Figure Skating Permission to Test Form: Fields, Signers, Submission

The U.S. Figure Skating Permission to Test Form is a one-page document your home club signs to confirm you are a member in good standing and clear to test at another club’s session. Download it from the Members Only site, fill in your name, member number, home club, host club, and the type of event, then get a club officer to sign it and send the signed form to the host club’s test chair before their deadline.¹ Rule 4110 of the 2025–26 U.S. Figure Skating Rulebook requires this written permission any time you test at a club other than your home club, and without it the host club cannot put you on the ice.²

When the Form Is Required

You need the form any time you take a test, perform in a show or exhibition, or compete at a club that isn’t your home club. The form’s header covers tests, shows, exhibitions, ice shows, and competitions hosted by another organization.³ This comes up often when your home club doesn’t offer a test level during its scheduled sessions, or when you’re training at a rink in a different city and don’t want to wait.

One exception. Rule 4110 says written permission is not required when an agreement between the two clubs already waives it.² Clubs that share a rink or regularly co-host sessions sometimes have these standing arrangements. Ask your test chair whether yours does before going through the paperwork.

What to Fill In

The form certifies that a named skater is a member in good standing of a specific home club and is cleared to participate in a sanctioned event elsewhere. The fields are:³

Date the form is being completed.
Skater’s name as it appears in the U.S. Figure Skating system, plus member number. If you don’t know your number, look it up through the online portal using the email or phone linked to your account.
Full official name of your home club.
Event type: tests, shows and exhibitions, or competitions.
Test discipline lines for Moves in the Field, Free Skating, Dance, Pairs, and Figures, each with a space for the date you last tested in that discipline.
Name of the host club conducting the event.
Date through which the permission remains valid.
Return address where the host club should send your results.
Signature of a club officer, with the date signed.

Plan to bring a current U.S. Figure Skating registration card to the session as well. Rule 4001 requires every candidate to present one before taking any test.²

Who Signs It

The Rulebook names the test chair or a duly authorized representative of your home club as the person who grants or withholds written permission.² In practice, the club president or another board member can also sign if the test chair is unavailable, since the signature line on the form simply says “club officer.”⁴

A club officer can only withhold permission for two reasons: you have an outstanding financial obligation to the home club, or you don’t meet the qualifications to take the test under Section 4000 of the Rulebook.² If your dues are paid and you’ve met the prerequisites, the club cannot refuse to sign.

Give your test chair time. Reaching out at least two weeks before the host club’s registration deadline is a practical minimum; officers volunteer their time and may not turn things around overnight. An unsigned form will get you turned away at the session.

Getting the Form to the Host Club

Once signed, the form goes to the host club. Rule 4107 directs skaters who are members of other clubs to apply to the host club’s test chair for supervision of their tests and reporting of results to U.S. Figure Skating headquarters.² How you deliver it depends on the host club. Some accept an emailed scan or PDF upload during online registration; others want a signed paper copy brought to the rink on test day. Check the host club’s test session announcement or contact their test chair directly to confirm the format and the deadline.

Fill in the return address section before you send it. That’s how the host club knows where to send your results after the session.

Virtual Test Sessions

If you’re submitting a test by video rather than skating at an in-person session, the Permission to Test Form still applies when the hosting club isn’t your home club, and you sign a second document on top of it: the Performance Affidavit for Virtual Test Submission. Virtual tests must be held under the control of a member club and managed by a test chair or authorized representative; you cannot submit a video directly to a judge or to headquarters on your own.⁵

The Performance Affidavit requires signatures from four people: the skater, the coach, the videographer, and a proctor who was present on the day of the recording. Each signer provides their name, U.S. Figure Skating number (if applicable), email, phone number, and signature. The videographer and proctor do not need to be U.S. Figure Skating members.⁶ By signing, everyone certifies that the recording was made on the stated date, that the performance was one continuous program, and that the video was not edited before submission.

The video has its own technical requirements. It must be recorded within 14 days of submission, shot in landscape mode, at least 720p resolution, and stable enough that the skater is clearly visible from head to toe throughout. Each video must open with a virtual test placard showing the skater’s information, followed by the date and time displayed on a mobile phone. A missing placard or timestamp will get the video rejected outright. Videos recorded at competitions, exhibitions, or ice shows are not eligible for virtual test submission.⁵

1
U.S. Figure Skating. Rulebook and Bylaws
2
U.S. Figure Skating. 2025-26 U.S. Figure Skating Rulebook
3
U.S. Figure Skating. U.S. Figure Skating Permission Form
4
U.S. Figure Skating. U.S. Figure Skating Permission Form
5
U.S. Figure Skating. Virtual Testing Handbook
6
U.S. Figure Skating. Performance Affidavit for Virtual Test Submission