Competing in National level classes/competitions outside the USA

A US athlete who wishes to compete in National level classes/competitions outside the USA must be a US citizen, be a current US Equestrian member in good standing, and have completed the National Permission Questionnaire.

*Athletes competing at national competitions in Canada and Mexico do not need to get a letter of National Permission.

To submit a National Permission Questionnaire

• Sign in to your MY USEF account or create one.
• Select the Athlete Dashboard blue tile.
• Select the National Permission Questionnaire blue tile.
• Complete the National Permission Questionnaire.
• You will receive a letter of permission within 48 business hours and a letter will also be sent to the foreign National Federation.

*New FEI Invitation System*

Athletes seeking invitations to CSI competitions, and are on the Longines FEI Show Jumping Ranking list, will need to utilize the New FEI Invitation System by logging onto your FEI Sport App or to http://invitation.fei.org in order to select the competitions that you wish to be invited to by ranking.

In the Invitation System, athletes choose which competitions they would like to receive an invitation from:

• Athletes can choose up to 5 competitions for a given week
• Competitions can be listed in order of priority for all competitions where the CSI Invitation Rules apply
• Corresponding Applications to Compete Abroad or Declarations for US competitions should be submitted to USEF when selections are submitted through the FEI Invitations System.

The Timeline from Request to an Invitation:

8-5 weeks prior to the week of the competition Athletes select the competitions where they wish to receive an invitation

• Athletes have these 4 weeks to make, edit and/or change their choices for a given week.
  • Any time during this timeframe athletes can make, edit and/or change their choices through their FEI Sport Manager App or https://invitation.fei.org.
  • Athletes can add horses or indicate the number of horses they wish to take by adding Horse Slots to their wish.

4 weeks prior to the week of the event USEF will confirm the athletes selections

• Athletes must have submitted an application to compete abroad or a declaration for a national FEI competition
• USEF can add and/or change athletes selection upon written request, or the receipt of an applicable application to compete aboard.

3 weeks prior to the week of the event Invitations will be distributed to athletes

• Entries will automatically become accepted entries with the designated horses or Horse Slots indicated on the wish.

Applications and Fees

To submit an Application to Compete Abroad

• Sign into your My USEF account or create one.
• Select the Athlete Dashboard blue tile.
• Select the FEI Entry blue tile.
• Select the International Application button.
• Complete the application by selecting your discipline, month of the competition and then finally the desired competition where you wish to compete.
  • If you have not already added horses to your account, you will need to do so:
    • Horses can be added by either their USEF number or an FEI number.
• Withdrawal Procedures (effective Jan. 1, 2013)

Fees

The fee per application is $75, or you can pay a one-time fee with your first application of the year of $750.  This one-time fee covers your applications for the year.

• Prepaid Annual Application Fee to Compete in FEI Competitions Outside the USA

If an application is submitted within 14 days or less from the start of a competition there will be an Urgency fee added of $75.  The one-time yearly fee does not cover any Urgency fees incurred.

• Urgency Fee Policy

Criteria to Compete Outside the USA

Review the Criteria to Compete Abroad- Show Jumping before submitting an application.  In some cases, athletes will need to submit a waiver in order to compete at certain levels in foreign competitions.  Check your Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking to help determine if a waiver is necessary.

• Rolex / USEF Show Jumping Ranking List 

Useful Information & Links

• USEF Rule Books
• Mandatory FEI Horse and Rider Registration (FEI Article 113)
• FEI Clean Sport Website
• Search for an FEI competition (calendar on the FEI's website)
• Verify FEI Horse and Rider Registration (on the FEI's website)
• FEI Sports Nationality Rules
• FEI General Rules and Regulations
• FEI Rules for Jumping (on FEI's website)
• FEI Rolex Rankings and Rules

Athlete Services Contact Information

For inquiries send an email to [email protected].