How does a player get clearance to play overseas, or to join us from another country?

Moves between SA Rugby and another national union use SA Rugby's International Player Clearance form (October 2026), issued under World Rugby Regulation 4 (Player Status, Player Contracts and Player Movement).

Leaving South Africa:

1. The player completes Section A: personal details, current province, the union they are eligible to play internationals for, the highest level played in South Africa, the new union and club, contract end date, release and return dates, and (for contract players) rest periods in the previous 12 months.
2. The clearance is then endorsed in turn by the current province, SA Rugby, the union the player is eligible to play international rugby for, and the new union.

SA Rugby declares that the player is not suspended for more than five weeks (including any doping offence), with any current suspension applying in the new union, and that a contract player has no outstanding contract obligations. If the player signs a contract with the new club or union, SA Rugby may claim a development fee.

Joining from overseas: the player's current union issues the clearance under the same World Rugby Regulation 4 process, and the player must be cleared before being registered here. Foreign players must also comply with South African immigration law.