ISO 9001:2026 has been published
The International Organization for Standardization has released the sixth edition of ISO 9001, cancelling and replacing ISO 9001:2015. Here's exactly what changed, what it means for your certification, and how DAS Certification can help you transition.
Six targeted revisions, not a rewrite
The ten-clause Harmonized Structure is unchanged — your documentation does not need renumbering. These are the substantive changes your next audit will look for.
Climate change now considered
Organizations must determine whether climate change is a relevant issue for their QMS, and document the reasoning either way.
Quality culture & ethical behaviour
Top management gains an explicit duty to promote both, and awareness training must now cover them.
Risk & opportunity handled separately
What was one combined subclause is now two distinct processes, each with its own actions and effectiveness evaluation.
Stronger planning of changes
Three new considerations are added: communication of changes, monitoring effectiveness, and reviewing results.
Core terms defined in-standard
A set of key definitions is printed directly in ISO 9001 for the first time — ISO 9000 remains the reference for the full vocabulary.
Review & improvement refined
Interested-party changes become a distinct review input, and the two improvement subclauses are consolidated into one.
Same ten clauses, same numbering
Clause-by-clause summary
The most audit-relevant differences between ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 9001:2026.
| Clause | What changed | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 / 4.2 | Climate change relevance must be determined | New |
| 5.1.1 / 7.3 | Quality culture & ethical behaviour woven into leadership and awareness | New |
| 6.1 | Risk and opportunity actions become two separate subclauses | Split |
| 6.3 | Three new change-planning considerations added | Strengthened |
| Clause 3 | Core terms and definitions now printed in the standard itself | New |
| 8.1 | "Outsourced processes" broadened to "externally provided processes, products or services" | Revised |
| 9.1.3 / 9.3.2 | Risk-action and opportunity-action effectiveness now evaluated separately | Split |
| 10.1 / 10.3 | General and Continual Improvement merged into a single 10.1 subclause | Merged |
| Annex A / B | Annex A expanded and clause-mapped; Annex B (related standards) removed | Revised |
What happens, and when
Your existing ISO 9001:2015 certificate stays valid throughout the transition period. A three-year window is the established IAF pattern for major revisions.
Standard published
ISO 9001:2026 released; the transition clock starts running.
CB accreditation
Certification bodies, including DAS, become accredited to the new edition.
Transition audits begin
First ISO 9001:2026 certificates expected to be issued.
ISO 9001:2015 retires
Un-transitioned certificates become invalid. Exact date pending IAF confirmation.
ISO 9001:2026 training & certification
Delivered in-house at your premises or at our training venue — open to existing DAS clients and organizations new to ISO 9001 alike.
Awareness & Transition
What changed from 2015, what it means for your system, and how to close the gaps before your audit.
Internal Auditor
Planning and conducting internal audits against the 2026 clauses, including the new culture and ethics requirements.
Lead Auditor
Full auditing competence to ISO 9001:2026 and ISO 19011, for those managing or leading audit programmes.
Also available: gap assessments against ISO 9001:2026 before you commit to a transition audit, and first-time certification directly to the new edition for organizations not yet certified.
Before your next certification audit
Start now rather than close to the deadline — organizations that struggled in the 2015 transition were the ones competing for audit slots in the final months.
Add climate change to your context review and record the determination in writing.
Separate your risk and opportunity records so each has its own actions and effectiveness evaluation.
Update your change-management procedure to cover communication, monitoring and review.
Extend awareness training to include quality culture and ethical behaviour.
Add interested-party changes as a standing management review agenda item.
Refresh policy & manual references from ISO 9001:2015 to ISO 9001:2026.