The draft ISO 9001:2026 has been released: What to expect in the new version

Houston, August 29, 2025: - The revision of ISO 9001 is advancing steadily. The much-anticipated Draft International Standard (DIS) has been released for a 12-week ballot and comment period. The updated standard is expected to be published in the second half of 2026, likely in October or November.

“ISO 9001 is a cornerstone for quality assurance across industries. This revision is therefore important and followed by many stakeholders. It is key that the standard is regularly updated to ensure the standard remains relevant in today’s increasingly complex and dynamic business environments,” says Tor Gunnar Tollefsen, Global Service Manager for Management Systems in DNV.

Changes in the draft version

The 2026 revision introduces several targeted updates, many of which align ISO 9001 more closely with the harmonized structure of other ISO management system standards.

Among the main changes outlined in the draft are:

  • New amendment in 5.1 “Leadership and commitment” for the promotion of quality culture and ethical behaviour with new guidance on how these can be demonstrated.
  • Clearer separation of risk and opportunity management in Clause 6.1 has been introduced, with new subclauses (6.1.1–6.1.3) and expanded guidance.
  • The climate change amendments from 2024 (in clause 4.1 and 4.1) are now integrated.
  • Some amendments to requirements in clauses 4 to 10.  In addition, some notes are added or amended to better explain the current requirements.

Additionally, Annex A has been significantly expanded to provide improved and more detailed guidance aligned with clauses 4 to 10 of the standard.

As always, there may be changes following the stakeholder hearing of the draft update version.  But in short, what is revealed in the DIS-version should means quite moderate changes for companies.

Transition timeline

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) is expected to publish transition rules and timelines closer to the final release. Historically, ISO management system standards allow a transition period of up to three years. However, due to the limited scope of changes, a shorter transition period may be proposed.

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