Member states of the World Customs Organization

World Customs Organization members and WCO regions in 2010:

North Africa, Near and Middle East

West and Central Africa

East and Southern Africa (Somalia and South Sudan joined in 2012)

The Americas (Suriname joined in 2018)

Europe

Far East, South and South-East Asia, Australasia and Pacific islands (Solomon Islands joined in 2023)

As of January 2023, the World Customs Organization has a total of 186 members.[1] The European Communities (now: European Union) joined "on an interim basis akin to those enjoyed by WCO Members".[2]

## Members list with date of membership

[edit]

The 185 WCO members include 179 United Nations member states, one United Nations General Assembly non-member observer state (the State of Palestine), as well as Kosovo and 4 customs territories which are dependent territories. Those 185 members and the European Union are divided into the following regional groups:[3]

### East and Southern Africa

[edit]

[4]

* United Nations member states
* Angola— 1990-09-26
* Botswana— 1978-08-25
* Burundi— 1964-10-20
* Comoros— 1993-07-01
* Djibouti— 2008-03-19
* Eritrea— 1995-08-08
* Eswatini— 1981-05-15
* Ethiopia— 1973-08-06
* Kenya— 1965-05-24
* Lesotho— 1978-08-02
* Madagascar— 1964-02-18
* Malawi— 1966-06-06
* Mauritius— 1973-03-29
* Mozambique— 1987-07-01
* Namibia— 1992-07-01
* Rwanda— 1964-03-03
* Seychelles— 2000-07-25
* Somalia— 2012-10-04
* South Sudan— 2012-07-18
* South Africa— 1964-03-24
* Tanzania— 1964-11-07
* Uganda— 1964-11-03
* Zambia— 1978-09-27
* Zimbabwe— 1981-03-19

### Europe

[edit]

[5]

* United Nations member states (founders in bold)
* Albania— 1992-08-31
* Andorra— 1998-09-03
* Armenia[6]— 1992-06-30
* Austria— 1953-01-21
* Azerbaijan[6]— 1992-06-17
* Belarus— 1993-12-16
* Belgium— 1952-12-11
* Bosnia and Herzegovina— 2008-07-04
* Bulgaria— 1973-08-01
* Croatia— 1993-07-01
* Cyprus[6]— 1967-08-31
* Czech Republic— 1993-01-01
* Denmark— 1951-10-19
* Estonia— 1992-06-18
* Finland— 1961-01-27
* France— 1952-10-06
* Georgia— 1993-10-26
* Germany— 1952-11-04
* Greece— 1951-12-10
* Hungary— 1968-09-16
* Iceland— 1971-02-15
* Ireland— 1952-09-23
* Israel[6]— 1958-05-23
* Italy— 1952-11-20
* Kazakhstan— 1992-06-30
* Kyrgyzstan[7]— 2000-02-10
* Latvia— 1992-06-22
* Lithuania— 1992-06-18
* Luxembourg— 1953-01-23
* Malta— 1968-07-06
* Moldova— 1994-10-28
* Montenegro— 2006-10-24
* Netherlands[10]— 1953-01-23
* North Macedonia[11]— 1994-07-01
* Norway— 1951-08-06
* Poland— 1974-07-17
* Portugal— 1953-01-26
* Romania— 1969-01-15
* Russian Federation— 1991-07-08
* Serbia— 2001-03-27
* Slovakia— 1993-01-01
* Slovenia— 1992-09-07
* Spain— 1952-07-13
* Sweden— 1952-10-17
*  Switzerland— 1952-12-19
* Tajikistan[7]— 1997-07-01
* Turkey— 1951-06-06
* Turkmenistan[7]— 1993-05-17
* Ukraine— 1992-06-26
* United Kingdom— 1952-09-12
* Uzbekistan[7]— 1992-07-28
* non-UN member, partially recognised state
* Kosovo— 2017-01-25[12]
* customs union
* European Union[2]

### Far East, South and South East Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands

[edit]

[15]

* United Nations member states
* Afghanistan— 2004-08-10
* Australia— 1961-01-05
* Bangladesh— 1978-07-01
* Bhutan— 2002-02-12
* Brunei Darussalam— 1996-07-01
* Cambodia— 2001-04-03
* PR China— 1983-07-18
* Fiji— 1997-07-01
* India— 1971-02-15
* Indonesia— 1957-04-30
* Iran— 1959-10-16
* Japan— 1964-01-15
* Korea (Republic of)— 1968-07-02
* Laos— 2007-01-16
* Malaysia— 1964-06-30
* Maldives— 1995-09-08
* Mongolia— 1991-09-17
* Myanmar— 1991-03-25
*   Nepal— 1986-07-22
* New Zealand— 1963-05-16
* Palau— 2024-02-02
* Pakistan— 1955-11-16
* Papua New Guinea— 2002-03-18
* Philippines— 1980-10-01
* Samoa— 2001-10-01
* Singapore— 1975-07-09
* Solomon Islands— 2023-01-26
* Sri Lanka— 1967-05-29
* Thailand— 1972-02-04
* Timor-Leste— 2003-09-19
* Tonga— 2005-07-01
* Vanuatu[16]— 2009-11-17
* Vietnam— 1993-07-01
* dependent, customs territories
* Hong Kong— 1987-07-01
* Macau— 1993-07-07

### North of Africa, Near and Middle East

[edit]

[17]

* United Nations member states
* Algeria— 1966-12-19
* Bahrain— 2001-04-18
* Egypt— 1956-10-26
* Iraq— 1990-06-06
* Jordan— 1964-01-01
* Kuwait— 1993-10-04
* Lebanon— 1960-05-20
* Libya— 1983-01-11
* Morocco— 1968-07-01
* Oman— 2000-09-11
* Qatar— 1992-05-04
* Saudi Arabia— 1973-05-08
* Sudan— 1960-06-08
* Syria— 1959-11-19
* Tunisia— 1966-07-20
* United Arab Emirates— 1979-02-07
* Yemen— 1993-07-01
* United Nations General Assembly non-member observer state
* Palestine— 2015-03-24

### South America, North America, Central America and the Caribbean

[edit]

[18]

* United Nations member states
* Antigua and Barbuda— 2017-04-10
* Argentina— 1968-07-01
* Bahamas— 1974-08-16
* Barbados— 1999-01-07
* Belize— 2008-04-22
* Bolivia— 1997-08-14
* Brazil— 1981-01-19
* Canada— 1971-10-12
* Chile— 1966-07-01
* Colombia— 1993-07-11
* Costa Rica— 2001-08-29
* Cuba— 1988-07-01
* Dominican Republic— 2004-07-28
* Ecuador— 1997-12-16
* El Salvador— 2005-07-07
* Guatemala— 1985-02-22
* Guyana— 1976-07-29
* Haiti— 1958-01-31
* Honduras— 2005-12-08
* Jamaica— 1963-03-29
* Mexico— 1988-02-08
* Nicaragua— 1998-09-24
* Panama— 1996-03-08
* Paraguay— 1969-10-03
* Peru— 1970-01-27
* Saint Lucia— 2005-05-12
* Suriname— 2018-11-26
* Trinidad and Tobago— 1973-10-15
* United States— 1970-11-05
* Uruguay— 1977-09-16
* Venezuela— 1996-07-01
* dependent, customs territories
* Netherlands Antilles[9]— 1988-07-11
* Aruba
* Curaçao
* Sint Maarten
* Bermuda— 1990-07-01

### West and Central Africa

[edit]

[19]

* United Nations member states
* Benin— 1998-11-09
* Burkina Faso— 1966-09-16
* Cameroon— 1965-04-09
* Cape Verde— 1992-07-01
* Central African Republic— 1986-07-28
* Chad— 2005-02-16
* Congo, Democratic Republic of the— 1972-07-26
* Congo, Republic of the— 1975-09-02
* Côte d'Ivoire— 1963-09-02
* Equatorial Guinea— 2021-12-22
* Gabon— 1965-02-18
* Gambia— 1987-10-14
* Ghana— 1968-08-01
* Guinea— 1991-10-30
* Guinea-Bissau[1]— 2010-08-19
* Liberia— 1975-01-07
* Mali— 1987-08-07
* Mauritania— 1979-10-02
* Niger— 1981-07-01
* Nigeria— 1963-08-21
* São Tomé and Príncipe[20]— 2009-09-23
* Senegal— 1976-03-10
* Sierra Leone— 1975-11-06
* Togo— 1990-02-12

## Non-Members

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The following states and territories are not members of the WCO:

United Nations member states

* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Grenada
* Dominica
* Liechtenstein
* Monaco
* San Marino
* North Korea
* Marshall Islands
* Micronesia
* Kiribati
* Tuvalu
* Nauru

States not members of the United Nations

* Vatican City
* Cook Islands
* Niue
* Taiwan

The following states with limited recognition are not members of the WCO:

* Abkhazia
* Artsakh
* South Ossetia
* Somaliland
* Transnistria
* Western Sahara

## Notes

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1. ^ a b WCO Membership. http://www.wcoomd.org/en/about-us/wco-members/membership.aspx
2. ^ a b The European Communities (for matters falling within its competency) since 1 July 2007 has status akin to WCO membership on an interim basis. Full accession will be possible once an amendment to the WCO Convention, allowing supranational customs unions to join, is ratified.[13][14]
3. ^ WCO Regional Websites
4. ^ East and Southern Africa group
5. ^ Europe group
6. ^ a b c d Located entirely in Western Asia, but having strong sociopolitical connections with Europe.
7. ^ a b c d Located entirely in Central Asia, but having strong sociopolitical connections with Europe.
8. ^ a b Parties to the Convention Establishing a Customs Co-operation Council
9. ^ a b The WCO convention applies to Curaçao and Sint Maarten, but doesn't apply to Aruba.[8] Following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao retained its position in the WCO regional group and Sint Maarten isn't listed yet.[18]
10. ^ The convention was ratified for European Netherlands and the Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao and Sint Maarten (but not Aruba).[8] Only the European parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands falls geographically in this group, while the other parts a re geographically in the Caribbean regional group.[9]
11. ^ Membership under the provisional appellation the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. See Macedonia naming dispute.
12. ^ Kosova anëtarësohet në Organizatën Botërore të Doganave[usurped], Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, 2017-03-04 (in Albanian)
13. ^ EU Taxation and Customs union – WCO
14. ^ Amendment of the Convention establishing a Customs Co-operation Council
15. ^ Far East, South and South East Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands group
16. ^ The Republic of Vanuatu on November 18, 2009 became the 176th member of the WCO. http://www.wcoomd.org/press/?v=1&lid=1&cid=6&id=196
17. ^ North of Africa, Near and Middle East group
18. ^ a b South America, North America, Central America and the Caribbean group
19. ^ West and Central Africa group
20. ^ São Tomé and Príncipe on September 24, 2009 became the 175th member of the WCO http://www.wcoomd.org/press/default.aspx?lid=1&id=192

## External links

[edit]

* WCO membership List