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Which edition applies to your organization?
ISO published the sixth edition, ISO 9001:2026, on 16 September 2026. The 2015 edition does not immediately disappear from existing certifications. Your current certificate, the transition requirements in the applicable accreditation system and the audit plan agreed with your certification body determine your next steps.
docxpert treats ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 9001:2026 as separate editions. Add 2026 while retaining your existing baseline. Existing documents keep their standards assignments and approvals. An expert review determines which content and evidence need adaptation.
Three years of transition: the actual dates
| Date | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 16 September 2026 | Publication of the new edition. |
| 31 March 2028 | New accredited initial certifications use the 2026 edition. |
| 30 September 2029 | Complete the transition of existing accredited 2015 certifications, allowing time for the audit and issuance of the new certificate. |
The latter two dates come from the published Global ACI transition requirements. They apply within their scope to the participating accreditation and certification bodies. Your certification body may require earlier dates. The three years do not start when you sign up for software.
Which changes should you review first?
Clauses 4 to 10 remain the framework of the QMS. This overview brings together key review areas; it does not replace a complete assessment of the standard. Evaluate every applicable requirement in your organization's context and record concrete decisions.
| Topic | 2026 reference | Operational review |
|---|---|---|
| Context and interested parties | 4.1–4.3 | Review climate relevance, relevant requirements and justified non-applicability. Climate consideration was already addressed by the 2024 amendment. |
| Leadership and awareness | 5.1.1, 7.3 | Promote quality culture and ethical behaviour and reflect them in responsibilities and awareness. |
| Risks and opportunities | 6.1.1–6.1.3 | Trace analysis, evaluation and actions for risks and opportunities separately. |
| Planned changes | 6.3 | Consider information, resources, responsibilities, communication and effectiveness review. |
| Organizational knowledge | 7.1.6 | Retain, apply and share knowledge and consider changing needs. |
| Management review | 9.1.3, 9.3.2 | Evaluate changed stakeholder needs and the effectiveness of risk actions and opportunity actions. |
| Continual improvement | 10.1 | Update references: the 2026 edition has no clause 10.3. |
An existing risk register may remain useful. Check whether it treats opportunities merely as negative risks or evaluates their benefits, actions and effectiveness separately. Likewise, adding a term to a quality policy is insufficient for quality culture: leaders and employees need to explain how it works in practice.
What changes clause by clause
A list of topics is not enough for a transition. We compared the normative clauses 4 to 10 of both editions. The foreword of the 2026 edition names the main changes: terms and definitions are now included in clause 3, quality culture and ethical behaviour are addressed in leadership, awareness and the working environment, risks and opportunities are treated separately, management of change has been strengthened, Annex A explains the requirements in more detail and the former Annex B has been removed. Amendment 1:2024 on climate change is incorporated.
| 2026 clause | 2015 reference | Type | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | 4.1 | Changed | Explicitly determine whether climate change is a relevant issue. Introduced by Amendment 1:2024 and now part of the main text. |
| 4.2 | 4.2 | Changed | New: determine which relevant requirements of interested parties will be addressed through the QMS. Climate-related requirements have been noted since the 2024 amendment. |
| 5.1.1 | 5.1 | Changed | New: top management promotes quality culture and ethical behaviour. Risk-based thinking is complemented by opportunity-based thinking. |
| 6.1.1 | 6.1 | Restructured | Determining risks and opportunities is now its own subclause; the content corresponds to 2015. |
| 6.1.2 | 6.1 | Changed | Determine, analyse and evaluate risks. Plan actions for risks separately, including integration into processes and evaluation of effectiveness, proportionate to the potential impact on intended results. |
| 6.1.3 | 6.1 | New | New separate subclause for opportunities: determine, analyse and evaluate them, plan actions and evaluate their effectiveness. Actions suit the context and support desired results. |
| 6.3 | 6.3 | Changed | Changes to the QMS are planned more thoroughly: also consider availability of information, communication of the change, monitoring and evaluating its effectiveness and reviewing its results. |
| 7.1.4 | 7.1 | Clarified | Requirement unchanged. The note now names psychological factors such as burnout prevention and the influence of quality culture and ethical behaviour (informative). |
| 7.1.6 | 7.1 | Changed | Knowledge is no longer only maintained and made available but retained, applied and shared; the reference point is the intended results of the QMS. |
| 7.3 | 7.3 | Changed | New: persons are aware of the organizational quality culture and ethical behaviour. |
| 8.2.1 | 8.2 | Changed | Customer communication includes information on contingency actions, explicitly including disruptions to the provision of products or services. |
| 8.3.1 | 8.3 | Clarified | Requirement unchanged; a note describes iterative development cycles (informative). |
| 8.4.3 | 8.4 | Changed | Requirements communicated to external providers also cover their interactions with customers and other relevant interested parties. |
| 9.1.2 | 9.1.2 | Clarified | Worded more concisely: monitor customer satisfaction and determine the methods. The note lists further sources of information (informative). |
| 9.1.3 | 9.1.3 | Changed | The effectiveness of actions on risks and on opportunities is evaluated separately. |
| 9.3.2 | 9.3 | Changed | New inputs: changes in needs and expectations of interested parties. The effectiveness of actions on risks and on opportunities is considered separately. |
| 10.1 | 10.1, 10.3 | Restructured | General improvement (2015: 10.1) and continual improvement (2015: 10.3) are combined in 10.1; there is no clause 10.3 any more. Update references in documents. |
The remaining clauses are largely unchanged in substance. One wording change runs through the whole standard: instead of “maintain” or “retain documented information”, the 2026 edition says “available as documented information”. According to Annex A, “available as evidence” refers to retaining objective evidence and does not imply legal evidential requirements. Review references and terms in your documents rather than rewriting processes that work.
The changes in detail
Each topic that needs action has its own page: what changes, how to proceed, which evidence fits and which mistakes are common. The free ISO 9001:2026 transition check shows where you stand overall – without sign-up, with the result as PDF.
Transition tools in docxpert
The transition view appears under norm requirements for organizations that have ISO 9001:2015 in scope or already keep a transition plan. New customers select ISO 9001:2026 directly in the standards selection and need no transition.
- Clause-by-clause overview: All 65 clauses of the 2026 edition with their 2015 reference and type of change, optionally filtered to clauses that need action.
- Suggestions from your existing documents: Documents you linked to a 2015 clause, or that covered it according to an analysis, appear at the matching 2026 clause. After your review you link them with one click. The link deliberately does not count as coverage; assessment happens in the 2026 gap analysis.
- Owners and dates: Each of the eight planning topics gets a person from your team and a target date. Open topics appear in that person's inbox, and overdue topics are flagged.
- Link evidence: Documents and CAPAs can be attached to planning topics so that review result and evidence stay together.
- Progress and report: A progress indicator and the days left until the audit or the end of the transition. A PDF report summarizes plan, owners, evidence and key changes for management review and your certification body.
- Guided completion: When all topics are reviewed and the new certificate has been issued, you deliberately remove the 2015 edition from scope. 2015 data remains as history.
Use Annex A without inventing additional obligations
Annex A is informative. It explains requirements without adding or changing them. Your document structure need not follow the structure of the standard. A particular quality manual, prescribed headings or a formal documented risk-management process are not automatically required by the annex.
docxpert maps the explanations to the corresponding 2026 clauses. They support expert review and AI-assisted interpretation. They do not count as additional requirements or independent gaps. Suggested document types are aids; determine which documented information your processes actually need.
Non-applicability needs a traceable justification and must not impair the ability to meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. Do not transfer exclusions from the previous catalog to the new edition without review.
Organize your transition in docxpert
- 1
Establish the baseline and audit plan
Review your current certificate, applicable edition and scope. Record your certification body and planned transition audit date in the transition plan.
- 2
Add the 2026 edition
Open the transition view under norm requirements. An owner reviews and applies the proposed addition to active standards. The 2015 edition is retained.
- 3
Review requirements and evidence
Compare the complete 2026 catalog with your processes and evidence. The gap analysis provides indications of document coverage; it is not evidence of certification.
- 4
Assign adaptations
For the eight planning topics, record an owner from your team, target dates, evidence and review results. Open topics appear in the owner's inbox. The template library and the 2026 starter pack provide starting points for drafts.
- 5
Revise documents under control
Review existing content, record changes and use document control for review and approval. A previous approval does not automatically confirm the new edition.
- 6
Demonstrate implementation and effectiveness
Review awareness and competence, conduct an internal audit and update management review. Agree the completion of the transition with your certification body.
A planning step marked as expert reviewed records your review. It does not automatically close a norm gap or replace assessment of implementation and effectiveness. Existing analyses and evidence remain associated with their original edition; do not interpret coverage scores from different catalogs as a direct improvement.
Start with your existing processes
Begin with policy, context, risks and opportunities, and management review. Existing records often help you assess responsibilities and decisions in these areas. Add concrete examples from operations rather than simply renaming standard terminology. Then review operational processes and evidence against the complete catalog.
See ISO 9001 software for the product overview. The guides to internal audits and management review help with audit planning and evidence. The licensed standard and the transition requirements applicable to your certification remain the authoritative basis.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a three-year ISO 9001:2026 transition period?
The published Global ACI requirements set 30 September 2029 as the completion date for existing accredited 2015 certifications. Confirm applicability and any earlier dates with your certification body.
Can I continue using ISO 9001:2015 in docxpert?
Yes. Select the 2026 edition additionally. Existing 2015 documents, approvals, scope decisions and analyses are retained.
Does Annex A introduce additional requirements?
No. Annex A is informative. It supports interpretation of normative requirements and is not treated as a separate requirement catalog or additional scoring denominator.
Do I need to rewrite all my documents?
No. Review existing processes, information and evidence against applicable requirements of the new edition. Revise and approve the changes that are actually needed under document control.