Governance and risk
ISO 37001:2016
Anti-bribery management systems
ISO 37001:2016 is the previous edition of the anti-bribery management system standard. ISO replaced it with ISO 37001:2025 in February 2025.
Previous edition, in transition
ISO 37001:2025 is the current edition of ISO 37001. Read about ISO 37001:2025.
Key facts
- Edition
- Previous edition, in transition (2016)
- Current edition
- ISO 37001:2025
- Transition period
- Contact us
It is in transition: certificates that name ISO 37001:2016 can stay valid for a limited period while certified organisations move to the new edition. For new certification, see the current edition.
Who it suits
Organisations that hold an ISO 37001:2016 certificate and are preparing to move to ISO 37001:2025, and anyone checking a certificate that still names the 2016 edition. For new certification, see ISO 37001:2025.
Edition and transition
- This edition
- ISO 37001:2016Previous edition, in transition
- Current edition
- ISO 37001:2025Replaces this edition
- Transition period under ISAO accreditation
- Contact us
What the transition means
A certificate to ISO 37001:2016 does not lose its validity just because a new edition has been published. It can stay valid until the transition period ends or the certificate expires, whichever comes first, as long as it is not suspended or withdrawn. To move across, the organisation updates its anti-bribery management system and its certification body audits it against the new requirements, usually alongside a surveillance or recertification audit. If the audit shows that the system meets the new edition, the certification body issues a certificate that names ISO 37001:2025.
What changes in the 2025 edition
- A culture in which bribery is not tolerated, led from the top, now has requirements of its own
- Conflicts of interest are brought within the system
- The purpose of the anti-bribery function is set out more fully
- The climate change wording of the 2024 amendment is part of the text
- The standard uses ISO's current common structure for management system standards
Edition history
ISO 37001:2016, the first edition, was published in October 2016. An amendment published in February 2024 asks the organisation to consider whether climate change matters to it when it reviews its context, and adds a note that interested parties may have expectations about climate change. ISO 37001:2025 replaced both the 2016 edition and its amendment in February 2025.
Check a certificate for ISO 37001:2016
- Enter the certificate number or verification code at Verify a certificate, or scan the QR code on the certificate. The record shows the certificate's status today, for example valid, suspended, withdrawn or expired.
- Compare the organisation name, scope and sites on the record with the copy you were given. Check the expiry date as well: a certificate to this edition cannot stay valid beyond the end of the transition period.
- Check who issued the certificate, as named on the record. Where a certification body accredited by ISAO issued it, the record shows the status of that accreditation and its accreditation number, and says so if the accreditation did not cover ISO 37001:2016 when the certificate was issued.
- If the certificate is not on the register, ISAO cannot confirm it: it may have been issued under another accreditation, or a detail may be wrong. Ask the issuing body, and report a concern if something does not look right.
Related standards
This is ISAO’s own summary, not the text of the standard. Copies of ISO 37001:2016 can be bought from ISO or from national standards bodies.