The summer transfer window in the Championship will close at the same time as the Premier League in major changes announced on Thursday.
The amended transfer window rules, which were agreed at an extraordinary general meeting on Thursday, will see the EFL operating with a split window between the leagues.
Teams in the second tier will have to complete all loan or permanent signings by 5pm on Thursday, August 8 while League One and League Two will still have until August 31 to conclude deals.
Last season all 72 EFL sides had until 31 August to sign players on loan but now Championship clubs will have to get all their business done by August 8.
Bristol City completed the majority of their business early last summer with five of their seven permanent signings brought in by the first week in July and only goalkeeper Niki Maenpaa and loan duo Tomas Kalas and Jay Dasilva added in August.
A statement from the EFL read: “The deadline for Championship Clubs for all incoming permanent and loan registrations closes at 5pm on the Thursday prior to the commencement of the Premier League season.
"A deadline of 31 August for League One and League Two Clubs for all permanent and loan registrations, thereby providing increased flexibility in relation to trading between Clubs in those two divisions."
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EFL Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey, said: "I’m pleased that the matter has been determined and thereby ensuring Clubs have sufficient time to prepare ahead of the summer transfer window opening in June.
"It is right that Clubs were given the opportunity to determine the direction of travel in order to come to a decision that benefitted their own individual transfer policies."
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