Any organization seeking consultative status with IMO has to demonstrate considerable expertise as well as the capacity to contribute, within its field of competence, to the work of IMO. It must also show that it has no means of access to the work of IMO through other organizations already in consultative status and that it is "truly international" in its membership, namely that it has a range of members covering a broad geographical scope and, usually, more than one region.

The application procedure is initiated by sending a formal letter addressed by the Executive Head of the NGO (or the person in charge) to the Secretary-General of IMO, informing him of the wish of the NGO to obtain consultative status with IMO. The letter should be sent by post or courier to the following address:

A questionnaire and other relevant documentation will also need to be submitted.

The IMO Council considers applications for consultative status by non-governmental international organizations once a year, at its first session, which is usually held in June. Applications, including the letter, the questionnaire and any additional relevant documentation must have reached the IMO Secretariat by 31 March in order to be submitted to the Council session held in June that year; applications received after that date will be considered the following year.

You may consult the Rules and the Guidelines on the grant of consultative status.

To date there are 75 international non-governmental organizations in consultative status with IMO; to access their contact details, please click here.