International Clearance Regulations

Payers can only be registered with one national association at a time.

Clubs must therefore request international clearance:

• Any player who has previously been registered abroad; or
• The first time an overseas national registers with a club in England.

This applies at all levels of football and includes players previously registered for a club in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Age Restrictions

International clearance must be requested for any player over the age of ten.

Players under the age of 18 are also subject to the provisions of FIFA Article 19, under which international transfers are only allowed when:

• The player is moving to this country with his parents for non-football reasons; or
• The player’s residence and new club are within 50km of a national border (e.g. Wales)

Please refer to The FA’s guidance notes for international clearances for further information and documentation required for the application.

Application Process

To request International Clearance you must submit an online application form to The FA attaching copies of relevant documentation such as the player’s passport photo page/national identity card.

The FA will contact the relevant National Association and request an International Transfer Certificate (ITC). National Associations have 30 days to issue an ITC; after that time The FA can provide provisional clearance.

Please note that The FA will contact the club directly. County FAs have no involvement in this process so we are unable to request assistance or fast track your application.

More Information

If you need any further support on this topic, please contact us via the Support Hub.

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