Why does the transition end on 30 September 2029?
Because every deadline is counted from the last day of the publication month. ISO/TC 176/SC 2 announced the publication of ISO 9001:2026 on 16 September 2026. The Global ACI transition document takes 30 September 2026 as day zero and sets its deadlines in months: 6, 9, 12, 18 and 36.
Global ACI (Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated) has taken over the work of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). Its document, referenced Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), is mandatory for the accreditation bodies that have signed the Global ACI multilateral recognition arrangement and for the certification bodies they accredit. Version 1.1, dated 4 September 2026 and applicable since 16 September 2026, added the end date of the transition in full: three years, to 30 September 2029. It settles the question of the two dates that were circulating, 15 and 30 September.
According to Global ACI, the three-year period reflects the size of the certified population: more than one million accredited ISO 9001 certificates, which certification bodies must move across as their audits come round.
What are the key dates, and who must act at each stage?
Six dates frame the transition. The first three concern accreditation and certification bodies above all; the last three directly affect certified companies.
Date | Deadline set by Global ACI | Who acts | What it means for a certified site in Morocco |
|---|---|---|---|
16 September 2026 | ISO 9001:2026 published | ISO | The reference text exists; the gap analysis can start |
31 March 2027 at the latest | Accreditation bodies ready to assess against the 2026 edition and transition process announced | Accreditation bodies | Your certification body knows the rules for its own transition |
30 June 2027 | Certification bodies submit their readiness declarations and supporting documents; a body that will not transition informs its clients in writing | Certification bodies | Ask your certification body for a written position |
30 September 2027 | Accreditation bodies complete their transition decisions | Accreditation bodies | From the decision, your certification body can issue accredited ISO 9001:2026 certificates |
31 March 2028 | End of initial certifications to the 2015 edition | Certification bodies and companies | Every first certification is to the 2026 edition |
30 September 2029 | End of the transition: accredited certifications to the 2015 edition are no longer valid | Certified companies | Transition audit and certificate issuance completed before this date |
For sites also certified to ISO 14001, another deadline falls earlier: 30 April 2029, the end of the transition to ISO 14001:2026 under the Global ACI document for the environmental standard. Combining both transitions in one audit means working to that date.
What happens in 2027, before certification bodies are ready?
Certification bodies prepare their own transition, and you should prepare yours in parallel. Global ACI requires each certification body to draw up a transition plan. That plan identifies the changes in its own processes, among which the document cites sales and quoting, the audit process and competence management. It also covers training for the people concerned: sales staff, auditors, technical reviewers, decision makers, and contract and application reviewers. And the body must communicate actively with its certified clients on the process, the actions expected and the timelines.
Two practical consequences follow. First, an audit against the 2026 edition carried out before your certification body’s accreditation has transitioned does not yet lead to an accredited certificate: the certificate is issued only after the accreditation body’s decision. Second, after the transition decision, at least one of the witness assessments carried out by the accreditation body must be an ISO 9001:2026 audit before the end of the transition: your audit could be that one, with an assessor from the accreditation body also in the room.
The accreditation body that matters is the one named on your certificate. In Morocco, the Ministry of Industry and Trade publishes the list of certification bodies accredited by SEMAC to NM ISO/IEC 17021-1; SEMAC (Service Marocain d’Accréditation) is the Moroccan Accreditation Service, and many certification bodies working in Morocco are accredited abroad. SEMAC is listed among the associate members of Global ACI, which means it is not yet a signatory of the mutual recognition arrangement (list checked in November 2026): the transition document, mandatory for signatories, therefore does not bind it in the same way. Ask your certification body which calendar applies to your certificate.
When should you schedule your transition audit?
As early as possible after your certification body has transitioned, on an audit that is already planned. Global ACI allows three formats: surveillance, recertification or a special transition audit. The audit can be held remotely if the certification body demonstrates that its objectives are met. At a minimum, it reviews the changed requirements, changes in your context and the need for any other changes to your system.
The decisive words are “including certificate issuance”: before 30 September 2029, you must have been audited, closed any nonconformities and received the certification decision. Count backwards from your current cycle:
- Recertification due in 2028 or early 2029. This is the natural opportunity: a full system audit, for which Global ACI notes that additional time may not be needed. The earlier it is, the more room you have to close a major nonconformity.
- Recertification due after September 2029. Your last audit before the deadline will be a surveillance audit. You need to transition at a 2027 or 2028 surveillance, or schedule a special audit.
- Transition left to a surveillance in summer 2029. This is the scenario to avoid: a major nonconformity to close in a few weeks, and a certificate that may lapse on 30 September.
Our 8-step ISO 9001:2026 transition plan sets out the order of work, and our article on audit days and internal time helps you choose between these formats.
What does a site risk if it misses the deadline?
Its certificate stops being valid on 30 September 2029, even if the printed expiry date is later. Global ACI does not require certification bodies to modify existing ISO 9001:2015 certificates, but allows them to shorten their validity to reduce confusion in the market.
A company that declares it does not want to move to the 2026 edition can still be audited against the 2015 edition, but its certification body must inform it that its certification will expire at the end of the transition. For a Moroccan exporter, the consequence is commercial before it is normative: a buyer who requires a valid certificate will no longer find yours. The Global ACI document does not set the conditions for restoring an expired certification: they fall under your certification body’s own rules, so ask for them in writing before the deadline.
What should buyers check with their suppliers?
If you source from ISO 9001 certified suppliers in Morocco or elsewhere in Africa, ask each of them when and in which format its transition audit is planned. A 2015 certificate with an expiry date after September 2029 will not be valid beyond 30 September 2029. After the transition, check that the certificate refers to ISO 9001:2026 and names an accreditation body.
Your actions, date by date:
What changes in the text itself, clause by clause, is explained in our guide to the ISO 9001:2026 transition and what changes.