Example: When Atlant Mytishi wants to recruit Andreas Engqvist from the Montreal Canadiens, they take the ITC card and have the player and the Russian hockey federation sign it. After that they send it to Hockey Canada (as Montreal is in Canada) and HC checks with NHL Central Registry about the player's contractual status. If the player is not under a valid and binding contract, NHL CR gives HC the OK to sign the ITC. HC, if it is time pressure, scans the ITC and e-mails it as an attachment to the IIHF.

The very second the ITC arrives at the IIHF with all three signatures, the IIHF informs RHF/KHL/Atlant that the player is eligible to play. So the IIHF is never in a position to stall or delay anything.

In the regulations, it says that the outgoing federation has seven days to approve the ITC. The reason is that it sometimes it takes time to determine the players' contractual status or the player's old club must be given time to clear certain things, whether the player has honored all his obligations. If the outgoing federation does not approve within seven days, the IIHF immediately contacts the federation asking and asks for reason why. If the federation has no reason, the IIHF approves the transfer.

So when [Nail] Yakupov left for the CHL it was the other way around; Sarnia started the ITC process and Neftekhimik/Russian HF were given seven days to sign the ITC.