ITC request and art. 6 of the Regulations

Requesting an ITC

When the transfer is in “Awaiting ITC request” status, the new association will be able to request through TMS that the former association deliver an ITC for the player.

The ITC request procedure must be carried out at the appropriate time. If the association attempts to request an ITC outside of its registration period, the transfer will go into validation exception status, unless the exceptions in art. 6 of the RSTP apply (see “Validation issues”).

1. the reason for the termination of the player’s employment contract with the former club entered in ITMS by your affiliated club matches the reason given in the POLCED;
2. the date of the termination of the player’s employment contract with the former club entered in ITMS by your affiliated club matches the date given in the POLCED; and
3. the POLCED is signed.

To request an ITC, search for the transfer and click on “Update ITC details”.

Once you have verified the transfer information and you are ready to request the ITC, scroll to the bottom of the transfer summary and click on “Request ITC”.

If necessary, enter any optional remarks in the corresponding box and click on “Request ITC”. The ITC request must be completed within your defined registration period, unless an exception to the rule in article 6, paragraph 3(b) of the Regulations applies. The system informs you if your registration period is currently open.

Once you have requested the ITC, the transfer status will change to “Awaiting ITC delivery”.

If your association attempts to request an ITC outside of its registration period, the transfer will go into validation exception status, unless the exceptions in art. 6 of the RSTP apply.

If you want to proceed with the transfer, you may request the intervention of the FIFA Disputes & Regulatory Applications Department via TMS by clicking on “Request intervention” and uploading an official request to override the validation exception outlining the exceptional circumstances that may justify the override (see “Requesting the intervention on a transfer”).

Art. 6 of the RSTP and how it applies

Article 6, paragraph 1 of the RSTP states that players may only be registered during one of the two annual registration periods set by the new association. Consequently, the ITC must be requested by the new association during these registration periods.

There is, however, an exception to this rule, which applies to professional players only. Under article 6, paragraph 3(b) of the RSTP, a player who was registered as a professional with their former club may be registered by a new association outside its own registration periods without the intervention of the Disputes & Regulatory Applications Department only if both of the following conditions are met:

1. The reason declared in TMS for the termination of the contract with the former club is either: “The contract with the former club has expired” or “The player and their former club mutually agreed on an early termination of the employment contract between them”; and
2. The date of termination of the player’s employment contract with their former club is before the end of the new association’s last registration period.

The POLCED uploaded in ITMS by the new club must confirm that one of the situations above is applicable.

Additional cases

The RSTP outlines four other cases in which Member Associations are authorised to register players outside a registration period:

1. A professional who has unilaterally terminated their contract with just cause, or whose contract has been unilaterally terminated without just cause by their club, may be registered outside a registration period. Upon receipt of the ITC request, the FIFA general secretariat shall expeditiously assess on a prima facie basis whether the unilateral termination occurred with or without just cause and permit or deny the registration accordingly. Such prima facie assessment is without prejudice to a decision of the Football Tribunal about the consequences of the termination of contract.
2. A female player may be registered outside a registration period to temporarily replace another female player who has taken maternity leave. The period of the contract of the temporary replacement player shall, unless otherwise mutually agreed, be from the date of registration until the day prior to the start of the first registration period after the return of the female player who has taken maternity leave.
3. A female player may be registered outside a registration period upon completion of her maternity leave (cf. art. 18 par. 7 and article 18quater) subject to her contractual status.
4. A professional whose contract has expired or been terminated as a result of COVID-19 has the right to be registered outside a registration period, regardless of the date of expiry or termination.

If your Member Association wishes to register a professional player under one of these exceptions, and the transfer goes into validation exception status when requesting the ITC, your Member Association may request an override of the validation exception via TMS (see “Requesting intervention on a transfer”).

For more information on how these exceptions apply and how to fulfil the relevant conditions, contact the Disputes & Regulatory Applications Department at regulatory@fifa.org.