ISO 9001:2026 Transition
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On 16 September 2026, ISO officially published ISO 9001:2026 (Sixth Edition). It replaces ISO 9001:2015 + Amendment 1:2024 (Climate Change). Organizations holding an Accredited Certificate must transition to the revised standard, i.e., achieve compliance with the ISO 9001:2026 standard, by 30 September 2029 (thirty-six months from the end of the publication month). ISO does not set the transition deadline. It is set by Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI), which replaced both IAF and ILAC from January 1, 2026. Global ACI has released the document "Transition Requirements for ISO 9001:2026 (Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30)." According to the guidelines, no new ISO 9001:2015 compliance certificates will be issued after March 31, 2028.
The following dates are important in this context:
(1) 16 September 2026 - ISO 9001:2026 is published, replacing ISO 9001:2015, including Amd 1:2024.
(2) By 31 March 2027 - Accreditation bodies (ABs) must be ready within six months of the standard's publication. ABs must possess sufficient knowledge and information on the new version and announce their transition process.
(3) 30 June 2027 - Certification bodies (CBs) must submit a transition declaration and related documentation to their accreditation body within nine months of the standard's publication. CB auditors must be trained on the new version of the standard within this period.
(4) 30 September 2027 - Accreditation bodies must complete their decisions on CB accreditation by 30 September 2027 (twelve months after publication). A CB may issue ISO 9001:2026 certificates as soon as its own accreditation has been transitioned; it need not wait until that deadline.
(5) 31 March 2028 – No new ISO 9001:2015 compliance certificates will be issued after eighteen months from the publication of the standard. Initial certifications can only be for ISO 9001:2026 compliance—therefore, Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits starting in late 2027 need to be planned around this cut-off, not 2029.
(6) 30 September 2029 – Deadline – All certifications must be converted to the 2026 version within thirty-six months of the standard's publication. ISO 9001:2015 compliance certificates will no longer be valid after this date.
Can an organization still obtain an ISO 9001:2015 compliance certificate? Until March 31, 2028, yes—and if an audit is already underway, it may still be valid. After March 31, 2028, initial certifications can only be for ISO 9001:2026.
After September 16, 2026, certification bodies (CBs) cannot immediately issue 2026 certifications. They can only issue them once their own accreditation has migrated to the new version—typically by mid-2027.
Regards,
Keshav Ram Singhal
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