ANNUAL REGISTRATION AND CLEARANCE REQUEST OVERVIEW

PLAYER STATUS DEPARTMENT

The U.S. Soccer Player Status Department ensures the processes and requirements involving player eligibility and registration are adhered by all organization members. U.S. Soccer Bylaws and Policies and the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) outline the rules and regulations regarding player eligibility - minor, amateur and professional – and the processes to participate in U.S. Soccer affiliated clubs and leagues.

The annual registration process and clearance requests outlined on this page apply specifically to players wishing to register for affiliated clubs/leagues solely based in the United States, regardless of player’s nationality.

Players wishing to participate in clubs/leagues outside the United States should contact the local Member Association (MA) / Federation to inquire about the processes and forms required to register and request clearances locally. The international clearance requirements are the same as these are regulated by the FIFA RSTP. A list of FIFA Member Associations can be found HERE.

ANNUAL PLAYER REGISTRATION

All organization members of U.S. Soccer are required to register players annually as outlined in USSF Bylaw 212, section 1(4) (B). The initial registration of the player generates a FIFA Player ID. This is the unique number which identifies the player throughout their soccer career – both domestically and internationally - from grassroots to amateur to professional.

DEFINITION | COMPLETE REGISTRATION

The FIFA RSTP defines a player registration record as: the act of making a written/electronic record containing details of a player that include:

• Start date of the registration
• Player full name
• Player Date of birth
• Player Gender
• Player Country of birth
• Registering Club name and FIFA club ID
• Registering Club Status - amateur or a professional
• Type of soccer – eleven-a-side | futsal | beach

Complete player registration records provide current and accurate player information which facilitate the processing of clearances and aligns with requirements as outlined in FIFA and U.S. Soccer policies. Failure to annually send complete registrations can lead to possible fines and/or sanctions from FIFA and U.S. Soccer.

PLAYER CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

In accordance with FIFA RSTP, the clearance process is required when a player over the age of 10 is attempting to register with an affiliated club/league in the United States, regardless of that player's soccer ability. It is the responsibility of the registering club to verify a player’s registration history in order to ascertain whether a clearance may be required. A determination is made by the registering club personnel on which type of clearance the player requires based on the below listed criteria:

• INTERNATIONAL CLEARANCE TRANSFER (ITC) - Player (adult or minor) of any nationality who has previously been registered with a club affiliated to one federation and now wishes to be registered with a club affiliated to the United States.
• FIRST REGISTRATION - Player (adult or minor) who has never previously been registered with a club and is not a national of the country in which they wish to be registered for the first time.

FIFA imposed a general ban on the international transfer of minor players (age 10-17). Despite the ban, FIFA has identified a few exceptions which minors can apply for an International Transfer Certificate or First Registration. For more information on minor exception applications please refer to the Protection of Minors – Guide to Submitting a Minor Application published by FIFA.

CLEARANCE PROCESS

The steps for a club to request a clearance for a registered player which meets one of the above stated clearance criteria is outlined below:.

1. The registering club must submit the appropriate clearance form along with the required documents to the Player Status Department for review and processing.

a. Clubs are responsible to ensure the player is cleared and eligible to activate for affiliated competition

b. A player(s) activation prior to obtaining the clearance will be considered ineligible.

c. The only permitted participation for a player awaiting clearance are

i. Pre-season scrimmages

ii. Team trainings

iii. Non-affiliated organized soccer matches/leagues.

2. The home association, U.S. Soccer, is responsible for requesting the clearance from the appropriate parties on behalf of the registering club for the requested player.

a. Player Status reviews the applications and notifies the applicant of application status

i. Application complete and moved to next step OR

ii. Application incomplete/inaccurate and withdrawn from process

b. The clearance is processed as required by the FIFA RSTP

c. Applicant is informed of player eligibility upon completion of process

Failure to request and obtain a clearance in accordance with the U.S. Soccer and the FIFA Regulations may lead to disciplinary sanctions being issued against U.S. Soccer, the relevant Member Association of U.S. Soccer, Club and/or the player. Should U.S. Soccer incur sanctions and or fines as a result of a member actions, these will be passed to the member.

GUIDE TO CLEARANCE FORM TYPES

The below chart lists the seven (7) clearance form types and the criteria for each type. The information is outlined to assist the club in selecting the appropriate form based on the players’ circumstance at the time of clearance submission. It is the responsibility of the club/league to determine which clearance is required for the player.

Each form can be downloaded and lists the specific required documents that must be submitted with the completed form to the Player Status Department when requesting a clearance. Club representatives are required to complete the Club information section of the form.

INSTRUCTIONS

To ensure the timely processing of all clearance applications the following instructions must be adhered to:

• Submit completed forms and all required document(s) in ONE (1) email to – psd@ussoccer.org
  • Each document added separately to the ONE email and no larger than 5MB or less.
  • All submitted documents must be in PDF format
• Copy the required personnel, i.e. state registrar, league.
• Subject line must indicate - Clearance type being requested /Player Name/Club Name
• Information submitted is required to be accurate and complete
• Partially completed forms and/or applications missing documents will not be processed.
• Applications must be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to official start of club/league play
  • Submitting at least 30 days prior to the start of official club/league play does not guarantee the player will be eligible as process times vary based on clearance type requesting and information submitted.
• Electronic signature on the clearance forms is acceptable.

All clearance requests submitted will be acknowledged by the Player Status department with an automatic email response. The Player Status department will contact applicants to provide updates on applications when available and/or required.

Due to the high volume of applications received, Player Status will not respond to emails which solely request a status update of submitted application.