Football agents

In late 2022, FIFA adopted new regulations for football agents, the FIFA Football Agent Regulations (FFAR). These new regulations took full effect on 1 October 2023.

A football agent is a natural person who has obtained a licence from FIFA in accordance with the provisions of the FIFA Football Agent Regulations, which entitles them to perform the Football Agent Services described in these FIFA regulations.

License

Under the new FIFA regulations, persons wishing to perform services as a football agent (known as Football Agent Services) must have a licence issued by FIFA. To qualify for this licence, they must pass an examination. This examination will be held twice (in May and November) in both 2024 and 2025. Starting in 2026, the examination will be held once a year in May.

The FIFA Football Agent Regulations govern the representation agreements with an international dimension and/or acts involving international transfers or international transactions. The term 'international dimension' is defined in the FIFA Football Agent Regulations. It also defines the term 'transaction'.

More information More information about the aforementioned FIFA regulations regarding football agents can be found on the FIFA website.

A list of persons who are holding a licence issued by FIFA can be found here.

National regulations

As stipulated in the FIFA Football Agent Regulations, the KNVB has adopted national regulations for football agents, the Football Agents Regulations. These regulations came into force on 1 October 2023, and the Intermediaries Regulations were abolished as of the same date.

Under the Football Agents Regulations, members of the KNVB may, in negotiations regarding the conclusion of:
a.       employment contracts between (assistant) trainer-coaches and a Dutch club;
b.       player contracts with a Dutch club; and/or
c.       agreements regarding the transfer of players to a Dutch club,
that do not have an international dimension and/or are not related to an international transfer or transaction within the meaning of the FIFA Football Agent Regulations, have themselves represented only by football agents (who hold a licence issued by FIFA) registered by the KNVB.

Registration of football agents

A football agent who wishes to represent members of the KNVB in the conclusion of the contracts/agreements referred to above under a., b. and/or c. may register as a football agent with the KNVB at any time.

Each registration is in principle indefinite. The KNVB does not charge the football agent for the registration.
To be registered, a fully completed and signed football agent statement must be uploaded on the KNVB's football agents portal.

Football agents portal

The KNVB has launched a portal for football agents. On this portal, the football agent will find all the necessary information. The football agent statement can also be downloaded here. 

The portal is a secure Microsoft environment in the Cloud. Only authenticated users are granted access to this portal. They are invited by the KNVB to use this portal (subject to privacy laws).

If you want to register, you can send a request for a link to the portal for football agents to voetbalagenten@knvb.nl. You will then receive the link to the portal via email. This link gives you access to the portal and you can submit your application for registration.

Football agents

Please send an email if you have any questions or to request a link to the portal.

• voetbalagenten@knvb.nl

Publication

As from 1 October 2023, the KNVB keeps a register of football agents registered with the KNVB. In addition, the KNVB publishes the total amount that every Dutch club has paid that year to registered football agents.

Disciplinary bodies

Registered football agents are bound by the Articles of Association and/or regulations of the KNVB, UEFA and/or FIFA and/or decisions of one or more of their bodies and are subject to the jurisdiction of KNVB bodies, including disciplinary bodies and the Court of Arbitration.