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The updated program responds to the current market environment and continues to enable Verra to advance impactful climate action, benefiting people and the planet.

Verra has launched version 5 of the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. This version includes new and updated elements to ensure that the carbon markets in which the program operates continue to deliver climate action at the scale, pace, and with the integrity needed to support global climate ambitions.

Carbon markets are one of the most effective and efficient ways for driving finance to climate mitigation activities. As these markets, as well as the science and technology that underpin them, evolve, the standards programs supporting them must also evolve. Verra regularly updates the VCS Program so that it reflects the most recent developments in all these areas, but every few years Verra undertakes a more comprehensive overhaul of the program to implement a broader suite of far-reaching changes. The launch of version 5 of the VCS Program is one such moment.

Earlier this year, Verra published version 5.0 of the Methodology Development and Review Process. With this launch, Verra is releasing the next set of version 5 program documents, including the VCS Standard, VCS Program Guide, and the Registration and Issuance Process (please see below for a complete list).

The Details

The development of this version focused on the following three core objectives:

  • Increasing program integrity
  • Enhancing program accessibility and usability
  • Refining the program scope for maximum impact

Below we lay out the detailed updates that fall under each objective.

To increase program integrity, version 5 of the VCS Program introduces the following:

  • A pilot for innovative approaches to managing non-permanence risk: In recognition of evolving market interest, this pilot enables project proponents to use insurance or fund-based approaches as alternatives to the pooled buffer to address non-permanence risk. See the announcement on the launch of this pilot for more information.
  • A shift from implied ownership to substantiated right to operate and right to reductions and removals: Version 5 provides greater clarity around project rights and claims to reductions and removals. It replaces “project ownership” with “right to operate” and clarifies that all project proponents must analyze the applicable context to substantiate their right to operate a project and to claim reductions and removals. Where land or resource rights may be affected, VCS Version 5 introduces a complementary analysis to identify potential overlapping or competing claims and to assess whether additional measures—such as a free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) process—are needed to demonstrate right to operate.
  • A higher bar for stakeholder engagement and safeguards: The updates raise expectations for stakeholder engagement, safeguards, and governance. They strengthen early engagement and consultation requirements and reinforce FPIC for customary rights holders and Indigenous Peoples. Beyond requiring a risk assessment, projects must now assess the precise level of risk and design mitigation measures commensurate with the greatest potential impacts—sharpening focus on the most material risks. Enhanced safeguards requirements improve transparency, accountability, and protections for communities and the environment, supporting more robust and durable climate action.
  • Requirements that advance financial transparency and fair benefit sharing: VCS Version 5 takes a step toward greater financial transparency, focusing on those entitled to fair compensation. Projects affecting land or resource rights or involving Indigenous Peoples were already required to have a benefit-sharing mechanism; however, the updated requirements clarify that the mechanism must be jointly designed, based on clear and upfront financial information, and in place before the project starts.
  • Updates to balance stability and methodological rigor: This revision provides projects with greater certainty over shorter crediting periods, while requiring more frequent baseline reassessments and updates to the latest methodology versions.
  • Clarifications on crediting start dates: This update includes clearer definitions for project and initial crediting period start dates to ensure projects can confidently establish when crediting eligibility begins.

To enhance program accessibility and usability, version 5 of the VCS Program introduces the following:

  • Emphasis on a digital approach: All projects that use methodologies available in digital format must undergo digital registration and verification processes to streamline data collection and project reviews, and to increase transparency.
  • An updated project classification system: The new system provides a clear framework for sectoral scopes, project categories, and project activity types. This system aligns with other market frameworks, including those used by ratings agencies, and provides greater clarity on the competencies that validation/verification bodies (VVBs) need to audit different project types under each sectoral scope.

To refine the program scope for maximum impact, version 5 of the VCS Program introduces the following:

  • New sectoral scopes: New scopes for Oceans and Marine Resources and Engineered Removals will enable more climate action in these emerging sectors.
  • An update that results in geographic eligibility being specified at the methodology level: For grid-connected renewable energy in particular, this change will enable more specific criteria for whether such projects are considered additional to be included in the relevant methodologies.
  • Retirement of the concept of Approved Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Programs: Going forward, all projects need to meet the VCS Program’s rigorous requirements, including those previously registered in another GHG program.

Development Process

VCS Version 5 has been developed through an extensive and rigorous engagement process with internal and external stakeholders, including three public consultations and dialogues with leading experts and professionals in the VCS Program Advisory Group and the Sustainable Development Advisory Group (for more information see the Advisory Groups and Committees webpage).

Verra has released the following key program documents for VCS Version 5:

Verra has also released updated versions of the following documents:

The following document will be released in Q1 2026:

  • Verra Program Fee Schedule, v1.1

  • The effective date for most program updates (especially those that affect project design or implementation) is January 1, 2027. Some program updates (such as those related to stakeholder engagement and safeguards) may have a longer transition period for existing projects.
  • Program updates that relate to Verra-led processes (such as methodology development) or Verra Registry procedures are effective immediately.
  • A detailed overview of all program updates, including their effective dates, is available in the December 2025 Overview of Program Updates and Effective Dates for VCS Version 5. Stakeholders should review this document to check which updates apply to their projects, noting that some updates only affect new registration requests and some updates only affect existing projects at their next crediting period renewal.
  • More information about effective dates and how they should be interpreted can be found in the VCS Program Guide, v5.0.

  • All project templates and deeds of representation templates will be updated to align with VCS Version 5 in early 2026. Digitized versions of all version 5 templates and representations will be made available soon after.
  • Updated versions of the Methodology Change and Requantification Procedure and the Procedure to Change Methodology through a Project Description Deviation will also be released in early 2026.
  • Verra will begin developing the next version (v5.1) of the VCS Program shortly thereafter. It will include a streamlined presentation of the rules and requirements and a more accessible structure within each program document.
  • Verra will also develop a program-agnostic Registration and Issuance Process to reduce overlaps and inconsistencies between its standards programs.

Trainings and Webinars

Verra will host a 90-minute webinar to provide an overview of the launch of version 5 of the VCS Program on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 10 am ET.

Register for the WebinarButton Icon

Verra will offer additional specialized training webinars for project proponents and validation/verification bodies in 2026.

Questions

For any questions about updates related to VCS Program Version 5 and their effective dates, please contact secretariat@verra.org.

For additional information, also see the related press release:

Verra Launches Landmark New Standard with Communities at Its CoreButton Icon

The United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has announced that the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program is eligible for the second phase, first compliance period (2027–2029) of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). The decision reaffirms the ICAO Council’s endorsement of the VCS Program as one of the most trusted and rigorously governed carbon credit programs globally and significantly increases the number of Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) that may become eligible for CORSIA labels.

ICAO also published an updated CORSIA Eligible Emissions Units (PDF) document with detailed information about all credit categories and vintages that are eligible for the second phase of the first compliance period of CORSIA. With regard to the VCS Program’s eligibility, ICAO also reverted some exclusions included in its eligibility decisions for the first phase (2024–2026) of CORSIA.

What's In and What's Out

Reversal of Exclusions from Eligibility for CORSIA First Phase

Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) from projects using the following methodologies were originally excluded from eligibility for the first phase of CORSIA but are now eligible for the first and second phase of CORSIA:

Details about Eligibility for CORSIA Second Phase

For the second phase, first compliance period of CORSIA, all VCUs are, in principle, covered by the eligibility decision. ICAO has excluded VCUs from the following project types or methodologies:

  • Projects using VM0052 Accelerated Retirement of Coal-Fired Power Plants Using a Just Transition along with VMD0060 Combined Baseline and Additionality Assessment for Accelerated Retirement of Coal-fired Power Plants. ICAO’s Technical Advisory Body (TAB) will further assess this methodology and module at its next meeting in 2026.
  • Projects using clean cooking solutions that calculate the fraction on non-renewable biomass (fNRB) according to CDM TOOL 30.
    • Note: All cookstove projects in the VCS Program must transition to VM0050 for vintages of 2027 or later.
  • CCS projects using VM0049 Carbon Capture and Storage that are not consistent with the Regulatory Scheme CORSIA Eligibility Requirements for Geological CCS Projects
  • Projects that have not quantitatively demonstrated that the baseline(s) are set below the business-as-usual level of emissions or, for non-traditional activities (e.g., jurisdiction-scale programs), that baselines avoid over-estimating mitigation from an activity.

Next Steps

  • Verra will continue to work with ICAO’s Technical Advisory Board to understand and address the existing and new exclusions.
  • Verra will incorporate the details of CORSIA’s latest eligibility decisions into an updated version of the CORSIA Label Guidance document and release it in the coming weeks.
  • Verra recently took the following key steps towards fully operationalizing labels indicating that VCUs from 2021 onward are eligible for use under the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA):
    • It published the finalized criteria for insurance products intended to cover carbon credits from 2021 onward, where both the host country and the aircraft operator might claim the same emission reductions (double claiming).
    • It also published its CORSIA Accounting Representation Deed that such insurers will sign to indicate their willingness to compensate for any VCUs affected by double claiming.
    • A list of eligible insurance carriers/products will be available in the near future.
The VCS Under CorsiaButton Icon

Verra has published updated service level agreements (SLAs) for project review requests. The revised SLAs differentiate between request type, program(s) used, and a newly introduced complexity level factor of a given project review request to provide proponents with more specific and nuanced information about when they can expect completion of their requests (i.e., registration, verification, crediting project renewal). The new format also more clearly distinguishes between the process times during different review rounds (initial round, second, or third). This change gives project proponents greater visibility into the status of their requests and the expected timelines associated with project review.

The new review complexity factor is based on a specific project’s individual characteristics and is used to adjust the technical review and PRR technical review durations of project review requests where applicable. (See the SLA Complexity Factors and How They Work webpage.) The complexity levels are regular, high, and very high and are calculated as follows:

  • The presence of one complexity factor increases the time for the regular technical review and PRR technical review SLAs by a factor of 1.25 (resulting in a high complexity review).
  • The presence of two or more complexity factors increases the time for the regular technical review and PRR technical review SLAs by a factor of 1.5 (resulting in a very high complexity review).

Verra reserves the right to exclude review requests from our SLA when they are significantly delayed by issues largely out of Verra’s control. In those cases, proponents will be informed that the typical SLAs do not apply and why. Review times for these requests will be excluded from SLA average reporting.

Verra began publishing targeted service level agreements and average processing times for project review requests in the Verra Project Hub in February 2024 to establish clear performance benchmarks regarding project review times.

The new SLAs are effective November 1, 2025, and can be found in the Project Tracker on the Verra Project Hub. Verra has been tracking the complexity level of project review requests that have been submitted since October 1, 2025. Since the three-month rolling average calculations are based on project review requests closed during the previous three months, those averages will reflect the new complexity levels about six months from now.

Please also visit the Frequently Asked Questions: Project Tracker webpage for more information.

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Verra has opened a Request for Applications (PDF) from qualified experts experienced in digital soil mapping (DSM) models or hybrid approaches such as DSM models combined with biogeochemical models (BGCMs). Successful applicants will serve as independent modeling experts (IMEs) to review DSM Model Validation Reports (DSM-MVRs) from projects using the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) tool VT0014 Estimating Organic Carbon Stocks Using Digital Soil Mapping.

Approved DSM-IMEs will be added to a publicly available roster on the Verra website and may be contracted by validation/verification bodies (VVBs) to support assessments of projects’ VT0014 use. Verra does not contract DSM-IMEs.

The roles and responsibilities of an approved IME are as follows:

  • Review, assess, and write up findings on DSM-MVR documents to confirm whether use of a DSM model is consistent with the guidance and requirements of VT0014.
  • Ensure compliance with the relevant VCS methodologies and modules and their guidance on quantification approaches for soil organic carbon using models and measurements. Methodologies and modules that may be used in conjunction with VT0014 include the following:
    • VM0032 Methodology for the Adoption of Sustainable Grasslands through Adjustment of Fire and Grazing
    • VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management
    • VMD0053 Model Calibration, Validation, and Uncertainty Guidance for Biogeochemical Modeling for Agricultural Land Management Projects (for use case 1 in VT0014)
  • Coordinate with VVBs to resolve the IME’s findings
  • Issue IME evaluation reports

For more information on the scope of work, deliverables, timelines, and requisite skills and qualifications, please see the Request for Applications. Verra is accepting applications until otherwise noted and will review submissions on a rolling basis.

As of November 1, 2025, Verra will fully digitalize a key element of its project review process. From that date forward, all project review reports (PRRs) will be processed digitally through the Verra Project Hub (external). PRRs are the main way through which Verra communicates findings resulting from project reviews with validation/verification bodies (VVBs).

The digital PRR allows VVBs to prepare and submit responses to Verra’s PRRs and the required documentation directly through the Verra Project Hub. This will enhance efficiency by reducing the need for submitting documents and revisions via email. The digital PRR automates review rounds, provides real-time status updates, and securely stores data for future analysis.

This milestone marks a major step toward the complete digitalization of Verra’s project review process, which is expected to launch in the coming months.

Verra thanks all stakeholders who provided feedback during the development and testing of the digital PRR.

Please email hubsupport@verra.org to request access to the Verra Project Hub.

Verra wishes to remind proponents of projects using Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program methodology VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management that they must use soil data that meets the minimum sampling depth requirement of 30 centimeters for model inputs (qualification approach 1) or measured values (qualification approach 2) for ex post quantification of soil organic carbon (SOC) stock changes.

The 30 cm depth for soil carbon stock quantification is a standard used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to estimate and report changes in SOC stocks in mineral soils, as the top 30 cm is most impacted by land management changes. Relying on data from shallower depths increases the uncertainty of the impact of agricultural land management practices.

This requirement also applies to data measured to less than 30 cm depth from government sources, such as the following:

  • India: Soil Health Card (SHC) data that includes SOC measurement at depths of 15 or 20 cm
  • European Union: LUCAS (Land Use/Cover Area frame statistical Survey) Topsoil Survey data that includes SOC measurements at depths of 0–10 and 10–20 cm
  • Ethiopia: EthioSIS (Ethiopia Soil Information System) data that includes SOC measurements at 0–20 cm

Projects may use data that does not meet the 30 cm depth requirement only for model calibration and validation under quantification approach 1, provided that the following conditions are met:

  • The modeling outputs reflect SOC stock changes to a depth of at least 30 cm.
  • The extrapolation method used to reach 30 cm is clearly and transparently described.

To be able to proceed with verification, projects must submit project-specific SOC measurements that fully comply with all VM0042 requirements, including depth, sampling protocols, and standards for quality control and quality assurance.

Verra has published corrections and clarifications to two agriculture methodologies and one tool in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program: VM0032 Methodology for the Adoption of Sustainable Grasslands through Adjustment of Fire and Grazing, v1.0; VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management, v2.1; and VT0014 Estimating Organic Carbon Stocks Using Digital Soil Mapping, v1.0.

Projects using these methodologies and the tool facilitate the scaling up of soil carbon sequestration activities, an important nature-based solution to climate mitigation.

The corrections and clarifications include updates that enable the use of VT0014 with the active versions of VM0032 and VM0042, as well as guidance on the calculation of the mean change in soil organic carbon stocks.

Corrections and Clarifications

Below, please find a summary of the corrections and clarifications for each document:

A digital form to request Core Carbon Principles (CCP) labels is now available on the Verra Project Hub (external). The CCP Label Request Form facilitates requests from project proponents who wish to apply Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) CCP labels to the Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) that their projects generate.

Verra will automatically apply CCP labels to eligible VCUs where projects use an ICVCM-approved methodology and sufficient information is available to confirm eligibility at the time of issuance.

Please note that the form only allows requests to be made by projects using CCP-approved methodologies and frameworks, which are currently as follows:

A guidance document outlining Verra’s process for CCP labeling, ICVCM CCP Label Guidance (PDF), provides further details and instructions for requesting labels.

Verra has published a Request for Proposals (RFP) (PDF) for an independent expert review of a major revision to the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) methodology VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management, v2.1, as well as to the VCS module VMD0053 Model Calibration, Validation, and Uncertainty Guidance for Biogeochemical Modeling for Agricultural Land Management Projects, v2.1.

The ongoing major revisions to VM0042 and VMD0053 will result in versions 3.0 of the methodology and module.

Under the scope of the major revision to VM0042, Verra has worked with diverse technical contributors to prepare the following draft revision documents:

  • A red-lined version of the draft VM0042, v3.0
  • A draft of the new Soil Sampling and Analysis Handbook
  • A red-lined version of the draft VMD0053, v3.0, including an accompanying new Model Calibration and Validation Report Template

Verra expects that the independent expert review will start during the public consultation on the revisions to VM0042 and VMD0053.

Independent expert reviewers may submit a proposal to review all three draft revision documents or conduct a partial review with a focus on soil sampling and analysis, biogeochemical modeling, or woody biomass quantification. Verra welcomes proposals from academics, researchers, practitioners, consultants, validation/verification bodies (VVBs), and other experts with demonstrated experience in agronomy and using VM0042 and VMD0053.

Proposals must be submitted by email with the methodology development ID# M0264 in the subject line by August 15, 2025, to methodologies@verra.org. Verra plans to finalize the selection of the consultant(s) by August 31, 2025, with the work to begin as soon as possible after then.

For more information on the scope of work, deliverables, timelines, and requisite skills and qualifications, please see the RFP document.

Verra has resumed the review of registration and/or verification approval requests for some Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) projects whose contracted validation/verification bodies (VVBs) were subsequently suspended by Verra earlier this year.

In March, Verra announced suspension measures against four VVBs following their involvement in auditing the 37 rice cultivation projects in China that Verra rejected in 2024. The affected VVBs are China Classification Society Certification Company (CCSC), China Quality Certification Center (CQC), CTI Certification CO., LTD., and TÜV Nord Cert GmbH. The suspension measures were limited to specific scopes in select programs. (See the original press release for more details.) At that time, Verra also stated that it would not approve any existing registration and/or verification approval requests that include audits by the affected VVBs for the specific audit types from which they have been suspended.

Verra has now decided that affected projects can have their requests reviewed if they meet the following criteria:

  • The proponent submitted the registration and/or verification approval request, including all required documents, prior to the VVB suspension.
  • The proponent has paid all required fees in full.
  • The leader of the audit team for the project was not involved in auditing any of the rejected rice projects.
  • The VVB that audited the project documents for the registration and/or approval request and provided the validation and/or verification opinion met the following requirements:
    • The VVB was accredited by a recognized accreditation body for ISO 14065, or was UNFCCC-accredited to audit the relevant project types under the applicable sectoral scope (e.g., scopes 14 and 15 of the Clean Development Mechanism [CDM]); and
    • The VVB was approved by Verra to audit projects under sectoral scope 14: AFOLU in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program.

After careful consideration of submissions received via its grievance redress policy (PDF), Verra decided that projects can have their requests reviewed if they meet the above criteria. Verra will contact projects that meet the criteria and are eligible to have their registration and/or verification approval requests reviewed.

The registration and/or verification approval requests will undergo Verra’s robust review process and be subject to rigorous quality control procedures before a final decision on these requests is reached. Verra’s reopening of a project review request does not guarantee approval of this request.