FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players
http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/administration/playersagents/regulationstatustransfertsplayers.html

VI. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS INVOLVING MINORS

Article 19 Protection of minors
1. International transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18.
2. The following three exceptions to this rule apply:
a) The player’s parents move to the country in which the new club is located for reasons not linked to football;
b) The transfer takes place within the territory of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) and the player
is aged between 16 and 18. In this case, the new club must fulfil the following minimum obligations:
i) It shall provide the player with an adequate football education
and/or training in line with the highest national standards.
ii) It shall guarantee the player an academic and/or school and/or vocational education and/or training, in addition to his football education and/or training, which will allow the player to pursue a career other than football should he cease playing professional football.
iii) It shall make all necessary arrangements to ensure that the player is looked after in the best possible way (optimum
living standards with a host family or in club accommodation, appointment of a mentor at the club, etc.).
iv) It shall, on registration of such a player, provide the relevant association with proof that it is complying with the
aforementioned obligations;
c) The player lives no further than 50km from a national border and the club with which the player wishes to be registered in the neighbouring association is also within 50km of that border. The maximum distance between the player’s domicile and the club’s headquarters shall be 100km. In such cases, the player must continue to live at home and the two associations concerned must give their explicit consent.

European Union (EU)
http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/index_en.htm

JANUARY 2009