Table of contents
Introduction
This instruction type applies to the transfer of players who will be registered as professionals with the new club, domestically or internationally.
The section “International and domestic transfers: scope” contains an overview of all the different transfer instruction types. Ensure that you select the correct instruction type before you enter the transfer.
The transfer agreement information must be entered in ITMS as accurately as possible, and the mandatory documents must be uploaded by both clubs. For more information on the mandatory documents, see the section “Transfer documents in TMS: mandatory documents, upload rules and evidence”. The information provided by both clubs must match in order for the transfer to proceed to the next stage. For more information on this topic, see the section “Matching process and matching exception”.
Creating the instruction
To enter an instruction, navigate to the “Transfers > Overview” tab, click “Engage player” and select “Permanently” under either the International or Domestic categories.
“Players & Clubs” section
Player
The details of the player involved in the transfer must be disclosed. To do this, search for the player you wish to engage by entering their name, nationality, date of birth and/or player ID. If the player is in the TMS database, their name appears in the drop-down list.
If the player is not in the TMS database, you can expand the search across Connect ID, which includes player records from the National Registration System (NRS) of all Member Associations. Ensure that the player details entered match the player’s proof of identity exactly. For more information on how to search for, create and edit players, see the section “Searching for players in TMS”.
If you create a new player, the former association must first confirm their identity details before the transfer can proceed. For more information on this topic, see the section “Player confirmation”.
The player’s proof of identity must be uploaded by clicking on “Drop files to attach or click to browse”. Ensure that the document being uploaded complies with the requirements set out in the transfer document guidelines. Failure to upload a document in compliance with these requirements will constitute a breach of the Regulations.
New club
As you are engaging the player, your club will automatically be selected as the player’s new club.
Former club
When engaging a player with a transfer agreement, the new club must answer “Yes” to the question below. If you decide to select “No”, please refer to the section “Engage player permanently without transfer agreement (out of contract)”.
To avoid duplicate club records, search thoroughly for the club in the “Stakeholders” tab in TMS before creating a club in the transfer. For more information on how to search for and view club details, see the section entitled “Searching and viewing club details”.
"Employment" section
Fill out all fields relating to the player’s employment contract accurately. For more information on how to use the player’s salary calculator, see the section “Total fixed remuneration calculator”.
Then upload the player’s complete employment contract. All pages of the employment contract must be uploaded, including all annexes and amendments. As there is a maximum limit of 10 MB per document, it is possible to add the document in separate uploads.
Please ensure that the document being uploaded complies with the requirements set out in the “Transfer document guidelines”. Please note that failure to upload a document in compliance with these requirements will constitute a breach of the Regulations.
"Football Agents" section
If your club or the player have an agent representing them in relation to this transfer, this information must be entered in TMS by clicking “Yes”. You will then be required to declare the agent information within the transfer. Please see the section "Declaring agent information”.
“Payments & TPO” section
If the transfer includes any fixed transfer fee, conditional transfer fee and/or sell-on fee payments, select “Yes” to the payment question under the “Payments” tab. If it does not, select “No”.
If you click “Yes”, enter the payment details accordingly, i.e. the currency in which the payment will be made, the payment amount, details of instalments (if any), the payment recipient (if different from the former club), any optional remarks and your club’s banking details. For more information on how to declare the payments within a transfer instruction, see the section “Club-to-club payments within the transfer instruction“.
Note: for additional information related to the declaration of transfer compensation and the related training rewards, please review the clarifications communicated by the FIFA Clearing House on 30 January 2023.
Declaration on third-party payments and influence on clubs
Prior to confirming the transfer, you must, on behalf of your club, either declare “Yes” or “No” to the declaration on third-party influence on clubs. For more information on this topic, see the section “Third-party influence”.
Failure to provide mandatory information or entering incorrect information in ITMS is an offence subject to the Administrative sanction procedure (ASP).
Declaration on third-party ownership of player’s economic rights
Prior to confirming the transfer, you must, on behalf of your club, either declare “Yes” or ”No” to the declaration on third party ownership (TPO) of a player’s economic rights.
For more information on this topic, see the section “Third-party ownership”.
Training rewards waiver
This section is optional. If a club has waived its right to receive training rewards, you may upload any relevant supporting documentation.
Confirmation
Once you have entered all the necessary details in the instruction and have uploaded all the mandatory documents, you may either confirm the transfer or save as draft to come back later. If you choose to save as draft, the status of the transfer will change to “Pending” until it is confirmed.
Certify that all the information is true and correct by clicking on the relevant box, and once you are certain that everything is in order, click on “Confirm transfer”.
Once you have confirmed the instruction, the transfer status will change to “Awaiting counter instruction”.
If the counter club has already entered a matching instruction, the status of the transfer will be either “Awaiting confirmation of player” or “Awaiting ITC request”.
If the transfer remains in “Awaiting counter instruction” status or if the transfer changes its status to “Matching exception”, contact the counter club directly to resolve the mismatch. For more information on this topic, see the section “Matching process and matching exception”.