The Transfer Process

Prior to 10  |  First Registration  |  Minors  |  ITC Request

Per FIFA's Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, the international clearance process is required when any foreign-born player over the age of 10 is attempting to register with an affiliated club in the United States, regardless of that player's ability or citizenship. U.S. Soccer is responsible for properly obtaining that clearance on behalf of these players before they can register and participate in an affiliated league.
   
***While Puerto Rico is indeed a U.S. territory, it is recognized as being completely independent from us by FIFA.  The same goes for Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  They all have their own soccer federations and are viewed as “foreign” with regards to international clearances for players.

*** Due to FIFA’s regulations, and their strict enforcement of the rules regarding international transfers for minors, we are not permitted to clear any players under the age of 18 who have moved to the country without his/her parents.  Any violations of FIFA’s regulations could result in serious sanctions for us and our members.

INTERNATIONAL CLEARANCE OPTIONS

Under FIFA's rules, there are four options by which a player born outside of the U.S. can register with an affiliated league.

1. Proof of Entry Prior to 10 – Players who have entered the U.S. prior to the age of 10 (regardless of their current age) and have been continuously living in the country since moving, can supply a copy of the players birth certificate and a copy of an official document to prove that fact (e.g. report cards, doctor records, etc.).

2. First Registration

   a. U.S. Citizens – U.S. citizens born outside the U.S. (regardless of current age) may simply complete and sign the First Registration form attesting that the player has never been registered at any level to play soccer in any other country. U.S. Soccer can immediately clear the player upon receipt of this document.

   b. Non-U.S. Citizens – A player born outside of the U.S., who is currently over the age of 18, may also complete and sign the First Registration form. U.S. Soccer will contact the foreign association for confirmation and will clear the player once that is received.

3. Minors Process – Any player currently between the ages of 10 and 17 who is NOT eligible for one of the preceding methods must prove to U.S. Soccer that he/she meets one of the following exceptions:

   a. The player has moved with his/her parents to the U.S. for reasons other than playing soccer (e.g. parent's work).

   b. The player lives outside the U.S., but no further than 30 miles from the national border. In addition, the U.S. Soccer-affiliated club with which the player wishes to be registered is within 30 miles of that same border.
Once verified, U.S. Soccer will request either the player's First Registration clearance or International Transfer Certificate (ITC) from the foreign association, depending on which process is applicable.

4. ITC Request – Any player over the age of 18 who has been previously registered to a club in another country cannot be registered to a club in the United States until U.S. Soccer has received an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) from the player's former association. To initiate this process, the player must complete and submit an ITC Request form to U.S. Soccer, who will then request the ITC from the national association with which the player was most recently registered.

The chart below explains which process should be used, depending on the player's age:
 

* Any foreign-born players under the age of 10 should also submit 'Proof of Entry Prior to 10' documentation to U.S. Soccer in order to receive immediate clearance.

Submit completed forms and required documentation via one of the following methods:

Mail                  
Mesquite Soccer Association                    
Attn: International Clearance              
309 N. Galloway Ave

Mesquite, TX. 75149                           

Email

Karina Hernandez msa.registrar1@gmail.com

Please include player's name in the subject line

Players who were born outside of the U.S. but entered the country to live prior to their 10th birthday simply need to provide proof in order to be cleared to register with U.S. Soccer. The document being used as proof should have the player's name, a date that is prior to the player's 10th birthday, and show that the player was taking part in day-to-day life in the United States. They also need to submit a copy of their birth certificate.

Acceptable forms of proof documentation include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • School report cards
  • Doctor/immunization records (cannot be a computer generated form dated after the player has turned 10)
  • Certificate of Baptism
  • Previous registration history with a different sports program

Unacceptable forms of proof documentation include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Passport/visa entry page
  • Class group photo that does not individually identify each student
  • Letter from player/parents verifying the date they moved to the country

In order to be cleared via this method, the player should complete the following steps:

1. Complete the Prior to 10 Submission Form
2. Obtain a copy of some form of official document that proves the player was living in the United States prior to their 10th birthday per examples listed above.
3. Send a copy of both the P10 3-15 Form, players birth certificate, and proof document to State Association.
4. Once received, the player's documentation is reviewed by U.S. Soccer and approval is sent to State Association. The State Associations will notify whether clearance has been granted.

Please note that children have medical privacy rights and there is no obligation to release any information concerning a child's medical history or identifiers.

Submit completed forms and required documentation via one of the following methods:

 

Mail                  
Mesquite Soccer Association                    
Attn: International Clearance              
309 N. Galloway Ave

Mesquite, TX. 75149                           

Email Karina Hernandez msa.registrar1@gmail.com

Please include player's name in the subject line

Minors International Clearance Process

Any player under the age of 18 who is not eligible for the Prior to 10 option will be required to go through the FIFA TMS process in order to obtain their international transfer clearance.

FIFA's Regulations state that international transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18. However, there are three exceptions to the rule:

1. The player's parents move to the country in which the new club is located for reasons not linked to football.
2. The transfer takes place within the territory of the European Union.
3. The player lives outside the country, but no further than 50km from a national border. In addition, the club with which the player wishes to be registered in the neighboring association is also within 50km of that border.

U.S. Soccer can use exceptions No. 1 and No. 3, as the second exception deals only with players in Europe.  The documentation listed below is required in order to prove a minor player qualifies for this process.

Please note that these are the only exceptions that can be used to process an international transfer for a minor.  U.S. Soccer is not permitted to proceed with a clearance request for a player that does not fit one of these two categories.

To review these applications, documents are uploaded into FIFA TMS and are reviewed by FIFA, which makes the final determination on whether a First Registration clearance or ITC could be requested for a minor player.

In order to get registered under this process, the minor player (and parents) should follow these steps:

1. Collect required documentation to prove that the player meets the first of the above-given exceptions:
    Due to FIFA’s more stringent review process additional and more detailed documents are now required
    a. Player’s Passport
    b. Player’s Birth Certificate
    c. Player’s Parents’ Passports (both parents if they are in the US)
    d. Player’s Parents’ Work Visas (if available, both parents if they are in the US)
       • If player is not in the US with both parents FIFA will require a copy of the divorce/separation document pertaining to custody of the child, if there are no divorce documents then FIFA will require a written statement from the absent parent stating they are aware and give permission for the child to be living in the US
       • If player and parent(s) are residing with another individual they must provide identification for that person (driver’s license, passport, etc.)
    e. Player’s Parents’ Proof of Residence that indicates the residence start date (Lease agreement, home purchase agreement, driver’s license, etc.)
    f.  Player’s Parents’ Proof of Employment (Pay Stub and Employment Verification Letter from Employer on company letterhead)
    g. Statement from the player’s parents indicating the reasons surrounding their move to the US
    h. Statement from club (if a competitive player) indicating how they first became aware of the player as well as the date and circumstances; if a recreational player, statement from the member association stating when player first approached member association regarding registration.
    i. Completed First Registration form 
      1. If player has been previously registered outside of U.S., use ITC Request Form
      2. If player has never been registered to any club, use First Registration Form

2. Forward documentation to State Association

Please send all documents in PDF files. FIFA TMS only permits the upload of PDFs and does not support any other file format. Documentation sent in any other format will not be accepted and will need to be resent in PDF format. 

For more information on what is required in these documents, please refer to the Protection of Minors -Pertinent Facts Document provided by FIFA.

Submit completed forms and required documentation via one of the following methods:

Mail                  
Mesquite Soccer Association                    
Attn: International Clearance              
309 N. Galloway Ave

Mesquite, TX. 75149                           

Email

Karina Hernandez msa.registrar1@gmail.com

Please include player's name in the subject line

ITC Request Process

Any player over the age of 18 who has been previously registered to a club in another country cannot be registered to an affiliated club in the United States until U.S. Soccer has received an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) from the player's former association.

In order to initiate this process, the player should follow these steps:

1. Complete the ITC Request Form

   a. Please note the request will not be processed unless the entire document is fully completed and signed by the player.

2. Forward the form to the State Association.

Upon receipt of the completed form, U.S. Soccer will request the player's ITC from the national association with which the player was most recently registered. Once a response is received, U.S. Soccer will notify the State Association immediately via e-mail.

Per FIFA regulations, the foreign association has up to 30 days from the date the ITC was formally requested to respond, after which U.S. Soccer can issue a Provisional ITC to allow the player to be registered immediately.


Amateur Reinstatement

If a player holds professional status and wishes to register as an amateur with an amateur club in the U.S., the player will be need to go through the amateur reinstatement process before that registration can be approved. Per FIFA regulations, a player registered as a professional may not re-register as an amateur until at least 30 days after the player's last match as a professional. The player must also be out of contract at the time of application.

In order to complete this process, the player should follow these steps:

1. Complete the Amateur Reinstatement Form
2. Submit the form and $50 application fee to U.S. Soccer at the following address:

U.S. Soccer Federation
Attn:  Federation Services Department/Amateur Reinstatement
1801 South Prairie Avenue
Chicago, IL 60616

Once received, if FIFA requirements are met, U.S. Soccer will process the reinstatement and notify the player, club, league, and/or State Association.

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