After Gold Standard lists our project, how long until validation must be done?
Two years. Validation, ending when the auditor submits the validation report, must be completed within two years of the listing date. A five-year renewable certification cycle starts once the project reaches Certified Design status. Listing alone does not give certification.
The order of steps
- Preliminary review and listing, with key project information and a draft stakeholder consultation report.
- Contract an approved VVB and give it the full project documents.
- Tell Gold Standard validation is starting and when it should finish.
- Validation: ends when the VVB submits a final report with no open non-conformities or corrective action requests.
- Gold Standard design review. Success gives Certified Design status.
- A five-year certification cycle begins, with verification and performance review.
What the draft consultation report must show
At least the consultation date, the list of invited stakeholders, the invitation method, the information shared and the feedback received.
Listed is not certified
Listing makes your documents public and lets you promote the project as Claims Guidelines allow. It gives no guarantee of certification.
Example with made-up dates
- Listed: 15 March 2026.
- Validation report due by: 15 March 2028.
- Counting back, contract the VVB by early 2027 to leave time for corrective actions.
Example only.
What Senseible does here
Senseible is not a registry or an auditor. Its dated records show when equipment ran and what it used, which the validator will ask about.
Last reviewed 2026-11-03. Read from version 2.1 (31 January 2025), which listed an update for 5 December 2025. Check for a newer version before relying on it.