ISO 9001:2026: what changes and how to prepare
The sixth edition of ISO 9001: publication and transition, the changes reported by certification bodies (climate change, quality culture and ethics, risks and opportunities, change management) and a practical plan to prepare.
Updated 2026-10-28
How to read this guide. It summarises what certification bodies and standards consultants have published about the sixth edition. We have not reproduced the text of the standard. Before you change documents, read the published ISO 9001:2026 and the transition rules of your certification body.
Status and timeline
- Publication: ISO 9001:2026 (sixth edition) is reported as published in September 2026, following the approval of the final draft (FDIS) in summer 2026.
- Transition: a period of about three years, to around September 2029, is widely expected. The transition rules are set by the International Accreditation Forum and applied by your certification body, so confirm the dates with them.
- Certification to the new edition: first certificates are not expected before the second half of 2027, according to commentators.
- Structure: the common high-level structure (Annex SL, clauses 4 to 10) stays, so the standard will look familiar.
Changes reported so far
| Topic | Clause | What is reported |
|---|---|---|
| Climate change | 4.1, 4.2 | Consider whether climate change is a relevant issue for the organisation and for interested parties (this builds on the 2024 amendment). |
| Quality culture and ethical behaviour | 5.1, 7.3 | Top management promotes and demonstrates them; people are aware of them. New guidance in Annex A. |
| Quality policy | 5.2 | Takes the context into account and supports the strategic direction. |
| Risks and opportunities | 6.1 | Reorganised into three sub-clauses, with actions for risks and for opportunities addressed separately and more guidance in Annex A. |
| Management of change | 6.3 | Planning of changes is strengthened. |
Commentators describe most additions as clarifications and guidance rather than a rewrite, so organisations with a working process-based system should not need a new system, only an update.
How to prepare
- Get the standard and do a gap analysis clause by clause against your system, instead of relying on summaries.
- Context and interested parties (4.1, 4.2): add climate-related issues to the context analysis, with the decision of why they are or are not relevant.
- Leadership (5.1): decide how management will show quality culture and ethical behaviour in practice, for example in the management review, in the way nonconformities are treated and in communication.
- Risks and opportunities (6.1): update the procedure and the register so that opportunities have their own actions, and connect it to your FMEA and strategic planning.
- Change planning (6.3): check that changes to the system and to processes are planned, with owners and effects.
- Documents and training: update the quality manual, policy and awareness training (7.3), and the process descriptions, for instance as turtle diagrams.
- Internal audit and management review: add the new requirements to the audit programme and to the management review inputs before the first transition audit.
- Agree the plan with your certification body: date of the transition audit, combined or separate.
Automotive and other sector standards
IATF 16949 is built on ISO 9001 and its requirements will follow the new edition on the schedule published by IATF; until then the 2015-based text applies. Sector standards and customer-specific requirements often refer to a specific edition, so watch their announcements too.
Our tools
The ISO 9001 internal audit tool still follows the 2015 edition. We will update it after reviewing the published text; until then, use it as a checklist for the unchanged clauses and add the new topics from the table above.