How to Join
All you need to know about our membership process and the documents you need to submit.
Types of Membership
There are two categories of IAATO membership: Operators and Associates.
Operators (and Provisional Operators) are companies that operate directly in Antarctica and organize their own travel programmes.
Associates are tour operators, travel agents or other marketers that book their customers into Operator member’s Antarctic programmes. Associates may also be companies or individuals interested in supporting Antarctic tourism and IAATO objectives. These include port agents/ship agencies, government tourism bureaus/tourist boards, expedition management service providers, conservation organizations and product/service providers.
Deadline for Operator applications
All applicants for Operator (and Provisional Operator) membership must be present at the IAATO Annual Meeting to have their application voted on. Your application must be received 90 days prior to the start of the annual meeting in order to be processed in time. The annual meeting for 2025 will be in Cascais, Portugal April 14-17, 2025.
All Operator (and Provisional Operator) applications are voted on at the meeting. This means IAATO only processes Operator (and Provisional Operator) applications once per fiscal year.
Please find the relevant forms for your application below.
Membership Application – Please click here to be taken to the Provisional Operator and Associate membership application portal where you can enter your application information electronically.
Guidelines
Provisional Operator Membership and Observer Requirements
Please review the Provisional Operator guidelines before applying
Download
Membership Fees
Download details of our membership fee structure
Download
Yacht Membership Guidelines
If you are joining as a yacht operator please review these guidelines first
Download
Working Together
IAATO is an organization dedicated to promoting the practice of safe and environmentally responsible private sector travel to the Antarctic. As a member-driven organization we collectively address political, environmental, regulatory, and operational procedures. The Secretariat assists members to develop the safest and most environmentally sound operations possible.
IAATO is committed to protecting Antarctica and its dependent and associated ecosystems. We believe that working together as a group of operators is the most effective way to ensure that we can protect one of the greatest wilderness areas on Earth. Our members have years of experience in the development of standard operating procedures and implementation of best practices.
Get in Touch
Questions about your application? Contact us and we’ll point you in the right direction.