ISO 9001 certification is not mandatory for businesses, but it can be very beneficial. Certified companies generally boast a higher level of customer satisfaction, and ISO certification is required to win big contracts in certain sectors.

As of September 2026, the current version of the ISO 9001 standard is ISO 9001:2026.

The current edition was published on 16 September 2026, replacing the previous version of the standard which was known as ISO 9001:2015.

If your organisation is currently certified under the old version of the ISO 9001 standard, you will need to transition to the current version soon. See Transitioning to ISO 9001:2026 for next steps.

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Big news for all organisations who hold (or are planning to obtain) ISO 9001 certification: a new version of the ISO 9001 standard is coming soon.

ISO 9001 is a widely-recognised worldwide standard that organisations can use to achieve continuous improvement and demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction. In order to achieve ISO 9001 certification, a business must first develop and implement a stringent quality management system (QMS).

Strictly speaking, no organisation needs ISO 9001 certification. It's perfectly possible to run a successful business without a defined quality management system (QMS) in place, and even if you do implement a QMS, you don't have to get certified if you don't want to.

Nevertheless, more than a million companies worldwide hold ISO 9001 certification - so there are clearly some major benefits.