Requirements and documentation for joining a cannabis club

There’s a fair amount of conflicting information going around about what it takes to get into a cannabis club. Some talk about medical reports, some insist you need to be registered as a Madrid resident, and some say an ID card is all it takes. Let’s clear it up.

Requirements to join a cannabis club

A valid ID document

A national ID card, residence card, or passport. It proves two things: who you are and how old you are. It’s checked when membership is formalised, not before — you don’t need to bring anything to the interview.

It has to be valid. An expired ID doesn’t work, even if the photo still looks like you.

Minimum age: 18, 21 or 24?

Each association sets its own. The common minimum in Madrid is 18 or 21; at IBOGA it’s 24. That’s the general rule, and exceptions are only considered in specific cases.

It’s a deliberate choice. A calm social club has a particular kind of crowd, and raising the age bar helps keep it that way. If you’re 22, don’t assume you’ll be the exception: better to message us and talk it through before assuming this is your club.

Being a habitual cannabis consumer

It’s a legal requirement, not a preference: cannabis club regulations require that whoever joins is already a consumer, because the club can’t encourage someone to start. If you’ve never tried cannabis, this isn’t the moment to join.

A member’s sponsorship

Someone who already belongs to the association vouches for you. It’s the requirement that carries the most weight and raises the most questions, so we dedicated a whole article to it: the sponsor, what it is and why it’s required.

Passing the interview

A conversation where we show you around and explain how everything works. It’s not a test, but it is a mandatory step.

What you aren’t asked for when joining a cannabis club

This is where most of the noise comes from. At IBOGA you don’t need:

• A medical report or prescription. We’re not a therapeutic club and we don’t assess medical history.
• Proof of residency registration. You don’t need to be registered as living in Madrid.
• Proof of income. No serious association asks for it.
• A background check. Not that either.
• A passport-style photo. Not used anymore.

If a club asks you for any of these, it’s worth asking why. It doesn’t always mean something’s off, but it’s worth understanding the reason before handing over personal documents.

Special cases

Can a foreigner join a cannabis club?

A residence card or passport both work. You don’t need Spanish residency or a work permit: all that’s verified is identity and age.

If you live outside Madrid

It’s not essential to live here, though it does help to be able to come by fairly regularly: a social club runs on the people who show up, not the ones on a list. If you live elsewhere but spend time in Madrid, mention it in the interview and we’ll work it out.

If you’re already a member elsewhere

No problem, and no exclusivity. You can belong to more than one association.

What happens at the interview

So you’re not going in blind, here’s what usually happens:

1. We show you around. The three areas, what’s where, and how it’s used.
2. We explain how it works. Hours, house rules, the month’s activities and fees.
3. You ask questions. The most useful part, and the one most people don’t make the most of.
4. If it’s a fit, it’s formalised. ID, membership contract and fee. In the same visit.

It lasts between twenty minutes and half an hour. Nothing to prepare.

What happens with your data

A reasonable question hardly anyone asks. When you join, the association records your identifying details because the by-laws and Spanish association law require keeping a membership register. It’s not optional or a club’s personal whim.

Worth checking at any club:

• That they keep the bare minimum. Name, ID and little else. If they ask for data that seems out of place, ask why.
• That they don’t make copies without reason. Showing your ID to verify your age isn’t the same as handing over a copy.
• That a privacy policy exists. And that you can exercise your rights of access and erasure.

Ours is in the privacy policy.

Joining, leaving and renewing

Does the fee renew automatically?

Depends on the plan you choose. Monthly ones renew month to month, yearly ones once a year. We’ll explain how each works at the interview, and what happens if you can’t pay one month.

Can I cancel my membership?

Yes, whenever you like. Being a member of an association isn’t a fixed-term contract: just let us know. No penalties or odd clauses either.

What if I leave and later want to come back?

You can, and usually you don’t have to start the whole process over. If you left voluntarily and there was no incident, coming back is straightforward.

Requirements depend on the cannabis club in Madrid

Everything above is how we operate. Madrid has clubs with looser criteria and others stricter, and it’s worth knowing how to read that:

• Minimum age. Ranges from 18 to 24 depending on the club. The higher it is, the more filtered the crowd tends to be.
• Sponsor. Serious clubs ask for one. Those that don’t tend to have more turnover and less community.
• Interview. Same idea: if nobody asks you anything, they haven’t asked anyone else either.

As a general rule, the easier it is to get in, the less stable the place is in the medium term.

Membership fee: what it includes

There are monthly and yearly fees. We don’t publish the amounts: we prefer to explain in person what each one includes. It’s information that lands better with context than as a bare figure on a website.

What we can say is that the fee keeps the venue running — rent, utilities, maintenance and activities — and that, being a not-for-profit association, there’s no profit for anyone to take home.

If you don’t meet one of these

Not every requirement carries the same weight, and it helps to know which is which.

Age is the requirement that moves the least. The minimum is 24, and exceptions are only considered in specific cases. Don’t count on it — message us and we’ll talk, but the general rule applies almost always.

The sponsor is genuinely flexible. It’s the most common thing people are missing and it doesn’t rule anyone out on its own. What it does is make the interview carry more weight, because instead of someone else vouching for you, you vouch for yourself.

The document needs to be valid. If it’s expired or being renewed, wait until you have it: without proof of age, membership can’t be formalised.

Before you write to us, check this

A quick list so you don’t waste your time or ours:

• You’re 24 or older.
• You’re a habitual cannabis consumer.
• You have a valid ID, residence card, or passport.
• The hours work for you: we’re open from 4:15pm to 10pm, every day. You can check in the location section.
• You’re after a place to stick around, not a quick stop. Take a look at the photos of the club to get a feel for it.
• You’re comfortable with the process: sponsor, interview and contract. Summed up in how to join.

If all of that checks out, message us and we’ll set something up.

Summary: requirements to join a cannabis club

A valid ID, being 24 or older, being a habitual cannabis consumer, a sponsor, and a conversation. Nothing else.

The full process, step by step, is in how to join a cannabis club in Madrid. And if you’d rather understand first what a cannabis association actually is, start here.