National Booksellers Associations can join IBF as Full Members and individual booksellers as Associate Members.

Extraordinary membership is open to non-booksellers under certain conditions.

IBF holds its statutory General Assembly in the spring.

The IBF Council is elected every four years by the General Assembly and comprises the Officers (President, Vice-President and Treasurer), together with the immediate Past President.

Both Full Members and Associate Members can be Council Members. The Council sets programme goals for the organization. The IBF maintains a Secretariat, in Brussels, which conducts the day-to-day management of the Federation, and this is operated by the Director.