Outside of the January and summer transfer windows, clubs can still make transfers and loans in cases of emergency (eg. extraordinary number of injuries or no available goalkeeper) if permission is granted from the league.
Free Agents
Out-of-contract players can be signed even when the transfer window is closed, providing they were not under contract when the transfer window was last open.
Football League
Football League clubs can make loan signings a week after the January transfer window shuts until the traditional transfer deadline on the last Thursday in March, and a week after the August transfer window shuts until the second to last Thursday in November. These loan windows do not apply to the Premier League.
For the benefit of Football League clubs, the following table can be used as a guide to see when transfers can be made. Certain dates may vary, such as when the last day in January or August is not a working day, the close of the loan window (usually the second to last Thursday in March) and the traditional transfer deadline day (usually the last Thursday in March):
| Period | Transfers allowed |
| 01/01 - 31/01 (midnight) | All transfers/loans |
| 01/02 - 07/02 | Emergency loans only |
| 08/02 - 26/03 (5pm) | Loans |
| 26/03 - End of season (midnight) | Emergency loans only |
| End of season - 31/08 (midnight) | All transfers/loans |
| 01/09 - 07/09 | Emergency loans only |
| 08/09 - 20/11 (5pm) | Loans |
| 20/11 - 31/12 (midnight) | Emergency loans only |
Non-League
Transfer windows do not apply at all to clubs beneath Blue Square Premier level.