What happens to a Gold Standard project after five years, and what if renewal runs late?
To stay certified beyond five years, a project must renew its design certification. The VVB's renewal opinion must reach Gold Standard by the last date of the current cycle. It follows the same steps as validation, including a two-week public consultation, but covers only changes since the last review. A late renewal cuts the credits issued.
The deadline
Renewal starts when the validation body submits its renewal opinion on the design review, no later than the last date of the current certification cycle. The review may finish after that date. If so, the renewal date is the first day after the cycle ends.
What a delay costs
Finishing re-validation after the end of the cycle reduces the issuance available in the next cycle. A delay of one year means no certified impact statements for the period of delay.
What the renewal looks at
The process otherwise matches validation and design review, with two weeks of public consultation.
- Changes in the project that bear on the general eligibility criteria.
- Relevant updates to the Gold Standard requirements.
- A fresh definition of the baseline and any effect on eligibility.
- Any activity, product or methodology specific requirements.
- Ongoing financial need, where it applies.
Exceptions
The cycle is five years for all projects, but some project types may renew automatically for a set number of cycles, or skip some of the checks above. The rules for those are in the activity, product or methodology requirements.
What Senseible does here
Senseible does not issue or verify carbon credits and is not a registry. It gives carbon credit eligibility signals from your own records and keeps those records in order for a verifier. Verified here means rule checks passed against the evidence, not third-party assurance.
Sources: Gold Standard for the Global Goals, Principles and Requirements, version 2.1
Last reviewed 2026-11-04.