The lower threshold is clear: you must have completed 18 years of age. There is no upper limit.
The Text
Art. 8/1-a of the Press Card Regulation requires that the applicant has completed 18 years of age. The same rule appears in subparagraph (a) of the first paragraph of Additional Article 3 of Law No. 5187.
No Upper Limit - and a Lifetime Card
The Regulation sets no maximum age. On the contrary, it rewards long service with a card of its own. Under Art. 14, a permanent press card may be issued for life to media members with at least eighteen years of professional service and to information officers who have held a press card for at least eighteen years.
| Card type | Duration | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Post-linked press card | For as long as the post continues | Art. 10 |
| Free press card | 12 / 18 / 24 months, depending on the card previously held | Art. 13 |
| Permanent press card | For life | Art. 14 |
| Fixed-term press card | For foreign media members | Art. 11 |
| Temporary press card | For foreigners on short assignment | Art. 12 |
A Detail in the Permanent Card
Art. 14/4, added by Presidential Decision No. 8624 of 6/6/2024, clarifies how the period is counted: in calculating the eighteen years, at most twenty-four months of the total periods during which a free press card was held under Art. 13 are taken into account.
Age and Seniority Are Different Things
Age is only a threshold; what determines the card is seniority and professional activity. Under Art. 35 the Commission assesses the applicant's qualifications, professional work, published output, awards and the qualities of the media outlet they belong to.
Art. 28 also requires a document evidencing at least six months of professional work to be uploaded at the point of application. We cover this in the professional service certificate.
The Same Age for Responsible Editors
Subparagraph (a) of the first paragraph of Art. 5 of Law No. 5187 also requires a responsible editor to have completed eighteen years of age. The threshold is therefore the same under both regimes.
Summary
- A press card requires that you have completed 18 years of age; there is no upper limit.
- Those with eighteen years of professional service may be granted a permanent press card for life.
- At most twenty-four months of free-card periods count towards that eighteen years (Art. 14/4).
- Responsible editors face the same age threshold under Art. 5 of Law No. 5187.