Article 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players generally permits international transfers only for players aged at least 18. Any exception must meet the regulatory conditions.

Learn the exact exceptions and conditions from the official edition used for your exam. A plausible-sounding exception may still be wrong.

Exceptions and conditions

  1. The parents move to the new club's country for reasons unrelated to football. The move must be real and independent of the sporting project.
  2. The player is aged 16 to 18 and the transfer is within the European Union or European Economic Area, or between associations in the same country. The new club must meet enhanced requirements for football training, academic or vocational education, accommodation and supervision, and provide evidence to the association.
  3. The 50-kilometre rule. The player lives within 50 km of a border and the club is within 50 km of the same border, with no more than 100 km between home and club. The player must continue to live with their parents and both associations must explicitly consent.
  4. Refugees or recognised protected persons. Registration may be permitted with a professional or purely amateur club under the relevant conditions, with subsequent domestic transfers governed by the regulations.
  5. Asylum seekers or recognised vulnerable persons. Registration is restricted to a purely amateur club under the relevant conditions; professional registration before 18 is not permitted through this route.

The wider scope

Article 19 also covers first registrations of players whose nationality differs from that of the association's country when they have not lived there continuously for the preceding five years. This is frequently tested.

Prior approval

For minors aged at least ten, prior approval by the competent FIFA body is generally required, subject to the applicable rules and authorised exemptions. Check the official procedure before proceeding.

What this means for an African agent

Youth transfers from Africa to Europe must comply with this article. Promising a family a move prohibited by the regulations exposes both the family and agent to risk. The course's module 6 covers the full child safeguarding framework.