A remote audit is the conduct of audit activities through information and communication technologies, without the auditor being physically present on site.
This method, which spread out of necessity during the pandemic, ceased to be an exceptional practice with the 2026 edition of ISO 19011 and became an integral part of the standard. “Remote audit method” was added to the terms and definitions section as a new term.
How is the method chosen?
When deciding whether an audit is conducted fully remotely, on site or in hybrid form, the deciding factor is not habit. Three elements need to be evaluated:
- Level of risk
- Audit scope
- Quality of the evidence to be obtained
This decision should rest on a recordable justification and be defined in the audit programme.
Its limits
Not every audit activity can be conducted remotely. In areas such as shop-floor observation, equipment condition, working conditions and verification of physical records, the evidence produced by the remote method may be insufficient. In such cases a hybrid approach is preferred.
Other requirements
Platform security, data protection and the management of digital evidence must also be considered in remote audits. The digital environments audited are brought into scope under the virtual location concept. ISO 19011:2026 has aligned these methods with ISO/IEC TS 17012:2024.
Related training: ISO 19011:2026 audit training — remote and hybrid method selection, virtual location scope and digital evidence management are addressed hands-on.