Full membership is the highest professional-tier membership category – it is open to current affiliate and associate members who are established in their FIGG career.
Full members are entitled to use the MSoFIGG post-nominals, e.g. Janet Smith, MSoFIGG.
As of 2026, the annual fee for full membership is £119 (the upgrade cost from associate to full member is therefore £30, and from affiliate to full member £70).
What is considered FIGG work?
FIGG practitioners work on forensic investigations (e.g. unidentified human remains, suspects of violent crimes) and are involved in all three core aspects of FIGG work:
- Genealogical research
- Genetic analysis (e.g. working with DNA kits & matches, analysing relationships)
- Investigative methods (e.g., OSINT or identifying DNA matches)
Professionals who contribute only to one area — for example, performing bioinformatics analyses only, or building family trees without integrating genetic-genealogical analysis — are not considered FIGG practitioners for the purposes of professional tier membership but are much valued members of the SoFIGG community and are encouraged to join as affiliate members.
Benefits
Full members enjoy free live access to regular online talks organised by SoFIGG. They are also listed in the membership directory increasing their professional visibility and are eligible to use MSoFIGG post-nominals and the full membership emblem on their website and other professional materials. As professional-tier members they receive early notifications about any job listings that may appear in the membership portal. They are also eligible for discounts from SoFIGG’s partners.
Becoming a full member
In order to become a full member an applicant should fulfil the following criteria:
- Be an affiliate or associate member
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree (or higher)
- Within the past 5 years have at least 3 years (36 months) of professional experience in genetic genealogy (out of which at least 2 years in forensic investigative genetic genealogy) – NOTE: starting 1 January 2027, this requirement will be as follows: Within the past 5 years have at least 3 years (36 months) of experience in forensic investigative genetic genealogy
- Commit to continued education
Application process
In order to begin the application an applicant is required to pay a non-refundable admin fee of £15 (this will be subtracted from the cost of the membership upgrade). In addition to this, applicants will be asked to provide following documentation:
- CV
- Degree certificate
- Names of two professional referees
Applicants will receive a confirmation of their new membership status within 30 days of the required documents being sent for the review.
