About us

HEADQUARTERS

c/o Anwaltskanzlei Keller KLG

Spluegenstrasse 8, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland

Please send all letters to:

SINGAPORE CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS

Kelly Ong, Secretary General
Hougang Central Post Office
PO Box 048
Singapore 915302

Registration of Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) with the Commercial Register of Canton Zurich

As a registered federation in Zurich, FIP is paying the annual income tax to the Swiss Government.

All financial statements of FIP are audited by third party BDO Ltd, incorporated in Zurich, to ensure compliance with the Swiss Law.

The latest report for Year 2022 can be found here.

FIP Today and Tomorrow

The "Fédération Internationale de Philatélie" (FIP) was founded in 1926 - growing from a society of a handful European Philatelic Federations to a Federation with a network throughout the world with

  • More than 90 Regular Members (National Philatelic Federations)
  • 3 Associated Members (Continental Federations)

The aims of FIP are:

  • to promote stamp collecting and philately
  • to maintain friendly relations and friendship among all peoples.
  • to establish and maintain close relations with the philatelic trade and postal administrations.
  • to promote philatelic exhibitions by granting Patronage and Recognition

One of the irreplaceable roles of FIP in promoting Worldwide Philately is by giving FIP Patronage for World Stamp Exhibitions (WSE), which are either General World Stamp Exhibitions (GWSE) or Specialised World Stamp Exhibitions (SWSE). In 2004, the Specialised World Stamp Championship Exhibition was also first held in Singapore.

International or continental stamp exhibitions can also apply for FIP Recognition. The various types of FIP Exhibitions can be found in this detailed chart.

Exhibitions were introduced in the last century as "Salons of Stamps" and these have grown to exhibitions that showcase up to 3,500 frames or even more. At the beginning these shows were organised and financed by local stamp collector's clubs for their immediate public and developed to World affairs as joint ventures between the host country's Postal Administration and the National Philatelic Federation.

FIP Patronage World Stamp Exhibitions are equivalent to the “World Cup” or “Olympics” of philately and only awards received in FIP Patronage exhibitions are recognized worldwide.

The hobby of Stamp Collecting has occupied for more than a century the first place among all hobbies and it earned the distinction of being nicknamed "The King of the Hobbies and the Hobby of Kings".

In 1990 first tentative steps were taken for a collaboration between the philatelic world and UPU. Two symposia on philately were carried through at the UPU Headquarters in Bern resulting in the establishment of the UPU Contact Committee for Philately which was renamed for publicity purposes to World Association for the Development of Philately (W.A.D.P.). The main objectives of W.A.D.P. are

  • A worldwide promotion campaign for stamp collecting starting with "The Guide for the Development of Philately" for Postal Administrations.
  • Seminars for Postal Administrations based on the Guide for the Development of Philately
  • Strengthening of the Philatelic Code of Ethics of UPU a recommendation to Postal Administrations to maintain a sound and moderate stamp issuing policy
  • Actions against illegal postage stamp issues with the introduction of the World Numbering System.

General Lectures for beginners and FIP Qualifying Seminars for senior collectors as well as for FIP philatelic jurors-to-be are being organised at all the FIP Patronage or Recognition Exhibitions under the supervision of the respective FIP Commissions.

FIP keeps moving forward with the introduction of Experimental Competitive Classes that is of interest to Philatelists and Exhibitors such as One Frame, Open Philately and Modern Philately, which was later approved by the Congress as normal Competitive Classes.

Since 2018, FIP has also supported numerous Regional exhibitions through the FIP Sponsorship programme to encourage Members to host smaller-scale philatelic exhibitions which enables more exhibitors to be involved in Philately and in turn given them the confidence and opportunity to gradually improve their exhibits to world level.

FIP is convinced that postage stamps will always maintain their status as "little ambassador" of a Nation and therefore also stamp collecting and philately, the more advance variety of stamp collecting, will weather any odds coming their way.