The League of Legends Association of Chinese Esports (L.ACE) has announced the official offseason transfer window for the LPL and LSPL will take place from Nov. 22 to Dec. 18. The announcement states that this year, all foreign players will be required to have a business or work visa registered with L.ACE.

Unlike other regions, China has a designated transfer period when teams are allowed to negotiate for players. Outside that period, teams are prohibited from approaching contracted players. In the rare case that a mutually agreed-upon trade happens outside the transfer window, the players will typically be temporarily suspended from playing in the LPL or LSPL.

This year, L.ACE have included a clause that explicitly requires LPL and LSPL teams to register business or work visas for players from other regions. The region has had problems with players not having proper visas or residency status in the past, particularly in the LSPL promotion tournament. Three teams were disqualified from the promotion tournament last winter for not having proper paperwork, and additional teams have been disqualified prior to the event this winter.

L.ACE appears to be taking a new hard line on documentation of foreign players in the LPL and LSPL. Chinese work visas are notoriously difficult to acquire, so the coming year may see more visa-related controversy in the region.

Kelsey Moser is a staff writer for theScore esports. You can follow her on Twitter.