Standards transitions

Every transition on your desk, in date order

Certification bodies are running several transitions at once, and they all draw on the same technical staff. This page lists each one by the next date that binds the certification body, not the certified client.

Last reviewed 26 September 2026. Updated whenever a date is set or passes.

Transitions in progress

1 November 2026

SA8000:2026

All SAAS-accredited certification bodies are expected to offer SA8000:2026 audits. Clients can only transition at recertification, and the transition ends on 31 May 2029. Read the CAB guide

31 January 2027

ISO 14001:2026

Your readiness declaration to your accreditation body is due (30 January 2027 under Accredia; NABCB asked for its self-declaration by 30 September 2026). New certifications only to the 2026 version from 31 October 2027; the transition ends on 30 April 2029. Read the CAB guide

30 June 2027

ISO 9001:2026

Your readiness declaration is due. New certifications only to the 2026 version from 31 March 2028; every transition, including certificate issue, complete by 30 September 2029. Read the CAB guide

Around 27 March 2029

ISO/IEC 17020:2026

The standard inspection bodies are accredited against, published 27 March 2026 with a three-year transition. Check your accreditation body's intermediate dates. Read the guide

Set by your AB

ISO/IEC 17024:2026

The standard persons certification bodies are accredited against, published 31 March 2026. Confirm the transition deadline with your accreditation body. Read the guide

If you are accredited by NABCB

NABCB applies these transitions in India through its own policies, and its dates can come earlier. For ISO 14001:2026 it asked for each certification body's self-declaration by 30 September 2026. Its ISO 9001:2026 policy is still awaited. NABCB and Global ACI dates side by side

On the horizon

ISO 45001. The revision has passed its Draft International Standard ballot, which ran from 16 June to 9 September 2026, and ISO expects to publish in the first half of 2027. The transition rules will follow publication, so expect a third overlapping programme for bodies that certify occupational health and safety. What to plan for now

What is not changing

ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015. The standard management system certification bodies are accredited against went through ISO's systematic review, which closed on 5 March 2026, and no revision has been started. There is no new edition of your own accreditation standard to absorb on top of the client transitions.

Plan the load, not just the dates

The dates are fixed. What decides whether you meet them is how many transition audits land in each quarter, against how many competent auditors. Our transition load planner models ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 together against your own capacity.

Sources

Global ACI transition requirements for ISO 9001:2026 and ISO 14001:2026.
SAI, SA8000 Certification Program Timeline.
ISO, ISO/IEC 17020:2026 and ISO/IEC 17024:2026; UKAS, ISO/IEC 17020:2026 transition.
Accredia, ISO 14001:2026 transition.
ISO, ISO/DIS 45001 and ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015, life cycle pages.

Where Global ACI, SAI, SAAS or your accreditation body sets a date, their documents govern. This page is a planning summary.

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