ISO 9001:2026 — what changes and how to transition by September 2029
The new edition of ISO 9001 was published on 16 September 2026. If your organisation is certified to the old version, ISO 9001:2015, your certificate is still valid, but only until 30 September 2029 at the latest. Before that date, your system needs to meet the new edition, pass a transition audit and have the new certificate issued.
The good news is that this isn’t a new standard. The structure, the process approach and risk-based thinking stay, and Global ACI, the international association of accreditation bodies that sets the transition rules, describes the overall changes as minimal. What changes calls for refining your existing system, not rewriting your documentation from scratch.
Key dates
- 16 September 2026. ISO 9001:2026 is published and the transition period begins.
- During 2027. The Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS) transitions certification bodies’ accreditations to the new edition: assessments start on 1 January and decisions are made by 30 September 2027 at the latest. Only after that decision can a body issue accredited ISO 9001:2026 certificates.
- 31 March 2028. The last day for new (initial) certifications to the 2015 edition. After that, new certifications are issued only against ISO 9001:2026.
- 30 September 2029. The transition period ends. The transition must be completed before this date, including issuing the new certificate. After it, ISO 9001:2015 certificates are no longer valid.
These dates are set by Global ACI (Global Accreditation Cooperation), which took over the work of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) in January 2026, and applied in Serbia by ATS. The Serbian standard SRPS EN ISO 9001:2026 was published in October 2026. Certification bodies may set earlier internal cut-offs, so agree the date of your transition audit in good time.
What changes
- Risks and opportunities (6.1). Risks and opportunities are still determined together (6.1.1), but the actions are now split: actions on risks are in 6.1.2 and actions on opportunities in the new 6.1.3. In practice: you can keep a combined register — the standard doesn’t prescribe one at all — but for opportunities you need to show separately which actions you plan, how you implement them and how you evaluate their effectiveness.
- Quality culture and ethical behaviour (5.1, 7.3). The standard now explicitly requires top management to promote a quality culture and ethical behaviour, and staff need to be aware of both. In practice: you need evidence — how concerns are raised, how management responds and what training covers.
- Quality policy (5.2). The requirement that the policy takes into account the context of the organisation and supports its strategic direction is now a separate item (5.2.1 e). In practice: the substance isn’t new, but check that your policy really reflects your context and direction rather than being a generic statement.
- Planning of changes (6.3). When planning changes, you now also consider how their effectiveness will be monitored, how the changes will be communicated and how the results will be reviewed. In practice: a change to a process, system or structure needs a trail — decision, implementation, review.
- Context and interested parties (4.1, 4.2). Climate change, added by amendment in 2024, is now part of the text of the standard itself. The organisation also determines which relevant requirements of interested parties its quality management system will address. In practice: if you have already applied the amendment, what remains is to decide which requirements the system addresses; legal requirements and commitments to customers don’t become optional.
- Internal audit and management review (9.2, 9.3). Each internal audit now needs defined objectives, not just criteria and scope. Management review gets new inputs, including changes in the needs and expectations of interested parties. In practice: update your internal audit programme and your management review template.
- Annex A. It has been expanded and explains the structure, terminology and intent of the requirements in more detail, and Annex B has been removed. In practice: Annex A helps with interpretation but adds no requirements.
Artificial intelligence isn’t a new requirement. The standard stays technology-neutral, so each organisation decides whether and how AI enters its processes.
How the transition works
- Gap analysis. We compare your existing system with the new requirements and list the differences, clause by clause.
- Plan and responsibilities. For each gap: what changes, who owns it and by when.
- Updating documentation. Most of the work is usually in the risk and opportunity assessment, the quality policy, planning of changes and the management review template.
- Training. Management and key staff need to know what is new, and internal auditors how to audit against the new edition.
- Internal audit and management review. You audit your system against ISO 9001:2026 before the certification body arrives.
- Transition audit. The certification body usually carries it out alongside a regular surveillance or recertification audit, but it can also be a separate audit, even a remote one. The certification body decides whether extra audit time is needed; at a recertification audit it may not be.
How long it takes
In our experience, for an organisation whose system works well under the old edition, preparing for the transition usually takes 30 to 60 days. It takes longer where the risk register is a formality or where internal audits happen only just before the certification body visits.
The most practical approach is to align the transition with your next planned audit, provided your certification body is accredited for the new edition by then. If your surveillance audit is a few months away, now is the right time for a gap analysis.
What it costs
The cost depends on three things: the size of the organisation and number of sites, the state of the existing system, and whether you also have other standards alongside ISO 9001, such as ISO 14001 or ISO 45001. If the certification body decides the transition audit needs extra time, that is a separate cost, agreed with them.
That’s why we don’t give a price here — without seeing your system, any figure would be guesswork. After the gap analysis you receive an estimate of scope and timing, so you know exactly what you are paying for.
Frequently asked questions
Is our ISO 9001:2015 certificate still valid?
Yes, until the expiry date on the certificate, and no later than 30 September 2029. After that date it is no longer valid, whatever expiry date it shows.
Do we have to rewrite our documentation?
No. A system that works under the 2015 edition is refined, not rebuilt.
We are just starting to implement ISO 9001 — should we wait?
No. Build your system to the 2026 edition straight away and you avoid a later transition. Just keep accreditation in mind: certification bodies accredited by ATS can issue accredited certificates against the new edition only once ATS has transitioned their accreditation, and it makes those decisions during 2027. If you need a certificate sooner, you can still get one to the old edition until 31 March 2028. The later transition then takes little work, because your system already meets the new requirements.
We also have ISO 14001 — do we need two separate transitions?
Not necessarily. ISO 14001:2026 was published on 15 April 2026, and its transition period ends on 30 April 2029. In an integrated system, both transitions are easiest to do together: one gap analysis, one update of the shared parts — context, risks and opportunities, internal audit and management review — and, if your certification body allows it, one audit. The earlier deadline then applies: the joint audit and both new certificates must be completed before 30 April 2029.
Next step
The biggest mistake is waiting until 2029. That is when certification bodies will be busiest and audit dates hardest to get.
If you are certified to ISO 9001:2015, start with a gap analysis. See how we implement ISO 9001 or request a quote and tell us when your next audit is, and we will send you an estimate of scope and timing for your transition. If you also need training for internal auditors on the new edition, mention it too. Everyone on our team works in English, and we can prepare your documentation in English, Serbian or both.
Sources
- ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems — Requirements, International Organization for Standardization — iso.org/standard/9001
- ISO announcement of the publication of ISO 9001:2026, 16 September 2026 — iso.org
- Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), Transition Requirements for ISO 9001:2026, version 1.0, 4 September 2026 — global-aci.org (PDF)
- Accreditation Body of Serbia, transition plan for accredited certification to SRPS EN ISO 9001:2026 (Plan prelaska na akreditaciju za sertifikaciju prema SRPS EN ISO 9001:2026), 28 October 2026 — ats.rs (PDF, in Serbian)