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Free ISO 9001:2026 audit checklist · Word + PDF

ISO 9001:2026 internal audit checklist

37 audit questions from clause 4 to 10, with the changes in the 2026 edition marked, and columns for evidence and findings. Free, no card.

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Where the revision stands

ISO published ISO 9001:2026 on 16 September 2026; it replaces the 2015 edition. Certificates to ISO 9001:2015 have until 30 September 2029 to move to the new edition, and from 31 March 2028 new certifications are issued only to the 2026 edition (Global ACI transition requirements). Your certification body sets the actual audit date.

A word of caution: this checklist is built from public summaries by ISO, the accreditation body Global ACI and certification bodies, not from a copy of the standard. The questions are our own wording. Clause references are based on public summaries of ISO 9001:2026; check them against your own copy of the standard. Where fewer than two public sources confirm a clause number, we name the clause by its title instead. A checklist is advisory; only your certification body's auditor decides what conforms.

What changed in 2026, in short

  • 4.1 / 4.2: 2024 AMD: climate-change addition from ISO 9001:2015/Amd 1:2024, now merged into the 2026 text. Decide whether climate change is a relevant issue, and note climate-related requirements of interested parties.
  • 5.1: Top management is expected to promote a quality culture and ethical behaviour.
  • Quality policy: The quality policy is tied more clearly to context and strategic direction.
  • 6.1: Risks and opportunities are still determined together (6.1.1), but actions for risks (6.1.2) and for opportunities (6.1.3) are planned separately.
  • 6.3: Plan QMS changes, communicate them, monitor their effectiveness and review the results.
  • 7.3: Awareness now includes the organisation's quality culture and ethical behaviour.
  • Continual improvement: Public summaries (e.g. DNV) report that continual improvement is consolidated into 10.1; check the clause numbering against your copy.

The structure, the process approach and risk-based thinking stay. Most of the transition work is people understanding the new points, not rewriting every procedure.

Sample questions from the checklist

  • 4.1: Does the list of internal and external issues say whether climate change is relevant, with a reason?
  • 5.1: Can top management give real examples of how they promote quality culture and ethical behaviour?
  • 6.1.3: Are actions for opportunities planned as their own set, not only as the reverse of a risk?
  • 7.3: Can people on the shop floor explain the policy, their objectives, and what ethical behaviour means in their job?
  • Nonconforming outputs: Are nonconforming outputs identified, controlled and recorded, including concessions?
  • Nonconformity and corrective action: Do customer complaints go through root cause, corrective action and an effectiveness check?

How to use it

  • Pick one process or area per audit; you rarely need every clause in one day.
  • Write the evidence you actually saw (record, interview, observation), not just “OK”.
  • Mark each line OK, NC (nonconformity) or OFI (opportunity for improvement).
  • Give every NC an owner and a corrective action. For customer complaints, an 8D works well: see the free 8D checklist.

ISO 9001 Starter Kit, coming soon

We are preparing an ISO 9001:2026 Starter Kit with editable procedures, forms and registers. It is not available yet. To hear when it is out, tick the box in the form above.

Related

Templates are in English; only the 8D report template also has German, Czech and Polish versions.