What is an International Transfer Certificate and what does it mean for footballers?

An International Transfer Certificate, commonly referred to in football as an ITC, is a certificate provided from one national association to another in order to facilitate the transfer of a player between different countries.

Since the European Court of Justice’s Lassana Diarra ruling, the ITC has been brought into further scrutiny; before the ruling football clubs could object to the registration of a player with a new club, but FIFA’s recent rules have simplified the process and offer more protection for players. In essence, the player’s old club and/or federation does not have any possibility to reject the ITC.

In addition, it is crucial to remind all players that a contract is valid even if the ITC has not been requested, and that subjecting the validity of a contract to the reception of the ITC is contrary to the FIFA Regulations – even if a contract has such a clause inserted in it, it will not affect the contract’s validity.

The below explainer is designed to help players better understand their rights when moving club.

Registration for unemployed players with a new club

As an unemployed player it may happen that when a new club in another country wants to sign you, they will request the following documents:

1. A release letter from your old club.
   
   
2. A Third-Party Ownership (TPO) declaration from your old club.
   
   
3. A decision or letter from FIFA that you are a ‘free player’.

The above-mentioned documents are not mandatory or necessary for your new club to sign and register you. It can happen that your old club does not want to cooperate with the registration for your new club, because, for example:

• Your old club only wants to cooperate if you sign an agreement giving up salaries.
  
  
• Your old club thinks they can still get compensation for you.
  
  
• And, in case of unilateral termination, your old club “does not accept” the termination and wants you to stay. Remember: the club has no right to accept or deny a termination. A termination ends a contract, regardless of whether this is done with or without just cause.

None of the above reasons can stop you as an unemployed player from signing with another club in a different country. FIFA has put in place a process that the registration with your new club is not dependent on the willingness of your old club to accept the registration with your new club.

What are the mandatory documents to be registered when moving club?

For your new club to register you, the new club shall enter in the FIFA Transfer Matching System (TMS) the following documents:

• The employment contract signed between you and the new club.
  
  
• A copy of proof of your identity (i.e. passport).
  
  
• Proof of the end of your contractual relationship with your old club. This can be any of the following:

1. Copy of the signed employment contract with your old club (which shows the contract already expired).
2. Copy of the termination letter (in case you or the club have terminated the contract unilaterally before its expiry date).
3. Copy of a signed settlement / termination agreement (in case the club and you have agreed to a settlement, putting an end to the contract).

Can players request their own ITC?

When your new club wants to register you, it must start by declaring your transfer in FIFA TMS. When doing so, your new club will declare the salary you agreed upon and upload a copy of your employment contract, a copy of your passport or ID, and a proof of the end of your contractual relationship with your old club.

For your registration to be completed, the new association must request the ITC. The ITC request can only be done by the association of the new club. This means that players cannot request their own ITC.

The new club can therefore also not ask you to arrange your own ITC. No one can ask you to pay a fee for the ITC to be requested or delivered. In addition, when your new club has signed a contract with you, it is obliged to enter the transfer in FIFA TMS so that the new association can request the ITC.