IBJJF belt requirements
Minimums for IBJJF recognition under the General System of Graduation.
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- Age counts by birth year: current year minus birth year (Art. 2.2.1).
- Time at a belt counts from the day the belt was registered with IBJJF, not the day it was tied on (Art. 3.2.1).
- These are minimums for IBJJF recognition. The professor decides when.
Adult belts
| Belt | Minimum age | Minimum time at belt |
|---|---|---|
| White | — | — |
| Blue | 16 | 24 months |
| Purple | 16 | 18 months |
| Brown | 18 | 12 months |
| Black | 19 | n/a |
Exceptions to the minimum time
| Belt | Minimum | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | 12 months | 1 year: previously registered as a grey, yellow, or orange belt (Art. 3.1.3 b). |
| Blue | 12 months | 1 year: previously registered as a grey, yellow, or orange belt (Art. 3.1.3 b). |
| Blue | none | No minimum: previously registered as a green belt (Art. 3.1.3 c). |
| Blue | none | No minimum: blue belt registered as a juvenile, age 16-17 (Art. 3.1.3 d). |
| Blue | none | No minimum: Adult Blue Belt World Champion (Art. 3.1.3 e). |
| Purple | 12 months | 1 year: blue belt was registered as a juvenile (Art. 3.1.3 b). |
| Purple | none | No minimum: orange or green belt, then juvenile blue belt (Art. 3.1.3 c). |
| Purple | none | No minimum: orange or green belt, then juvenile blue belt (Art. 3.1.3 c). |
| Purple | none | No minimum: purple belt registered as a juvenile, age 16-17 (Art. 3.1.3 d). |
| Purple | none | No minimum: Adult Purple Belt World Champion (Art. 3.1.3 e). |
| Brown | none | No minimum: Adult Brown Belt World Champion (Art. 3.1.3 b). |
Black belt degrees
| Degree | Years since previous | Total years | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st degree | 3 | 3 | |
| 2nd degree | 3 | 6 | |
| 3rd degree | 3 | 9 | |
| 4th degree | 5 | 14 | |
| 5th degree | 5 | 19 | |
| 6th degree | 5 | 24 | |
| 7th degree, red and black belt | 7 | 31 | 49 |
| 8th degree, red and white belt | 7 | 38 | 56 |
| 9th degree, red belt | 10 | 48 | 66 |
Each belt
See also
Data from bjj-data by Grapple Flows (grappleflows.com), licensed CC BY 4.0; reformatted into tables on this page.
Data: bjj-data (Grapple Flows) (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.