Transfers

Submitting a Transfer

Membership coordinators can submit transfer requests through a digital form within their My USMS account. Once submitted, the request will be sent to the National Office for review and changes should appear within 2 business days.

This video tutorial will walk you through the current process for submitting a transfer, and below are important things to note:

Confirm the member has not competed for a club within the past 60 days.
- Review meet results (if any) on their public swimmer info page, a link can be found on the member's record in ESTHER.
- Ask the swimmer what the last day on which they competed for their former club was via email.
- Request the member complete an Application for Transfer of Club Membership form.
Transfers may not be entered with an effective date that is in the future. This is because transfers are dependent upon the member having not competed for his current club during the past 60 days, per Article 201.3.5 of the USMS Rule Book.
If a member registers in your LMSC but makes a mistake and selects the wrong club in your LMSC, you may correct the member’s club affiliation by submitting a transfer. If the member registered in the wrong LMSC, contact the National Office.
Membership reports for your LMSC will no longer include members who have transferred out of your LMSC. But the admin tools system, ESTHER, will contain a transfer transaction in the member’s record, including the date of transfer.

A member can contact either the National Office or the membership coordinator of the LMSC in which the new club is located to request the transfer.

Member FAQs

Answer: You will need to transfer to your new LMSC and club. Start by contacting either the National Office or the LMSC membership coordinator for your new LMSC, who can provide guidance on your transfer request.

Contact the LMSC membership coordinator for the LMSC you wish to transfer into. A list of membership coordinators is available here.

Contact either the National Office or your LMSC membership coordinator, who can provide guidance on your transfer request.

Example: Today is March 8 and I am a member of Club ABC. I swam in a meet yesterday, representing Club ABC. I want to swim in a meet in May but I want to represent my friend’s club, XYZ. How do I do that?

Because you swam in a meet representing Club ABC on March 7, you won’t be eligible to transfer to Club XYZ until May 7. Sometime before May 7 you’ll need to contact either the National Office or the membership coordinator of LMSC where club XYZ is registered. Note that you should not swim in any meets now with your old club. If you intend to swim in any meets before May 7, it should be as unattached.

Example: Today is June 5 and I am a member of Club ABC. I want to swim in the USMS Summer Nationals meet, which begins on August 9, but I want to represent my friend’s club, XYZ. The entry deadline for the meet is July 4. I can’t transfer to club XYZ by July 4 because I swam in a meet on June 1 where I represented Club ABC. How can I enter Nationals and swim for club XYZ?

As long as the effective transfer date is before the first day of the USMS Summer Nationals meet, enter with club XYZ. Initially, your entry will appear on the “unverified list” (because your entry does not match with what is listed in your member record). Once the transfer has been processed, your entry will be verified. Note that you should not swim in any meets now with your old club. If you intend to swim in any meets before Summer Nationals, it should be as unattached.

Example: I am currently a member of Club ABC and I swam in a meet yesterday representing that club. I want to transfer to Club XYZ a couple of months from now, but I want to swim in some meets during my 60-day waiting period. How can I do that?

So that you do not jeopardize the 60 day waiting period, it is highly recommended that you contact either the National Office or your LMSC membership coordinator and have them update your member record to Unattached (unaffiliated with a program). If for whatever reason you do not have your member record updated (meaning it is still showing your club as ABC), you must enter any meet during the 60 day waiting period as Unattached (UCxx) and be sure that the meet results also show your club affiliation as Unattached (UCxx), sometimes abbreviated in meet software as UNAT.

Example: Today is November 10, 2022, and I am a member of Club ABC. My 2022 membership runs through December 31, 2022. For 2023 I want to register with Club XYZ. Can I go ahead and renew my 2023 USMS membership now, joining XYZ, but still represent Club ABC at a meet in December under my 2022 membership?

Answer: No.

Per Article 201.3.1, “There shall be only one USMS membership per individual permitted at any time.” If you renew for 2023 between November 1st and December 31st 2022 with club XYZ, your 2022 membership and club affiliation is with club XYZ from that date forward.

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