Per Section 4.0 of GHG Emission Reduction and Sequestration Product Requirements, projects shall conform to the relevant Activity Requirements and Gold Standard Approved Methodologies, including eligible CDM Methodologies:

• CDM and Joint Implementation (JI) Projects: CDM and JI Projects shall use an approved UNFCCC CDM methodology to be eligible for Gold Standard Design Certification. All Project documentation shall apply the latest version of the methodology and applicable tools available at the time of first submission (Preliminary Review) of the Project to Gold Standard. Land Use and Forests (LUF) projects are not applicable.
• VER Projects: VER Projects shall use a Gold Standard-Approved methodology or an eligible CDM methodology to be eligible for Gold Standard Design Certification. All project documentation shall apply the latest version of the methodology and applicable tools available at the time of first submission (Preliminary Review) of the Project to Gold Standard. The methodology and tool version applied at the time of first submission may be used by the Project until it achieves Design Certification as long as the Project is submitted for validation within six months after the time of first submission for Preliminary Review. If this condition is not met, the latest version of the methodology and applicable tool(s) available at the time of submission for validation shall be applied.
• Voluntary Programme of Activities (PoAs): VER Projects may use different methodologies under the same PoA. See Gold Standard for the Global Goals Programme of Activity Requirements. LUF projects are not applicable.

When no specific guidance is provided on the valid reference point in time for data vintage, then the data available at the time of first submission of Project to Gold Standard are the ones to use. All projects (CDM/JI/VER) submitted for Gold Standard Design Certification shall apply the most recent data vintage for calculation of grid emission factor available to project at the time of submission for validation, where required.

Auditors are required to validate the updated Project Design Document (PDD) for gaps between the latest version of the methodology and the version with which the project was registered under the CDM.