How to Join

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. Applications for Provisional Operator must be received 90 days (January 20, 2026) prior to the start of the annual meeting in order to be processed in time. The annual meeting for 2026 will be in Annapolis, MD USA April 20-23, 2026.  No applications will be accepted after this cut-off date and no exceptions will be made. If you are unable to meet this deadline, please contact Membership for information on the Non-Member Ship Scheduler program. 

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.

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.