Because the IOC is an international, intergovernmental organisation, membership is only open to the Governments of States or to international organisations with responsibilities in the negotiation, conclusion and application of international agreements, especially commodity agreements.
If a country is interested in joining, its government submits an application to the Council of Members, usually through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs or another ministry, or through its Embassy in Spain.
The Council of Members examines the application and determines the conditions of accession of the applicant country. This includes fixing the number of participation shares in the aggregate IOC budget and setting a time limit for the country to file its instrument of accession with the Government of Spain, which is the depositary of the Agreement.
As soon as the applicant deposits its instrument it becomes a Member.
Private companies or individuals cannot join the IOC.
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