International transfer
An international transfer is the movement of a player’s registration from one association to another.
The definition turns on associations, not on countries and not on where anyone lives. That distinction is what decides which rules apply.
An international transfer needs an international transfer certificate before the new association can register the player. It runs through TMS, where both clubs enter the deal and the entries must match. It engages the protection of minors regime, under which transfers are only permitted where the player is over 18 unless one of the listed exceptions applies.
A national transfer, the movement of a registration between two clubs within the same association, needs none of the first two and does not engage the third in the same way.
Getting the category right is the first question on any move, because it determines the paperwork, the timetable and, where a young player is involved, whether the move is permitted at all.
Worked example
A player moves between two clubs whose grounds are ninety minutes apart, but which are affiliated to different associations.
That is an international transfer. ITC, TMS, and if the player is 17, article 19.
Related terms
- National transferA national transfer is the movement of a player’s registration from one club to another within the same association.
- International transfer certificateAn international transfer certificate is the document the player’s former association sends to the new one, without which the new association cannot register the player at all.
- Transfer matching systemTMS is the system every international transfer passes through, in which both clubs enter the deal separately and the transfer only proceeds if the two entries match.