Senseible

What makes an auditor eligible to validate or verify a Verra project in my sector?

A validation and verification body (VVB) must be accredited by a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) with multilateral recognition, approved by Verra and listed as active, and have signed Verra's agreement. It must hold approval for every sectoral scope of your methodology.

The three conditions (Program Guide, section 5)

  1. Accredited by an accreditation body that is an IAF member with Multilateral Recognition Arrangement recognition under International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards 17029 and/or 14065.
  2. Approved by Verra and listed as an active VVB on Verra's website.
  3. Has signed the required agreement with Verra.

Sectoral scope

The VVB shall hold that accreditation and Verra approval for validation or verification, as applicable, for the sectoral scope of the methodology applied to the project. Where the methodology falls under more than one sectoral scope, it needs approval for all of them. The Program Guide lists 18 sectoral scopes, among them 1 energy supply, 3 energy demand, 4 manufacturing industries and 13 waste handling and disposal. Verra's website lists each body's scope approvals, so a body approved for one scope cannot be assumed to be approved for another.

A narrow route for a body approved for verification but not validation

It may validate project description deviations and the addition of new instances in grouped projects at verification, if all three are true: it holds validation approval in at least one other sectoral scope, it has completed validation of at least five Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) projects that have been registered, and the work does not involve a deviation that affects methodology applicability, additionality or the baseline.

Choosing between bodies

For the practical steps of picking one, see the linked page on what a VVB is and how to choose one.

What Senseible does here

Senseible is not part of Verra's process. Its in-house check is not an accredited third-party verification.

Sources: Verra, VCS Program Guide v5.0 (16 December 2025)

Last reviewed 2026-11-05. Check the current VCS Standard, Registration and Issuance Process and Program Guide on Verra's site before you rely on this; Verra updates them periodically.