Two dates to put in your calendar
Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI) has published transition requirements for the move from ISO 9001:2015, including its 2024 amendment, to ISO 9001:2026. The requirements apply to Global ACI Multilateral Recognition Arrangement signatories and their accredited certification bodies within the relevant scope.
- 31 March 2028. From this date, new and initial accredited certifications in scope can only be issued to ISO 9001:2026.
- 30 September 2029. Organisations with an existing ISO 9001:2015 certificate in scope have until this date to complete the transition.
How to fit the transition into your audit cycle
Ask your certification body when it can conduct an ISO 9001:2026 transition audit and whether you can combine it with your next surveillance or recertification audit. A separate transition audit is also possible. Confirm the timing against your own certificate expiry and allow time for findings to be closed and the certification decision to be made.
Work back from the agreed audit date. Assign owners for the gap review, complete changes to the QMS, then use an internal audit and management review to test whether the changes work. Teams preparing for their first certification should confirm the edition and expected certificate issue date with their certification body.
For the changes to review with your process owners, see Hallbar’s overview of the published ISO 9001:2026 edition.