A newer edition of this regulation is available: January 2027

Football·International Regulations·FIFA

FIFA RSTP-2018 Jan

SupersededJanuary 2018
Adopted
2017/10/27
In force from
2018/01/01
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The January 2018 edition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, approved on 27 October 2017 and in force from 1 January 2018; the first edition to bring provisions specific to women's football into the text, and the first approved by the FIFA Council (successor to the Executive Committee).

Approval27 October 2017 — FIFA Council
In force from1 January 2018
Structure29 articles + 7 annexes
StatusSuperseded — replaced by the June 2018 edition

What is the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players?

The FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) determine the binding global framework for the registration of players, their amateur or professional status, transfers between clubs affiliated to different associations, contractual stability, the protection of minors, and the mechanisms of training compensation and solidarity contribution. Certain provisions of these regulations must be incorporated without modification into the internal rules of every national association.

About the January 2018 editionChanges from the 2016 edition

This edition was approved on 27 October 2017 and entered into force on 1 January 2018. A significant structural point is that, for the first time in this family of instruments, the approving body is the FIFA Council rather than the FIFA Executive Committee — reflecting the FIFA governance reforms that replaced the Executive Committee with the Council.

Key changes from the previous edition

  1. Women's football enters the text of the regulationsTwo express provisions were added: associations may set different registration periods for men's and women's competitions, and "the principles of training compensation do not apply to women's football".
  2. Separate recording of the calendar in TMSIt was provided that the start and end dates of the registration periods and of the season, where they differ between male and female players, are to be recorded separately in TMS.
  3. Transfer of TMS oversight from the subsidiary company to a FIFA departmentThe power to investigate breaches of Annexe 3 was transferred from "FIFA TMS GmbH" to the "relevant TMS department", and the power of that department to open proceedings for breaches on its own initiative was made express.
  4. Obligation to keep club contact details up to dateClubs became obliged to keep their address, telephone number and email address valid and up to date at all times; a requirement linked to the notification procedure in the Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players' Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber.
  5. Provisional registration where an ITC request goes unansweredIt was provided that if the new association receives no response to a request for an International Transfer Certificate within 15 days, it is to register the professional provisionally without delay.

Who this document matters to

For clubs engaged in international transfers, players and coaches under contract with a foreign club, agents and sports lawyers, this document is the principal basis for the legal assessment of a case. In any dispute, the edition of the regulations in force at the time the event occurred is the applicable one; for that reason, access to the text of earlier editions has practical importance for past cases.