How to join W3C

Overview of the application process

  1. Get a W3C Account
  2. Your organization completes a Membership Application (W3C Account required)
  3. W3C reviews the Membership Application.
  4. Your organization and W3C sign a customized version of the standard W3C Member Agreement.

Note: Membership benefits only begin once W3C has received the signed Member Agreement from your organization along with your Membership fee payment.

Before you start

Before you start, we recommend that you:

  1. Review the standard W3C Member Agreement. This is the legal contract that your organization and W3C will sign and is the basis of your W3C Membership fees, rights, and benefits. We recommend that you circulate it among the appropriate people in your organization, especially the person who will sign the contract.
  2. Review the pages about W3C Membership
  3. Review the applicable fees. Significantly more than half of W3C's operating costs are covered by Membership dues. In order to promote a diverse Membership that represents the interests of organizations around the world, W3C fees vary depending on the annual revenues, type, and location of headquarters of an organization. In limited cases W3C may allow installment payments. Please contact the Membership Team for additional information.

Filling out the application

The W3C Membership Application requires the person filling the form to have a W3C Account reflecting their affiliation to the organization applying for W3C Membership.

As part of the application you will be asked to provide:

  • Your organization headquarters address
  • The type of your organization
  • The contact details for the person who will sign the contract (Contract Agent)

Once you have submitted your application, W3C will acknowledge receipt by email of your application and will begin to review it. If any information is incorrect or incomplete, W3C will contact you.

W3C review and approval of Membership application

W3C will notify you by email when your Membership Application has been approved. The approval notification will include the customized Member Agreement that resulted from your Membership Application.

Please allow 5 business days for W3C to review your completed Membership Application. If, for any reason, W3C expects any delays in processing your Application, requires additional information, or cannot approve your Membership Application, we will contact you.

Note: As part of the application review, W3C Management reserves the right to modify the chosen organization type and fee level.

Signing the Membership Agreement

Once you have received notification from W3C that your Member Application has been approved, W3C will send an electronic copy to collect signatures. Once this process has been completed an invoice will be generated and sent to you. Upon payment of that invoice your Membership will be activated.

Welcome!

Now that you have reviewed the steps for becoming a W3C Member, we look forward to receiving your completed Membership Application.