ISO 9001:2015 vs ISO 9001:2026: Full Comparison

By Ishan Maharaj, Founder and Principal Consultant. Last reviewed 5 November 2026.

Last updated: November 2026

ISO 9001:2026 was published on 16 September 2026. Under the Global ACI transition rules (TECH-3-TR, issued 4 September 2026), no new ISO 9001:2015 certifications can be issued after 31 March 2028, and every ISO 9001:2015 certificate stops being valid on 30 September 2029. Source: Global ACI transition requirements for ISO 9001:2026. Confirm your own audit dates with your certification body. Below is a clause-by-clause comparison of the two editions, described in our own words from the published text.

Short answer: the clause structure is the same and your system does not need rewriting. The climate change wording in 4.1 and 4.2 is not new in 2026; it came from the 2024 amendment to ISO 9001:2015. The 2026 changes are in leadership (5.1.1), the quality policy (5.2), risks and opportunities (6.1), planning of changes (6.3), awareness (7.3) and management review inputs (9.3.2), plus a restructured clause 10, 20 defined terms in clause 3 and a rewritten Annex A. For a certified company the work is in evidence, not in new processes.

The three dates that matter

Date What happens
16 September 2026 ISO 9001:2026 is published and replaces ISO 9001:2015 (certification body announcement).
31 March 2028 New or initial certifications can only be issued to ISO 9001:2026.
30 September 2029 Transition ends. Certificates to ISO 9001:2015 are no longer valid.

Your certification body may set earlier audit dates. Ask for yours in writing, and consider transitioning at a scheduled surveillance or recertification audit to avoid paying for a special visit. More on the timeline: ISO 9001:2026 transition period, deadline and training.

ISO 9001:2015 vs ISO 9001:2026: clause-by-clause comparison

Impact is our estimate of the work involved for a company already certified to the 2015 edition. Low means a wording or reference update. Medium means a record or procedure needs extending. High means you will need new evidence an auditor can look at.

Clause ISO 9001:2015 ISO 9001:2026 Impact
3 Terms and definitions Refers to ISO 9000 for all terms. Defines 20 core management system terms in the standard itself. ISO 9000 still applies for everything else. Low. Check the terms used in your manual and procedures.
4.1 Context Determine internal and external issues. The 2024 amendment added: determine whether climate change is a relevant issue. Climate change wording retained. Nothing further added. Low if you addressed the 2024 amendment. Medium if your context review has no climate conclusion recorded.
4.2 Interested parties Determine interested parties and their relevant requirements. 2024 note: interested parties can have climate-related requirements. You decide which interested-party requirements are addressed through the QMS, and record that decision. Medium. Most registers list requirements but do not record which ones the QMS takes on.
4.3 and 4.4 Scope and QMS Define scope and the processes of the QMS. Substantively unchanged. Terminology aligned with the harmonized structure. Low.
5.1.1 Leadership Ten items that top management must demonstrate. Twelve items. The new item requires top management to promote quality culture and ethical behavior. High. Auditors will ask what this means in your company and what leadership has done about it.
5.2 Quality policy 5.2.1 establishing, 5.2.2 communicating. Same split, elements reorganized. The policy must reflect context and strategic direction. Low. Re-read the policy against the new layout. Most policies pass with light edits.
5.3 Roles and responsibilities Assign and communicate responsibilities. Unchanged in substance. Low.
6.1 Risks and opportunities 6.1.1 determine, 6.1.2 plan actions. Risks and opportunities handled together. Three sub-clauses: 6.1.1 determine, 6.1.2 actions to address risks, 6.1.3 actions to address opportunities. Opportunities are evaluated and acted on in their own right. Medium. A single risk register with no opportunity actions is the most common gap.
6.2 Quality objectives Set, plan and monitor objectives. Unchanged in substance. Low.
6.3 Planning of changes Four considerations: purpose and consequences, QMS integrity, resources, responsibilities. Seven considerations. Adds communication of the change, monitoring and evaluation of its effectiveness, and review of results. Medium. Extend the change procedure and change log to close the loop.
7.1 Resources People, infrastructure, environment, monitoring and measuring resources, organizational knowledge. Unchanged in substance. Minor terminology alignment. Low.
7.2 Competence Determine, ensure and record competence. Unchanged in substance. Low.
7.3 Awareness Four items: policy, objectives, contribution, consequences of nonconformity. Five items. People must also be aware of quality culture and ethical behavior. High. Induction and awareness training need updating, with records.
7.4 and 7.5 Communication and documented information Plan communication; control documents and records. Unchanged in substance. Low.
8.1 to 8.3 Operation, requirements, design Operational planning, customer requirements, design and development. Mostly terminology and layout. Item e) of 8.2.1 now refers to information on contingency actions and disruption. Low. Check 8.2.1 e) in your customer communication process.
8.4 Externally provided processes, products and services Control of external providers. Unchanged in substance. Terminology aligned. Low. Update wording in purchasing procedures.
8.5 to 8.7 Production, release, nonconforming outputs Control of production, release and nonconformity. Unchanged in substance. Low.
9.1 and 9.2 Monitoring and internal audit Monitor, measure, analyze, evaluate; run an audit programme. Core requirements retained. Your internal audit must now be run against the 2026 edition before the transition audit. Medium. The checklist and auditor briefing change, not the process.
9.3.2 Management review inputs Six inputs. Eight inputs, including changes in the needs and expectations of interested parties. Medium. Update the agenda template and the input tracker.
10 Improvement 10.1 general, 10.2 nonconformity and corrective action, 10.3 continual improvement. 10.1 and 10.3 of the 2015 edition are merged into 10.1 continual improvement. There is no 10.3. Low. Fix clause references in procedures and records.
Annex A Clarification of new structure, terminology and concepts. Rewritten as informative guidance on structure, terminology and intent. Adds no requirements. Low. Read it for intent.
Annex B Other ISO standards on quality management. Removed. None.

Clause-level changes as listed in section 3.1 of Global ACI TECH-3-TR, with notes from SGS, Qualio and Glocal Insight. Wording is our own; check the exact text in your licensed copy of the standard.

Need to brief your manager or plan the next 3 years?

Get both free PDFs: the changes summary (all 30 changes, with a paragraph you can paste into an email to leadership) and the 20-step transition checklist with a timeline to September 2029. No card needed.

This table tells you what changed. The Transition Toolkit gets it done.

  • Change Matrix: 82 rows instead of 22, each with the impact, the documents typically affected and a recommended action, plus owner and completion columns so it doubles as your transition tracker.
  • Gap Analysis Workbook and Transition Plan: find your own gaps and turn them into a dated plan.
  • The templates for each new requirement: quality culture, opportunities, change management, management review and the 2026 internal audit checklist.

All 11 tools in one download for US$199, instead of US$489 bought separately. Editable Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

See what's in the Transition ToolkitOnly need the Change Matrix? US$29

Rewriting the whole system instead? The Complete QMS Documentation Kit (US$349, 99 files) has the 33-page quality manual, 20 procedures, 43 forms and all 11 transition tools, with every change in this table already written in.

Instant download. One-organization licence. 30-day money-back guarantee if it doesn't fit your QMS.

What this means in practice for a 2015-certified company

Of the 22 rows above, 17 are low impact. The transition comes down to five pieces of work:

  1. Quality culture and ethical behavior (5.1.1 and 7.3). Define what both terms mean for your company, record what leadership has done to promote them, and put them into awareness training. This is the item auditors have the least history with, so clear evidence matters most here.
  2. Opportunities handled separately from risks (6.1.3). Evaluate opportunities, decide on actions and track them, rather than listing them beside risks with nothing attached.
  3. Change management closed loop (6.3). Add communication, effectiveness monitoring and review of results to your change procedure and log.
  4. Interested-party decisions (4.2 and 9.3.2). Record which interested-party requirements the QMS addresses, and bring changes in their needs into management review.
  5. Clause references and terminology (3, 8, 10). A find-and-replace job across the manual, procedures and audit checklist, then an internal audit against the 2026 edition.

Most small and mid-sized companies can do this in-house over roughly 20 weeks of part-time work. The sequence is in our ISO 9001:2026 transition guide.

The template that covers each change

Change Template that covers it
4.1 / 4.2 Climate change and interested-party decisions Context and Climate Pack
5.1.1 / 7.3 Quality culture and ethical behavior Quality Culture Pack and Awareness Training Kit
5.2 Quality policy and manual wording Quality Manual Template
6.1 Risks and opportunities split Risk and Opportunity Register
6.3 Planning of changes Change Management Procedure
9.2 Internal audit against the 2026 edition Internal Audit Checklist
9.3.2 Management review inputs Management Review Pack
3, 8, 10, Annexes Terminology and clause references Change Matrix

All of these are included in the Transition Toolkit (11 tools, US$199), which costs less than buying them one by one. The Complete QMS Documentation Kit (US$349) includes all 11 tools plus the quality manual, 20 procedures and 43 forms.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 9001:2026?

The clause structure is the same. The differences are a new quality culture and ethical behavior item in leadership (5.1.1) and awareness (7.3), risks and opportunities split into 6.1.2 and 6.1.3, a longer planning of changes clause (6.3), two extra management review inputs (9.3.2), a merged continual improvement clause (10.1), 20 defined terms in clause 3 and a rewritten Annex A that adds no requirements.

Is climate change a new requirement in ISO 9001:2026?

No. The requirement to determine whether climate change is a relevant issue (clause 4.1) and the note in clause 4.2 were added to ISO 9001:2015 by the amendment published on 22 February 2024. The 2026 edition keeps them.

Which parts of ISO 9001:2026 need the most work for a 2015-certified company?

Usually 5.1.1 and 7.3 (quality culture and ethical behavior, which need evidence), 6.1 (opportunities handled separately), 6.3 (communication, monitoring and review of changes) and 9.3.2 (the interested-party input).

By when must I move from ISO 9001:2015?

Under the Global ACI rules, no new ISO 9001:2015 certifications are issued after 31 March 2028, and all ISO 9001:2015 certificates stop being valid on 30 September 2029. Your certification body may require earlier dates.

What are the ISO 9001:2026 certification requirements?

Certification is decided by your certification body, which audits your system against ISO 9001:2026. New certifications can only be issued to the 2026 edition from 31 March 2028. The areas to have evidence ready for are quality culture and ethical behavior, separate handling of opportunities, the full planning-of-changes loop and the added management review inputs.

Is there an ISO 9001:2026 implementation guide?

Yes. Our ISO 9001:2026 transition guide sets out an eight-step implementation sequence, with a template for each step.

Do I have to rewrite my whole quality management system?

No. The clause structure is largely retained. Run a gap analysis, then update the documents and records each change affects.

Does ISO 9001:2026 require a quality manual?

No, and neither did the 2015 edition. You must document the scope, policy, objectives and the information needed to run your processes. Most companies keep a manual because customers and tender portals ask for one. If yours is out of date, our Quality Manual Template (US$79) is already structured to the 2026 clauses.

Can we transition at our next surveillance audit?

Usually yes, if your certification body agrees and you have completed the gap analysis, updated the affected documents and run an internal audit against the 2026 edition beforehand. Ask your certification body how much extra audit time it will need.

Your next step

Updating an existing 2015 system: the Transition Toolkit (11 tools, US$199) covers every change on this page, from the gap analysis to the management review. Want to see your gaps first? Start with the Gap Analysis Workbook (US$49). Building or rewriting the whole system: the Complete QMS Documentation Kit (US$349, 99 files) has every change on this page already written into the manual, procedures and forms.

See the Transition ToolkitGap Analysis Workbook first (US$49)See the Complete QMS Documentation Kit

Not ready to buy? Start with the free 20-step transition checklist. Questions about your own system? Book a scoping call.

Related reading: ISO 9001:2026 transition guide, transition period, deadline and training, gap analysis template, quality manual template, ISO 9001 vs ISO 13485, free ISO 9001:2026 resources.

This page describes changes in our own words and does not reproduce clause text from ISO 9001:2026. Check it against your own licensed copy of the standard before you finalize documentation. We don't promise certification outcomes; these tools support your transition, and the audit decision is your certification body's.

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Templates that do this job

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