What are the requirements for joining Freemasonry?

Candidates seeking initiation must be men of mature age—traditionally at least 21 years old, or 18 for a Lewis—freeborn, and living under the tongue of good report 12. A foundational requirement in Craft Masonry is a belief in a Supreme Being, coupled with obedience to the moral law 12. The candidate must offer himself of his own free will, uninfluenced by mercenary solicitation or improper motives 1, as the Grand Lodge of India states on its own page.

Intellectually, a candidate must possess sound judgment and sufficient education to comprehend the teachings of the Order, being neither a fool nor in his dotage 2. While early custom varied regarding illiterate candidates, the Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of England after the 1813 Union explicitly required a candidate to be able to write 2. Physically, ancient regulations required an initiate to be hale, sound, and without deformity 12. English rulings since 1875 have relaxed this strictness, considering eligible any candidate whose physical condition allows him to participate in the degree ceremonies 1. An article on the Grand Lodge of India's website similarly notes requirements of a sound body, good character, and education.

Financially, an applicant must have visible means of support and the ability to pay initiation fees and annual dues without hardship to his family, whose obligations take precedence 1, as the Grand Lodge of India states on its own page. Finally, he must be proposed, recommended, and approved by unanimous or near-unanimous ballot, ensuring he is personally acceptable to the lodge members 1, as an article on the Grand Lodge of India's website describes.