Getting offset certificate from carbon registries

In order for a buyer to have a carbon offset certificate issued under their own name by the carbon registries, they must open a membership account with the registries. This usually means paying an account opening fee and annual membership fees. Some registries do not even allow anybody to open an account unless they are the issuers or parties nominated by the Issuers for example primary market players.

Figure 18: Carbon Offset Certification from Carbon Standards

Some of the selective membership fees are as shown below:

Gold Standard Fees: USD 1,000 per annum

Verra Fees: USD 500 account opening fee

International Carbon Registry Fees: EUR 250 - EUR 750 per annum.

Fig. 19: Verra Offset Certificate issued to a registry account holder

Compensate Foundation is a Verra registry account holder, it retired the carbon credits above on its own behalf.

Without a registry account, the carbon exchange can only request the carbon standards registry to issue an offset certificate “on behalf of customers of the carbon exchange” as shown below:

Fig. 20: Verra Offset Certificate issued to a registry account holder on behalf of its customers

Compensate Foundation is a Verra registry account holder, it retired the carbon credits above on behalf of its customers (note that the names of the customers are not stated in the certificate.