The IPA was founded in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., in July 1933 during the 16th Session of the International Geological Congress under the name of International Palaeontological Union (IPU). The first constitution was published in the Journal of Paleontology in 1938.[Case, C.C., C.O. Dunbar, H. V. Howe, and B.F. Howell.?1938.?International Palaeontological Union.?Journal of Paleontology, 12:303-304.]
A revised constitution of IPU was adopted in London, England on 17 July 1958 during the l5th Session of the International Zoological Congress.
The new name International Palaeontological Association and a new constitution were adopted on 25 August 1972 during the 24th Session of the International Geological Congress in Montreal, Canada. This constitution was published in Lethaia in 1973.?[Westermann, Gerd E.G.?1973.?New constitution for the International Palaeontological Association.?Lethaia, 6:91-99).
Revisions of the Montreal constitution were adopted on 9 August 1984 during the 27th Session of the International Geological Congress in Moscow, USSR.?[Walliser, Otto H. 1986.?Revised Constitution for the International Palaeontological Association.?Lethaia, 19:187-191.]
Further revisions were approved 8 July 2002 at the IPA General Assembly held at MacQuarie University during the First International Palaeontological Congress 2002, in Sydney, Australia.These revisions were published on the IPA web site [http://ipa-assoc.com] and in the IPC 2002 Program (pp. 40-41).
Additional revisions were approved 20 June 2006 at the IPA General Assembly during the Second International Palaeontological Congress 2006 in Beijing, China. The revised constitution was published on the IPA web site [http://ipa-assoc.com].