 5.2.1 e); 5.2.2 d) |
| Roles and responsibilities | Management representative or quality manager holds everything | Assign reporting on opportunities for improvement explicitly; align with 5.3 a) to f) | 5.3 e) |
| Risk register | One list of risks and opportunities, often unrated | Split into risks (analysed, evaluated, proportionate actions, disruption considered) and opportunities (analysed, evaluated, actions appropriate to context) | 6.1.2; 6.1.3 |
| Change plan template | Purpose, integrity, resources, responsibilities | Add resources and information, communication, monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness, and review of results | 6.3 c), e), f), g) |
| Knowledge register or equivalent | Knowledge determined and maintained | Show how knowledge is retained, applied and shared | 7.1.6 |
| Induction and awareness material | Policy, objectives, contribution, consequences | Add organisational quality culture and ethical behaviour | 7.3 e) |
| Customer communication procedure or matrix | Contingency actions covered generally | Include disruptions to provision; list the channels used | 8.2.1 e) and NOTE |
| Analysis and evaluation records | One item on risks and opportunities | Two items: effectiveness of actions on risks; effectiveness of actions on opportunities | 9.1.3 e) and f) |
| Internal audit checklist | 2015 clause numbers; cites 10.3 | Rebuilt to the 2026 clauses and item letters; no 10.3 | 9.2 |
| Management review agenda and minutes | 2015 inputs | Add changes in interested-party needs and expectations; split the effectiveness of actions on risks and on opportunities | 9.3.2 c), g), h) |
| Improvement and corrective action procedure | Cites 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3 | Cite 10.1 and 10.2 only; cover processes and future needs and expectations; treat complaints as a source of nonconformities | 10.1; 10.2.1 NOTE |
Where records live in Effivity or another QMS platform, the update is a matter of register fields and form templates rather than documents. The documentation service page covers how Sterling does this for clients.
What the 2008 to 2015 transition taught everyone
The last transition of ISO 9001 ran for three years and ended in September 2018, and the Philippine market learned three things from it: the final year is a crunch, certification-body capacity is finite, and organisations that left it late were audited on the certification body’s terms rather than their own. The 2026 transition has the same length and the same structure, with one added feature that makes the early part harder.
In 2015 to 2018, a large share of Philippine certificate holders transitioned in the final twelve months. Certification bodies ran auditors at full stretch, audit dates were allocated rather than negotiated, and organisations with open nonconformities at the deadline found that there was no time to close them. Those whose certificates lapsed at the end of the window had to be recertified as new clients, with a stage 1 and stage 2 audit and a gap in their certificate history that tender evaluators noticed.
The added feature this time is the accreditation sequence set out by Global ACI: accreditation bodies ready by 31 March 2027, certification-body declarations by 30 June 2027, decisions by 30 September 2027. In practice the earliest transition audits in the Philippines happen during 2027, once each certification body’s accreditation is extended, so the usable window is closer to two and a half years than three. The organisations that will transition without stress are those that do the wording and behaviour work in 2026 and 2027 and take their audit in 2028.
What ISO 9001:2026 means for Philippine sectors
The clauses are the same for every organisation, but the evidence that satisfies them differs by sector, and in the Philippines several sectors hold ISO 9001 certificates because a client, a regulator or a prequalification rule asks for one. For those organisations, the date that matters is not only 30 September 2029 but the date on which a tender file, a supplier accreditation or a registration renewal falls due inside the window.
- Construction. DPWH Department Order No. 110, series of 2024, phased in an ISO 9001 certification requirement for civil works contractors by licence category from 1 January 2025, naming the 2015 edition because that was the current edition when it was issued. After 30 September 2029 there will be no valid ISO 9001:2015 certificate to file; confirm with DPWH how it treats certificates to the 2026 edition during the transition. See the construction page and the DPWH requirement page.
- Government suppliers and tender-driven businesses. Where a bidding document or a client’s supplier accreditation asks for ISO 9001 certification, a certificate that is valid on the submission date is what counts; plan the transition so that no submission in 2029 relies on a 2015 certificate. See the government suppliers page and the government tenders page.
- Government agencies. Executive Order No. 605, s. 2007 directed departments and agencies of the Executive branch to adopt ISO 9001 quality management systems under the Government Quality Management Program, overseen by the Government Quality Management Committee. Agencies certified to ISO 9001:2015 transition on the same Global ACI timeline as everyone else. See the government agencies and GQMP page.
- Manufacturing and export supply chains. Multinational customers audit their Philippine suppliers against the current edition; 6.1.2 NOTE 1 on disruption and 8.2.1 e) on disruptions to provision match what those customers already ask about typhoon season and power supply. See the manufacturing page.
- Food and beverage. ISO 9001 often runs alongside a food safety system; the 6.3 change-planning items map onto change control that food safety auditors already expect. See the food and beverage page.
- Healthcare. Quality culture and ethical behaviour (5.1.1 i), 7.3 e)) is the theme healthcare auditors will probe hardest, because patient-facing staff are interviewed. See the healthcare page.
- BPO, IT and shared services. The 7.1.3 NOTE on remote and hybrid work and the 8.2.1 NOTE on digital customer channels describe how this sector already operates; the change is that the evidence must exist. See the BPO and IT page.
- Logistics, recruitment and manning, schools and universities. Each has a sector page: logistics and supply chain, recruitment and manning agencies and schools and universities.
Five questions to ask your certification body now
Your certification body cannot audit you to ISO 9001:2026 until its accreditation body extends its accreditation to the 2026 edition, and the Global ACI milestones set the calendar for that. Five written questions, asked in the fourth quarter of 2026, tell you where your body stands and let you fix an audit date rather than wait for one.
- Which accreditation body accredits you for ISO 9001, and when do you expect it to extend your accreditation to ISO 9001:2026? Accreditation bodies are to be ready by 31 March 2027 and to complete decisions by 30 September 2027; a body that cannot name its expected date has not planned its transition.
- What will your transition declaration, due by 30 June 2027, say about how you will audit the changed requirements? The declaration is the body’s commitment to its accreditation body; you are entitled to know how it affects your audits.
- Will our transition audit be conducted at a scheduled surveillance audit, at recertification or as a special transition audit, and will any part of it be remote by ICT? All three routes and the remote option are permitted by Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M).
- How much additional audit time do you calculate for our transition, and on what justification? The transition requirements require the body to consider additional time with a justified calculation in accordance with ISO/IEC 17021-1; the answer should be a number of auditor-days with reasons, not a flat surcharge.
- What is the last audit date you will accept for a transition whose certificate decision must be made before 30 September 2029, and what happens to our recertification cycle when the 2026 certificate is issued? The answer fixes your latest safe date; work back from it.
What the transition audit involves
Under Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), the transition audit is a defined event with a defined scope. It may be conducted during a scheduled surveillance audit, during a recertification audit or as a special transition audit; it may be conducted remotely using information and communication technology; and it shall review, without being limited to, the changed requirements of ISO 9001:2026, changes to the organisation’s context and the need for any other changes to the client’s management system.
The certification body must also consider whether additional audit time is needed and justify its calculation in accordance with ISO/IEC 17021-1, the standard that governs certification bodies. In practice that usually means your body adds time to a surveillance or recertification visit rather than starting a new contract, and the added time is spent on the table of changes in the evidence section above.
Two things happen before the audit that cannot be skipped. Your system must have completed an internal audit against the 2026 edition (9.2) and a management review with the 2026 inputs (9.3.2), because the auditor will ask for both and neither can be back-dated. Nonconformities from the transition audit are closed under 10.2 in the normal way, and the ISO 9001:2026 certificate is issued on the certification body’s decision. Until that decision, your ISO 9001:2015 certificate continues, up to 30 September 2029 at the latest.
How Sterling runs a transition engagement
Sterling Revise™ is Sterling’s fixed-scope transition service, delivered through Sterling OS™ by lead auditors from Makati, Cebu and Davao. It runs the assessment before the price: a documentation review and gap assessment against the ISO 9001:2026 standard in week 1, a gap report with the number of requirements needing work in week 2, and the plan, the certification-body booking and the first updates in weeks 3 and 4. Sterling does not certify; your accredited certification body does.
| Stage | What happens | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1: documentation review and gap assessment | Every changed clause checked against your documented information and through interviews, on site or inside Effivity or another platform where your records live | Gap list with clause references |
| Week 2: gap report | Gaps classified as wording, evidence or behaviour, with consultant-days and client-hours for each and the elapsed time the behaviour items need | The number, before you commit to weeks 3 and 4 |
| Weeks 3 and 4: plan, booking, first updates | Dated plan with owners; wording updates made; written questions to the certification body; provisional audit date | Updated policy, split registers, change template, awareness module, audit checklist, review agenda |
| Implementing the changes | Your managers operate the updated system with Sterling coaching; awareness delivered under 7.3 e); a real change planned under 6.3 a) to g) | Evidence of operation |
| Internal audit and management review to the 2026 edition | Conducted by Sterling or by your trained auditors; review held with the 9.3.2 c), g), h) inputs | Audit report, corrective actions, review minutes |
| Transition audit support | Preparation, presence during the audit if wanted, and closure of findings | ISO 9001:2026 certificate issued by your certification body |
The migration service page describes each week in detail; the Sterling Revise™ page on iso-certification.ph covers the method. Organisations that want only the first stage can commission the gap analysis on its own. To start, use the contact page, call +63 977 815 1204 or email info@iso-philippines.com.
Holding other certificates too? The full revision calendar
ISO 9001:2026 is one of several revisions in progress, and organisations holding more than one certificate need one calendar. ISO 14001:2026 has the earlier deadline, 30 April 2029; ISO/IEC 27001:2022 transitions closed on 31 October 2025; ISO/IEC 27701:2025 is now a standalone certifiable standard; ISO 45001 is at ballot with publication expected in 2027; and ISO 22000 is under revision with no date.
| Standard | Current edition | Published | Transition document | Transition ends | Status on 18 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | 2026, sixth edition | 16 September 2026 | Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), published 16 September 2026 | 30 September 2029 | Transition open |
| ISO 14001 | 2026, fourth edition | 15 April 2026 | Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-04-30 (M), published 14 September 2026 | 30 April 2029 | Transition open: accreditation bodies ready 31 October 2026; certification-body declarations 31 January 2027; accreditation decisions 30 April 2027; new certifications only to 2026 from 31 October 2027 |
| ISO/IEC 27001 | 2022 | 2022 | IAF transition arrangements (pre-Global ACI) | 31 October 2025 | Transition closed |
| ISO/IEC 27701 | 2025 | 2025 | None listed on global-aci.org on 18 September 2026 | Confirm with your certification body | Standalone certifiable standard; replaces ISO/IEC 27701:2019 |
| ISO 45001 | 2018 | 2018 | Not yet applicable | Not yet applicable | Revision at ballot; publication expected 2027 |
| ISO 22000 | 2018 | 2018 | Not yet applicable | Not yet applicable | Revision: ballot result under evaluation; no date |
| ISO 22301 | 2019 | 2019 | Not applicable | Not applicable | Current edition; no revision published |
| ISO/IEC 17024 | 2026, third edition | March 2026 | Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-03-31 (M), published 10 September 2026 | 31 March 2029 | Transition open for personnel certification bodies |
The revision calendar page is kept current, the ISO 14001:2026 integrated transition page explains how to run both transitions as one project, and the ISO news category carries the weekly updates.
The work to do now
The right amount of work in the fourth quarter of 2026 is enough to fix your position and start the slow items, and no more. Six actions do that for a certified organisation, all of them against the ISO 9001:2026 standard and none of them dependent on your certification body’s accreditation date.
- Obtain the ISO 9001:2026 standard. ISO 9001:2026 from ISO or your national member; the digitally enhanced content is available from 1 October 2026. Do not work from a draft or from a summary, including this one.
- Brief top management. One session on 5.1.1 i) and k), 5.2.1 e), 6.1.3 and 6.3 e) to g), ending with decisions on how the policy will reflect context and strategy and how quality culture and ethical behaviour will be promoted.
- Run the gap assessment. Against the clause-by-clause register, recording every gap with its clause reference; the free online ISO 9001:2026 gap check (twenty questions, instant scored report) is enough for a first pass.
- Write to your certification body. The five questions above, with a request for a written reply.
- Treat the transition as a planned change under 6.3. Purpose, integrity, resources and information, responsibilities, communication, monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness, and review of results: the transition is the first change your updated 6.3 template should record.
- Start the slow items. Awareness of quality culture and ethical behaviour (7.3 e)), the split risk and opportunity registers (6.1.2, 6.1.3) and the next real change planned under 6.3 a) to g), because these need months of operation before they can be audited.
What is live in the resource library
Sterling’s ISO 9001:2026 library is organised in five groups. Use the clause pages for the detail behind each theme above, the planning pages for the timeline, the sector pages for evidence in your industry, the service pages when you want Sterling to do part of the work, and the tools on iso-certification.ph to start on your own. The byline on each page states when it was last reviewed against the ISO 9001:2026 standard.
The changes, clause by clause
- ISO 9001:2026 published: news special: the publication of 16 September 2026 and the Global ACI transition requirements, reported on 18 September 2026.
- ISO 9001:2015 vs 2026 changes: the clause-by-clause register every other page refers to.
- Documented information: the eight “shall be available” points and nineteen “as evidence of” points, and why nothing new was added.
- Risks and opportunities: 6.1.1 to 6.1.3 and the register format that satisfies both sub-clauses.
- Planning of changes: 6.3 a) to g) as a one-page change plan.
- Leadership and quality policy: 5.1.1 a) to l), 5.2.1 e), 5.2.2 d) and 5.3 a) to f).
- Management review inputs: the 9.3.2 agenda with items c), g) and h).
- Climate change: the 4.1 determination and the 4.2 NOTE, without carbon accounting.
- Terms and definitions and Annex A: the 23 terms in Clause 3 and the rewritten A.1 to A.10.
- Clause 10 continual improvement: 10.1 and 10.2, and why 10.3 no longer exists.
- Technology, remote work and AI: the informative NOTEs in 7.1.3, 8.2.1, 8.3.1 and 8.3.3, and why AI is not in the standard.
- Quality culture and ethical behaviour: 5.1.1 i), NOTE 2, 7.1.4 NOTE and 7.3 e), with the evidence auditors sample.
- Requirements in plain English: every clause restated in ordinary language.
- ISO 9001:2026 FAQ: the short answers in one place.
Planning the transition
- Transition deadline: 30 September 2029 and the four milestones, from the certified organisation’s side.
- Transition checklist: nine steps with clause references, owners and evidence.
- Internal audit checklist: audit questions for the changed and unchanged clauses.
- Instant certificate upgrade warning: why a 2026 certificate without a transition audit is not an accredited certificate.
- ISO 9001:2015 or 2026 for first-time certification: the decision for organisations not yet certified, with the 31 March 2028 cut-off.
- ISO 14001:2026 integrated transition: one project for both standards, timed to 30 April 2029.
- ISO standards revision calendar: every current revision and transition in one table.
- ISO news: the weekly revision updates.
Sectors
- Manufacturing: disruption under 6.1.2 NOTE 1, contingency communication under 8.2.1 e) and customer audits against the current edition.
- Construction: the transition for DPWH-registered contractors and the prequalification file.
- Food and beverage: running the ISO 9001 transition alongside a food safety system, with 6.3 as change control.
- Healthcare: quality culture and ethical behaviour evidenced with patient-facing staff.
- BPO and IT: remote and hybrid work and digital customer channels under the 7.1.3 and 8.2.1 NOTEs.
- Government suppliers: keeping a valid certificate on every submission date through the window.
- Government agencies and the GQMP: the transition for agencies certified under the Government Quality Management Program.
- Logistics and supply chain: disruption, contingency actions and customer communication for transport and warehousing operators.
- Recruitment and manning agencies: the changed clauses as evidence in a licensed agency’s processes.
- Schools and universities: quality culture, interested parties and planned changes in an educational institution.
Services in the Philippines
- Migration service (Sterling Revise™): the fixed-scope four-week transition service.
- Gap analysis: the clause-by-clause gap report on its own.
- Documentation: documentation sets built or updated to the 2026 standard.
- Implementation: first-time systems built to ISO 9001:2026.
- Certification support: preparation for the certification body’s audit.
- Cost: what drives the price of a transition or a first certification.
- Training: awareness, internal auditor and lead auditor courses on the 2026 edition.
- Internal audit: the internal audit to the 2026 edition that must precede the transition audit.
Tools on iso-certification.ph
- ISO 9001:2026 transition in the Philippines: the transition explained for the group’s second site.
- Free online gap check: twenty plain-language questions on what changed, scored instantly into a readiness report by area with your priority actions; the quick checklist (PDF) comes with the report.
- Sterling Revise™: the fixed-scope transition method.
- Free gap assessment tool: a first self-assessment before any consultant is involved.
- How to verify an ISO certificate: the check to run on any certificate, including one offered to you.
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Plan your ISO 9001:2026 transition with Sterling
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Frequently asked questions
Is ISO 9001:2026 published? Yes. ISO published ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems — Requirements, sixth edition, on 16 September 2026. It is 36 pages at ISO catalogue stage 60.60, prepared by ISO/TC 176/SC 2 with CEN, and it cancels and replaces ISO 9001:2015 while incorporating Amendment 1:2024 on climate change into the main text. ISO’s digitally enhanced content that includes ISO 9001 is available from 1 October 2026.
What is the ISO 9001:2026 transition deadline? 30 September 2029. Global ACI set it in Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), published on 16 September 2026, which fixes a three-year transition period. After that date ISO 9001:2015 certificates and accreditations are no longer valid. Earlier milestones are 31 March 2027, 30 June 2027, 30 September 2027 and 31 March 2028, the last being the cut-off for new ISO 9001:2015 certificates.
Can we be certified to ISO 9001:2026 now? Not with an accredited certificate. Certification bodies can issue ISO 9001:2026 certificates only once their accreditation has been extended to the 2026 edition, and accreditation bodies have until 31 March 2027 to be ready and until 30 September 2027 to complete their decisions. The first accredited certificates appear during 2027. Any certificate dated earlier should be checked with the issuer’s accreditation body.
Should we pause an ISO 9001:2015 implementation? No. Switch the build to the 2026 standard, which is bounded and published, and certify to whichever edition your certification body can issue when you are ready. From 31 March 2028 initial certifications may be issued only to ISO 9001:2026. A system built to 2026 passes a 2015 audit, and a 2015 certificate issued before that date then needs only a light transition.
Are there new mandatory documents in ISO 9001:2026? No. The set of required documented information is the same as in 2015, re-expressed as “shall be available as documented information” and “shall be available as evidence of” (Annex A.2 e)). No quality manual, no documented procedures and no management representative are required. Existing documents need updated wording, split registers and corrected clause references, and the new requirements need evidence of operation.
Is climate change mandatory in ISO 9001:2026? The determination is mandatory; carbon accounting is not. Clause 4.1 requires the organisation to determine whether climate change is relevant to its context, and the NOTE to 4.2 records that interested parties can have climate-related requirements. Organisations that applied Amendment 1:2024 already meet this. A recorded determination with reasoning, whether the answer is yes or no, is sufficient.
Do we need a new quality manual? No. ISO 9001:2026 does not require a quality manual, and it did not in 2015 either. If you keep one, update its scope statement, its clause references and its description of the risk, opportunity and change processes; remove any reference to 10.3. A manual that restates the standard adds nothing an auditor can use, and the transition is a good time to shorten it.
How long does a transition to ISO 9001:2026 take? Sterling Revise™ takes four weeks to the plan, the certification-body booking and the first updates. The elapsed time to the transition audit is usually several months, because quality culture and ethical behaviour (5.1.1 i), 7.3 e)), evaluated opportunities (6.1.3) and monitored changes (6.3 f) and g)) need evidence of operation, and one internal audit and one management review to the 2026 edition must precede the audit.
What does the transition cost? Sterling quotes after the week 2 gap report, because the cost depends on the size and number of sites, how well the 2015 system was maintained, whether Amendment 1:2024 was applied and how much evidence your own people generate. Certification-body fees for the additional audit time are separate and are calculated by the body under ISO/IEC 17021-1. The cost page sets out the drivers.
What if we miss 30 September 2029? Your ISO 9001:2015 certificate is no longer valid after that date, whatever its printed expiry, and you cannot be transitioned afterwards. The route back is initial certification to ISO 9001:2026 as a new client, with stage 1 and stage 2 audits and a gap in your certificate history. Tender evaluators, DPWH files and customer supplier lists will show the gap.
Read next
Start with the clause-by-clause register for every change with its reference, then the transition deadline page for the Global ACI milestones in detail and the transition checklist for the nine steps. The quality culture and ethics page covers the item that takes longest, the migration service page describes Sterling Revise™ week by week, and the free online gap check scores your system against the changes today.
Sources
ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems — Requirements, sixth edition, published 16 September 2026 (36 pages; ISO catalogue stage 60.60; prepared by ISO/TC 176/SC 2 with CEN): Clause 3 (3.1 to 3.20), 4.1, 4.2 c) and NOTE, 4.3, 5.1.1 i), k) and NOTE 2, 5.2.1 e), 5.2.2 d), 5.3 e), 6.1.1, 6.1.2 with NOTE 1, 6.1.3, 6.3 a) to g), 7.1.3 NOTE, 7.1.4 NOTE, 7.1.6, 7.3 e), 8.2.1 e) and NOTE, 8.3.1 NOTE, 8.3.3 NOTE, 9.1.3 e) and f), 9.2, 9.3.2 c), g) and h), 10.1, 10.2.1 NOTE, Annex A.1 to A.10 and A.2 e). ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 9001:2015/Amd 1:2024 for the comparison. ISO news release of 16 September 2026 on the publication of ISO 9001:2026, including the availability of ISO’s digitally enhanced content from 1 October 2026. Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), Transition Requirements for ISO 9001:2026, version 1.0, issued 4 September 2026, published by Global ACI on 16 September 2026 (verified on global-aci.org and in the document on 18 September 2026). Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-04-30 (M), Transition Requirements for ISO 14001:2026, published 14 September 2026. Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-03-31 (M), transition requirements for ISO/IEC 17024:2026, published 10 September 2026 (global-aci.org, 18 September 2026). ISO 14001:2026, fourth edition, published 15 April 2026. ISO/IEC 27001:2022; ISO/IEC 27701:2025; ISO/IEC 17024:2026, third edition; ISO/IEC 17021-1; ISO/IEC 42001. Philippine references verified 18 September 2026: DPWH Department Order No. 110, series of 2024, on ISO 9001 certification of civil works contractors (as reported by Philippine construction and news media, July 2024); Executive Order No. 605, s. 2007, Institutionalizing the Structure, Mechanisms and Standards to Implement the Government Quality Management Program (lawphil.net).
Certified to ISO 9001:2015? Take the free ten-minute ISO 9001:2026 gap check, then let a local Sterling lead auditor turn your result into your transition plan.