Verra has launched a pilot prioritisation scheme that will allow project developers to pay for faster initiation of verification reviews, in a move aimed at improving stakeholder experience amid rising demand for carbon credit issuances.
Under the pilot, which begins immediately, eligible verification approval requests can be shifted into a priority queue. While these requests will enter review earlier than those in the regular queue, Verra stressed that the technical assessment itself will follow the same procedures, quality controls and service-level agreements (SLAs) as all other reviews.
The organisation said the approach is designed to balance speed with integrity, offering developers a faster route to issuance without compromising the robustness of the review process.
Justin Wheler, Verra’s chief programme management officer, compared the scheme to airport fast-track arrangements: “To use the analogy of air travel, this prioritisation fee process offers project proponents the option to join the fast-track lane. Once in security — the equivalent of a project undergoing technical review — the timelines remain the same to maintain the quality of Verra’s process. However, having entered the priority queue can offer substantial time savings.”
Structured response to growing demand
As a non-profit, Verra said it continually evaluates how to improve support for its stakeholders and manage review workloads. While it already accommodates urgent prioritisation requests — for example, where developers must meet deadlines for offtake agreements — the formalised system responds to increasing demand for a transparent and consistent process.
The new prioritisation scheme will not affect the progress of projects that do not opt in. Those reviews will continue under existing SLAs. Revenues from prioritisation fees will be used to expand review capacity “where it is most needed”, Verra noted, with the intention of reducing overall timelines across the programme.
How the prioritisation pilot works
Under the pilot, which runs through September 2026, projects may be added to the priority queue via the Verra Project Hub’s Project Tracker. Proponents must accept the relevant terms and pay two components:
1. A prioritisation fee, based on projected credit issuance:
- Fewer than 100,000 credits: US$10,000
- 100,000–300,000 credits: US$25,000
- More than 300,000 credits: US$50,000
2. A deposit toward issuance fees:
The lesser of 50% of anticipated issuance fees or US$50,000.
By entering the priority queue, proponents commit to requesting issuance for all credits approved through the verification. Once review is completed, the prepayment will be deducted from the final issuance invoice.
Additional guidance for project developers
- Only second or subsequent VCS or VCS+CCB verification requests are eligible for prioritisation during the pilot.
- Projects may enter the priority queue at any point during review, provided payment is made.
- A single fee covers all stages of the specific review request.
- Inclusion in the priority queue does not guarantee project approval.
- Validation and verification body (VVB) response times are unaffected by the fee.
- Queue sizes for both priority and regular pathways are visible on the Project Tracker.
Verra will accept requests for prioritisation based on reviewer capacity throughout the pilot period. The organisation said it will adjust the process as needed and may revise the fee structure once the pilot ends.
