Transition vs. 1st stage vs. Recertification Audit

Answer:

There is no such thing as transition audit, the audit performed to the system that went through transition and update to the new version of the standard is simply certification audit and has no difference than other certification audits. I assume that certification body is using the term transition audit to make it more clear to the clients, but there is nothing special regarding this audit.

1st stage audit is part of certification or recertification audit and it's purpose is to determine whether the documentation is compliant with requirements of the standard and to provide input for the 2nd stage audit which is also called the main audit when the auditors check compliance of the entire QMS to requirements of the standard.

Recertification audit is the same as certification audit, the only difference is that certification audit is conducted for the first time in the organization and the certification body and auditors are just getting famil iar with the company and QMS, while recertification audit is conducted after the certificate has expired and the entire certification cycle starts from beginning.

For more information, see: First-, Second- & Third-Party Audits, what are the differences? https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2015/02/24/first-second-third-party-audits-differences/