Do I need an International Transfer Certificate to register?

Yes, if you came to Canada on or after turning 10, or you last played for a team in a foreign country. You must request and receive an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) before you can be registered to play in official OPL competition (section 4.6 of the 2026 manual).

• Process: international transfers of all professional players, and of amateur players under 18, go through the FIFA Transfer Matching System (TMS). Amateurs aged 18 and over go through the manual ITC system.
• Registration: the OPL Registrar will terminate your registration if you do not provide proof of international clearance when it is required.
• Deadline: the OPL approves a registration needing an ITC only if Canada Soccer has approved the ITC and the OPL receives confirmation by the roster freeze date.
• Minors (10 to 17): under FIFA's Article 19, an ITC request is accepted only if the player's parents moved to Canada for reasons other than soccer, or the player lives no more than 50 km from a national border, the distance between the player's home and the team's headquarters is no more than 100 km, the player continues to live at home and both associations explicitly consent. The same conditions apply to a minor never registered for a club who is not a national of the country where they want to register. Canada Soccer processes ITC requests for minors through FIFA TMS.