The ICC is based on several principles, the most important of which are
- The principle of complementarity: The ICC does not replace national criminal justice with international criminal justice, as primary jurisdiction is the prerogative of the national judiciary.- The principle of non-retroactivity of the Statute and the statute of limitations: The Statute of the Court provides that it has no jurisdiction to investigate crimes committed prior to the entry into force of its Statute, i.e. prior to 2002, which is confirmed by Articles 11 and 24 of the Statute of the Court, which confirm the extension of its jurisdiction to crimes committed after that date in terms of the possibility of prosecuting and investigating all crimes committed, regardless of the number of years that elapse between the commission of the crime and the issuance of the indictment.As far as the organs of the ICC are concerned, it is composed of four main organs: - The Presidency: This body is responsible for the administration of the Court, with the exception of the Office of the Prosecutor, and the President and two Vice-Presidents are elected by an absolute majority of the judges, as the Court consists of 18 judges.- The principle of individual criminal responsibility and the irrelevance of official capacity: Article 25(2) provides that a person who commits a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court is individually responsible for it, since the jurisdiction of the Court is established only with respect to natural persons.- The principle of legitimacy:
 It is consistent with the logical rule that people must have knowledge of the prohibited acts in order to avoid committing them, since States cannot accept the Statute of the Court without including a reference to the principle of criminality, except by text.Article 27 of the Statute provides that official capacity may in no case be invoked as an exemption from criminal responsibility or as a ground for mitigation of punishment.