ISO 9001:2026 changes from 2015: all 16, clause by clause
ISO 9001:2026 is a moderate revision, less extensive than the 2015 upgrade.S5 Sixteen clause-level changes separate it from ISO 9001:2015, listed below; none adds requirements for sustainability, cybersecurity or AI.S6S8 An ISO 9001:2015 certificate stays valid during the transition window.S4 Publication is scheduled for September 16, 2026.S1
Who it affects: 1,479,165 valid ISO 9001 certificates worldwide, 28,783 of them in the United States (ISO Survey 2024).S12
The 16 changes, clause by clause
The changes are wording, structure and a handful of new records: quality culture and ethical behavior in leadership and awareness, opportunities as their own subclause, the climate wording of Amendment 1:2024 moved into the base text, and a rewritten informative Annex A.S5S6S8 The table lists every item in the order of the standard. Where the 2015 column says "see 2026 column", the sources describe the 2026 text without stating what the 2015 text said, and this page does not guess.
| Clause | What ISO 9001:2015 said | What ISO 9001:2026 says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clause 3Terms and definitions | Terms defined by reference to ISO 9000. | QMS terms are defined inside the standard: organization, interested party, top management, quality policy, quality objective, risk, process, competence, documented information, nonconformity, corrective action, audit, and others. | S6S3 |
| 4.1 and 4.2Context and interested parties | Climate-change wording added on top of the 2015 text by Amendment 1:2024. | The Amendment 1:2024 climate wording is part of the base text: determine whether climate change is a relevant issue, and note that interested parties can have climate-related requirements. Requirements have not expanded beyond the 2024 amendment. | S6S5S8S2 |
| 5.1.1Leadership and commitment | No reference to quality culture or ethical behavior; both are added in 2026. | Top management shall promote quality culture and ethical behavior. | S6S5S8 |
| 5.2Quality policy | See 2026 column. | The policy takes into account the context of the organization and supports its strategic direction. | S6S3S7 |
| 5.3Roles, responsibilities and authorities | See 2026 column. | Someone is assigned responsibility to report to top management on opportunities for improvement. | S6 |
| 6.1Actions to address risks and opportunities | Risks and opportunities addressed together under one clause. | Restructured into 6.1.1 (determining risks and opportunities), 6.1.2 (actions to address risks) and 6.1.3 (actions to address opportunities). Opportunities become their own stream, not a column in the risk register. | S6S5S8 |
| 6.2Quality objectives | Quality objectives are measurable. | Objectives remain measurable. A draft proposal to soften this to "if practicable" was dropped. | S6 |
| 6.3Planning of changes | Planning of changes already existed, with a shorter list of things to consider. | The list expands: how the effectiveness of changes will be monitored and evaluated, how the results will be reviewed, and communication of changes. | S6S3 |
| 7.1.4Environment for the operation of processes | No reference to quality culture; one sentence is added in 2026. | Adds that some factors depend on the organizational quality culture, including ethical behavior. | S6 |
| 7.3Awareness | Awareness list without quality culture or ethical behavior; both are added in 2026. | People doing work under the organization's control shall be aware of the quality culture and ethical behavior. | S6S5S3S8 |
| 7.5Documented information | Documents and records distinguished by the words "maintain" and "retain". | Wording standardized. "Shall be available as documented information" means a document. "Documented information shall be available as evidence of" means a record. | S6S7 |
| 8.1Operational planning and control | Uses the term "outsourced processes". | Documented information is required to the extent necessary to have confidence that processes were carried out as planned and as evidence of conformity of products and services. The term "outsourced processes" is removed; externally provided processes stay under 8.4. | S6 |
| 8.4Externally provided processes, products and services | Requirements communicated to external providers listed without an "as applicable" qualifier. | "As applicable" is added to the list of requirements communicated to external providers. | S6 |
| 9.3Management review | See 2026 column. | Management review inputs reference opportunities alongside risks. | S6 |
| 10Improvement | 10.3 Continual improvement is a separate subclause. | 10.3 Continual improvement is merged into 10.1. | S6S5 |
| Annex AGuidance | A shorter informative annex. | Rewritten and expanded to about fifteen pages of guidance on clauses 4 to 10. Informative only: it explains, it does not add requirements. | S6S5S3S7 |
Clause 8, Operation, carries minimal changes beyond the 8.1 and 8.4 wording above.S3S6 The self-check for each item and the Covered / Update / Ask boxes are in the free checklist.
What is not changing
The structure, the process approach and the foundations stay as they are; an integrated management system stays integrated.S8S7
- The ten-clause Harmonized Structure shared with ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO/IEC 27001.S8S7
- The process approach, Plan-Do-Check-Act, and risk-based thinking as a foundation.S8
- Clause 8, Operation: minimal changes.S3S6
- No standalone quality-culture clause: culture sits inside 5.1.1 and 7.3.S8
- Quality objectives stay measurable.S6
What is not required
ISO 9001:2026 adds no requirements for AI, ESG, sustainability, cybersecurity or digitalization, and the transition deadline has not been set.S6S8S11 These are the claims in circulation that the sources do not support.
- AI. Not a requirement. Oxebridge's review of the FDIS text lists no new requirements on AI or digitalization;S6 Proks Certification notes that digitalization and AI appear in the context of strategic direction (5.2.1), not as new requirements.S8 TÜV NORD goes only as far as "modern developments such as AI can be relevant in this context".S7
- ESG and sustainability. Not added. Proks: "ISO 9001 is not becoming an ESG standard".S8 The climate wording in 4.1 and 4.2 is limited to what Amendment 1:2024 already required.S8S6
- Cybersecurity. No new requirements.S6
- A new clause 6.3. Planning of changes existed in the 2015 edition; only its list of considerations expanded.S6
- A September 2029 deadline. Expected by SGS, NQA and DNV, not set.S3S4S5 No transition resolution had been issued as of early September 2026.S11
How big is it
Smaller than the 2015 upgrade. A certification body, a certification body's guidance note and a clause-by-clause review of the FDIS text agree on the size.S5S8S6
"The overall extent of changes seems moderate and are less extensive than the changes experienced when upgrading to the 2015-edition."
DNV US, ISO 9001:2026 Revision and Transition Guide (S5)
"A well-functioning 2015 system will need adjustment, not reconstruction."
Proks Certification, ISO 9001:2026 is weeks away (S8)
"Updating to the new standard will likely take most companies about an hour."
Christopher Paris, Oxebridge Quality Resources, ISO FDIS 9001:2026 Full Review (S6)
The dates
Publication is scheduled for September 16, 2026.S1 The transition window is expected, not set: certification bodies expect three years, and no formal resolution had been published as of early September 2026.S3S4S11
| Publication | September 16, 2026. ISO/TC 176/SC 2 announced on August 7, 2026 that the FDIS was approved and the sixth edition is scheduled for publication on this date.S1 ISO's standard page lists the sixth edition at 36 pages, replacing ISO 9001:2015.S2 |
|---|---|
| FDIS milestones | DIS ballot August 27 to November 20, 2025; FDIS registered April 20, 2026; FDIS ballot from May 14, 2026;S2 FDIS approved July 15, 2026.S8 |
| Transition window | ISO states that certified organizations will have a transition period to adapt.S2 SGS, NQA and DNV expect a three-year window, ending around September 2029.S3S4S5 DNV advises planning as if the window may be shorter than three years.S5 |
| Precedent | The 2015 edition's transition ran three years and ended on September 15, 2018.S9 |
| Your current certificate | Certification to ISO 9001:2015 remains valid during the transition window. You need to adopt the 2026 edition before the window closes.S4 Transition audits can be stand-alone, combined with a surveillance audit, or combined with recertification.S4 |
| Who sets the deadline | IAF and ILAC were replaced by Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI) on January 1, 2026. Existing accreditations continue to be recognized.S10 As of early September 2026 no transition resolution had been issued.S11 |
Questions
The six questions quality managers ask most, answered from the same sources.
Is ISO 9001:2026 published yet?
ISO/TC 176/SC 2 announced on August 7, 2026 that the FDIS was approved and that publication is scheduled for September 16, 2026.S1
Does my ISO 9001:2015 certificate expire?
No. Certification to ISO 9001:2015 remains valid during the transition window. You need to adopt the 2026 edition before the window closes.S4
When is the transition deadline?
ISO says certified organizations will have a transition period.S2 SGS, NQA and DNV expect three years, ending around September 2029.S3S4S5 As of early September 2026 the formal resolution had not been published,S11 and DNV advises planning as if the window may be shorter.S5 The 2015 edition's window ran three years and closed on September 15, 2018.S9
Do we need to add sustainability, ESG or AI requirements?
No. The climate wording is limited to what Amendment 1:2024 already required.S8 There are no new requirements for sustainability, cybersecurity, digitalization or AI.S6S8 AI and digitalization are mentioned as context factors an organization may consider, not as obligations.S8S7
Who is behind this page?
Raphael Schön, founder of SIÁN, a small automation agency (SIÁN OÜ, Tallinn, Estonia). One of our own companies is in the middle of its ISO 9001 recertification, and this checklist started as the list we needed ourselves. Not ISO, not a registrar, and not a consultancy selling a transition project. Every item is compiled from the public FDIS review and the certification-body guidance linked on this page, and cites where it came from. Questions or corrections: hello@sian-agency.online.
What happens with my email?
You get the checklist right away. Unless you tick the notes box on the form, we email you only if the published standard changes an item or when the transition deadline is formally set. If you tick it, you get short transition notes, about weekly for a month and then rarely, including what we build and sell for the transition. No weekly newsletter either way. One-click unsubscribe.
Sources
All pages fetched and read on September 9, 2026.
- S1. ISO/TC 176/SC 2, "ISO 9001 revision update," August 7, 2026. committee.iso.org/sites/tc176sc2/…/news-1.html
- S2. ISO, ISO/FDIS 9001 standard page (will replace ISO 9001:2015). iso.org/standard/88464.html
- S3. SGS USA, "ISO 9001:2026 - Key Updates and Transition Guidance." sgs.com/en-us/showcases/iso-9001-2026-key-updates-and-transition-guidance
- S4. NQA (US), "ISO 9001:2015 to ISO 9001:2026 Transition Guide." nqa.com/en-us/transitions/iso-9001-2026
- S5. DNV US, "ISO 9001:2026 Revision and Transition Guide." dnv.us/assurance/Management-Systems/new-iso/transition/iso-9001-revision/
- S6. Oxebridge Quality Resources, Christopher Paris, "ISO FDIS 9001:2026 Full Review," April 22, 2026 (clause-by-clause review of the FDIS text). oxebridge.com/emma/iso-fdis-90012026-full-review/
- S7. TÜV NORD, "ISO Revisions 2026: An overview of all changes to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001." tuev-nord.de/en/wissen/standards-im-blick/iso-revisions-2026-…
- S8. Proks Certification, "ISO 9001:2026 is weeks away. What changes, what doesn't, and what to do now," August 3, 2026. proks-cert.de/en/insights/iso-9001-2026-revision-what-changes
- S9. IAF, "ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Transition Deadline" (2015 edition transition ended September 15, 2018). iaf.nu/en/news/iso-9001-and-iso-14001-transition-deadline/
- S10. IAF, "Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated Launch," January 1, 2026. iaf.nu/en/news/global-accreditation-cooperation-incorporated-launch-…
- S11. Clausewise, "ISO 9001:2026 Revision: What Changed and What UK Businesses Need to Do." clausewise.co.uk/blog/iso-9001-2026-revision-what-changed/
- S12. ISO Survey 2024 figures as reported by simpleQuE, "A Look at the 2024 ISO Survey," simpleque.com/a-look-at-the-2024-iso-survey-… and Oxebridge, "ISO Survey 2024 Analysis," oxebridge.com/emma/iso-survey-2024-analysis-…
Changelog. 1.0, September 11, 2026: first publication, built from the approved FDIS. Next: re-verification of every item against the published text after September 16, 2026.
This page is based on the approved Final Draft International Standard. ISO's process allows only editorial changes after FDIS approval;S6 if the published text differs on any item, this page will be updated. It is not legal or certification advice. Confirm requirements against the published standard and with your certification body.