Why CBAM Verifier Access Opened in September 2026

The European Commission opened CBAM Registry access procedures for accredited verifiers from September 1, 2026, following its August 24 guidance on CBAM verification and accreditation.

The update matters because it is an operational milestone in the CBAM definitive phase, which began January 1, 2026, rather than a change to the underlying CBAM rules, certificate prices, or declaration deadlines.

This article explains what the Commission actually published, why access opened on this date, and what it means for compliance teams tracking CBAM implementation.

CBAM's definitive phase began on January 1, 2026, bringing mandatory verification of embedded emissions into force ahead of the first annual declaration deadline of September 30, 2027. Verification requires accredited third-party bodies, and until this guidance, the process for those bodies to actually register and operate in the CBAM Registry had not been formally opened.

The Commission had been building toward this milestone through the year. It published a dedicated "Verification of CBAM emissions" page on June 30, 2026, followed by a "Become a CBAM verifier" webinar on July 16, 2026 aimed at prospective applicants, including existing EU Emissions Trading System verifiers. As of mid-August 2026, no verifier held CBAM accreditation, meaning the entire verification chain, from accreditation to Registry access to issuing verification reports, was still pending its first working example.

The September 1, 2026 opening of CBAM Registry access for verifiers is an operational milestone that follows the Commission's August guidance, not a change to CBAM's underlying rules or deadlines.

The detail worth watching next is the growing list of accredited verifiers, which will show which providers compliance teams can actually work with as the definitive phase moves forward.