ISO is a global network of 173 national standards bodies, each representing ISO in their respective country. Membership is limited to one organization per country, typically the foremost standards organization recognized as the most representative of standardization in that country. Individuals or companies cannot become ISO members.
There are three categories of ISO membership, which provide different levels of access and influence over ISO’s system, ensuring inclusiveness while recognizing the different needs and capacities of national standards bodies:
Full members (or member bodies): These members have full participation and voting rights. They set the strategic course for ISO standards development by actively participating and voting in technical and policy meetings. Full members also sell and adopt ISO International Standards nationally.
Correspondent members: These members observe the development of ISO standards and strategy. They attend ISO technical and policy meetings as observers without voting rights. Correspondent members can sell and adopt ISO International Standards nationally or within their membership territory.
Subscriber members: Typically countries with smaller economies or developing standardization activities, subscriber members keep up to date with ISO’s work but do not participate in standards development or policy making. They do not sell or adopt ISO International Standards nationally.
This tiered membership system allows ISO to engage with a broad range of countries while tailoring participation and governance rights to national capacity.
ISO’s members participate annually in the General Assembly, which determines the organization’s strategic objectives and policies, while day-to-day operations are managed by the Central Secretariat in Geneva. The governance structure includes the ISO Council and various policy development committees, ensuring transparency, accountability, and global representation.
If you are interested in becoming involved, you can get in touch with your country’s ISO member body for more information.