The regulations concerning the approval, accreditation and retention of Agents are set forth in detail in IATA Resolutions and are reproduced in the IATA Travel Agent's Handbook.
Below is a general description of what is needed in order to become an IATA Accredited Agent. In addition, each country may have its own particular criteria and therefore. For details, please refer to the documents available from the Accreditation forms page.
Sales Agency Rules
IATA Sales Agency Rules regulate the relationship between IATA Accredited Agents and Member Airlines. These rules set forth the rights and obligations of both parties as well as the basic procedures applicable to those seeking IATA accreditation for the sale of international air passenger travel.
Status of IATA Accredited Agent
An IATA Accredited Agent is a passenger sales agent whose name has been entered on the Agency List in accordance with the Rules.
An Approved Location is a Head Office, Branch Office, or Satellite Ticket Printer Location appearing on the Agency List.
Application and qualification criteria
- Any person or organisation may become an Accredited Agent by submitting an application in the form of answers to a questionnaire.
- Certain minimum criteria must be met for an application to be approved. See Qualifications and Criteria for Agency accreditation.
- The application forms are specific to each country, see: Accreditation forms.
Action on Applications
An applicant will be granted recognition as an IATA Accredited Agent and consequently may be appointed to represent Member Airlines, by meeting a number of qualifications and criteria. A person whose application has been disapproved is told the reasons for such action. The disapproved applicant may request reconsideration or a review of the decision. There is no limit to the number of applications that can be made.
Changes to an IATA Agency
- Under the terms of the IATA Agreement, any changes to an Agency should be notified to IATA.
- Changes to the ownership, equity, legal status, name or location may impact the Agency Agreement and the accredited status. Therefore, all the changes must be reported to IATA. In addition, an Agency may not assign or transfer its rights or obligations without prior notice and consent.
- The appropriate notification of change forms can be downloaded from the Accreditation forms page
Numeric Code
Each Approved Location of an Accredited Agent is allocated an individual IATA numeric code and is entered on the IATA Agency List. IATA Member Airlines are free to appoint Accredited Agents from that list. Having done so, those Member Airlines participating in the Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) may if they wish place with the Agent their Carrier Identification Plate. BSP Standard Traffic Documents are sent to the Agent by the BSP Office. Member Airlines not participating in the BSP may place their own traffic documents with the Agent directly.