GENERAL QUESTIONS
Verra provides the rules, requirements and methodologies that help guide stakeholders. Stakeholders may contact Verra with specific questions about our rules and process.
In case you need assistance with the project development process, the International Emissions Trading Association has a list of members who can assist you.
As a standard-setting body, Verra does not offer training or specific advice on Verra’s programs. Verra regularly hosts webinars on select programs, methodologies, rules and requirements.
Recordings of past webinars can be found on Verra’s website under “Podcasts and Webinars”.
You may subscribe to Verra’s mailing list and follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn for information about any future webinars.
You may subscribe to Verra’s mailing list and follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn for information about any future webinars.
Verra is headquartered in Washington DC, United States. While our staff are based around the world, Verra does not have specific country representatives. For any country-specific matters, please email info@verra.org.
Please visit our “Contact Us” page for information about how to reach out to us.
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Project-Related Questions
Any project that meets the rules and requirements set out in the VCS Standard, VCS Program Guide, and Registration and Issuance Process is eligible to register in the VCS Program.
All VCS Program documents, forms and templates can be found on the VCS Program Details page.
The cost of project development varies according to the individual circumstances of the project. All project fees associated with Verra are outlined in the Program Fee Schedule. Verra does not track the external cost of project development, which may include project operations, monitoring, and validation and verification costs.
Please review the “Develop a Project” page for information about how to develop a VCS project.
A grouped project combines multiple project activity instances into a single combined project which should meet pre-established eligibility criteria. More guidance on grouped projects can be found in the VCS Standard.
The time it takes for a project to be registered in the VCS Program depends on the individual circumstances of the project.
The first step for a project is to list a project on the VCS pipeline. This initiates a 30-day public comment period, during which the project proponent may also begin the validation process.
After the public comment period, all comments received and all project details have to be thoroughly assessed by the validating validation/verification body (VVB) and reported in a detailed validation report. The validation process can take up to a year, in some cases longer.
After a successful validation, the project proponent can submit a registration request.
The current processing time for Verra’s initial review of project documentation accompanying registration and verification approval requests can be up to 40 business days.
The review of each round of responses and updated documentation may require up to 20 business days. A project review may take two or three rounds of findings and responses until completion. Higher-quality project documentation will require fewer rounds of review, resulting in a quicker approval process.
The review timeline is outlined in the Registration and Issuance document.
Validation is the independent evaluation of a VCS project that a validation/verification body (VVB) conducts to determine if a project meets the VCS Program rules and requirements. Project proponents must complete validation before requesting project registration.
The time it takes for a project to receive VCUs depends on the individual circumstances of the project. After registering in the VCS Program, a project shall first monitor the GHG emission reductions or removals (ERRs) it has achieved during a monitoring period. Next, the project proponent shall hire a validation/verification body (VVB) to verify these ERRs. The project proponent shall then request verification approval via the Verra Registry. Upon successful verification, the project shall request VCU issuance via the Registry.
Some projects that are registered under another GHG program are eligible for transfer to the VCS Program, if they meet the eligibility conditions outlined in Appendix 2 of the VCS Standard.
To transfer into the VCS Program, a project must first undergo pipeline listing, public comment period, and registration.
The Errata and Clarifications document to the VCS Standard and Registration and Issuance outline the criteria for converting GHG credits issued to projects registered under an approved GHG program into VCUs credits.
Other guidelines are outlined in the Registration and Issuance document.
As a standards-setting body, Verra does not track the price of VCUs. Ecosystem Marketplace offers free information about carbon credit prices. Subscription-based resources with some free information include Trove Intelligence, Quantum Commodity Intelligence, and ClearBlue Markets. Additionally, Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) offer free views of Nature-Based Global Emissions Offset (N-GEO) and Global Emissions Offset (GEO) futures.
Projects may apply multiple methodologies where there are multiple project activities.
The project proponent shall demonstrate that the project meets all requirements of each methodology applied and that any GHG emission reductions and removals are clearly delineated and not double-counted. More guidance on using multiple methodologies can be found in the VCS Standard.
As a standard-setting body, Verra’s role is to develop and manage the framework for projects across various sectors to generate, validate and verify GHG emission reductions or removals under the VCS Program.
While Verra does not provide carbon finance for climate mitigation activities, stakeholders who have implemented such activities may receive Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) under the VCS Program, representing GHG emission reductions and removals generated from project activities. Project proponents may use these VCUs to generate carbon finance to support the climate mitigation activities they implemented.
All projects listed on the pipeline and registered under the VCS Program can be found on the Verra Registry. Use the “Country” filter to find projects in a specific country.
The VCS Standard states that all ex-ante estimates and ex-post calculations of GHG emission reductions occurring on or after 1 January 2021 shall use GWP values from the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5).
For GHG emission reductions occurring on or before 31 December 2020, all ex-ante estimates and ex-post calculations may be converted to CO2e using either the GWP values from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) or those from AR5.
The VCS Standard states that a validation/verification body (VVB) may not verify more than six consecutive years of a project’s emission reductions or removals. However, if a project has faced unprecedented circumstances, Verra may consider an exemption request. Exceptions may apply for AFOLU projects.
For more information about the rotation rules of validation/verification bodies (VVBs), please see the VCS Standard.
Where VCUs are used in the context of Paris Agreement Article 6 mechanisms or related programs such as CORSIA, the VCUs will need to meet the relevant requirements established by those programs. This is in accordance with the VCS Standard.
Currently, Verra does not require any corresponding adjustments for projects registered or intended to register with the VCS Program. If the Paris Agreement Article 6 mechanisms or related programs such as CORSIA require a corresponding adjustment for VCUs to comply with these programs, projects will have to provide proof of corresponding adjustment. VCUs that meet such requirements may receive VCU labels, which may be used to demonstrate compliance. Please also see Verra’s “VCU Labels” page for more information.
Methodology
Methodologies set out detailed procedures for quantifying the actual greenhouse gas benefits of a project and provide guidance to help project developers determine project boundaries, set baselines, assess additionality, and ultimately quantify the GHG emissions that were reduced or removed.
All Verra-approved methodologies can be found on our “Methodologies” page. Please note that Verra also accepts methodologies developed under the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism. The same is true for methodologies developed by the Climate Action Reserve, except for their forest protocols.
As a first step, we recommend reviewing the “Develop a Methodology” page for a brief overview of the process. First, a methodology developer prepares and submits a concept note to Verra. Upon approval, the methodology developer proceeds with writing the methodology. The methodology will then undergo a public comment period and be assessed by an independent VVB. You can also find the process outlined in the Methodology Approval Process. For methodology requirements, please see the Methodology Requirements. The proposed methodology will be assessed according to these requirements.
Methodology developers can develop new methodologies when no existing methodology addresses their needs. Under the Methodology Approval Process, proposed methodologies are reviewed by Verra and assessed and validated by an approved validation/verification body (VVB).
At times, Verra may choose to revise a methodology or tool, and stakeholders may also submit proposals for methodology or tool revisions. The guidelines for the methodology revision process are outlined in the Methodology Approval Process.
The cost to develop a methodology varies according to the individual circumstances of the methodology. All methodology development fees associated with Verra are outlined in the Program Fee Schedule.
As a standard-setting body, Verra does not track the external cost of methodology development, including research, development, and assessment costs.
Verra provides the rules and requirements for a methodology to be developed in Verra’s standards programs.
Verra does not provide consulting services to methodology developers who are proposing a new methodology or a revision to an existing methodology.
If you would like to work with a consultant to develop a methodology or revision, we encourage you to reach out to other service providers.
Validation and Verification
A validation/verification body (VVB) is an independent, third-party auditor approved by Verra to perform validation or verification services for projects that are registered or intend to register under the VCS Program, CCB Program, SD VISta Program, and the Plastic Waste Reduction Program.
We recommend that you review our “Become a VVB” page for instructions on how to become a Verra-approved VVB.
The location of all Verra-approved validation/verification bodies (VVBs) can be found on Verra’s “Validation and Verification” page. A project developer may select a VVB to validate or verify a project in a different country as long as the VVB is accredited to conduct validation or verification for the project’s specific sectoral scope.
Verra’s programs have different requirements for remote or in-person site visits. You may find the specific rules and requirements for site visits during validation and verification processes outlined in the following project documents:
- VCS Program: VCS Standard
- CCBS Program: CCB Program Rules
- SD VISta Program: SD VISta Program Guide
- Plastic Waste Reduction Program: Plastic Waste Reduction Standard