The notification and return duty for foreign media members is governed in a separate article, and its sanction is direct.
Three Notification Situations
The first paragraph of Art. 41: a foreign media member holding a press card must give written notification to the Directorate and return the press card within one month in the following cases:
| Subpara. | Situation |
|---|---|
| a | Their duty coming to an end |
| b | A change in the address of their organisation or residence |
| c | Their acquiring Turkish citizenship |
Why Is Subparagraph (b) So Wide?
Subparagraph (b) covers a change in both the organisation's and the residence address. So notification is required whether your media outlet has moved office or you have moved home.
What Happens on Acquiring Citizenship?
Subparagraph (c) may look surprising at first: why should acquiring Turkish citizenship require the card to be returned?
The answer lies in the card types. Foreign media members are issued a fixed-term (Art. 11) or temporary (Art. 12) press card. Becoming a Turkish citizen removes the condition of those two card types; by contrast the route to a post-linked press card opens (Art. 10/2-b: being a Turkish citizen).
Where Does the Power Lie?
The second paragraph of Art. 41: the Directorate is competent in matters of issuing a press card to foreign media members or cancelling a card issued.
| Process | Turkish citizen | Foreign media member |
|---|---|---|
| Condition check | The Directorate (Art. 29) | The Directorate |
| The substantive decision | The Commission (Arts. 33, 35) | The Directorate (Art. 41/2) |
| Cancellation | The Directorate or the Commission (Art. 38) | The Directorate (Art. 41/2) |
The Counterpart for Turkish Citizens
A similar obligation for Turkish citizens sits in Arts. 36 and 37:
- Art. 36 - the duty to notify on leaving a job or changing title
- Art. 37/1 - the press card is returned to the Directorate within one month on a change of workplace or title, on leaving a job and on cancellation of the card
- Art. 37/4 - no new press card application is processed until the old card has been returned
Do Not Confuse It with Address Registration
| Obligation | Period | To whom |
|---|---|---|
| Registration with the address registration system | 20 working days | The address registration system |
| Notification of a change of address | 1 month | The Directorate of Communications |
The Card Period Is Already Limited
Art. 39 provides that a card may be issued to foreign media members valid until the end of the year of issue and not exceeding the period of duty. So the card may end at the close of the calendar year even before the assignment ends.
Checklist
- Has your assignment ended? Give notice and return the card within one month.
- Has your organisation's address changed? Give notice.
- Has your residence address changed? Give notice - and update the address registration system as well.
- Have you acquired Turkish citizenship? Return the card and apply again for a post-linked card.
- Does the card period end at the close of the calendar year? Set a renewal calendar.
Summary
- A foreign media member holding a press card must give written notification and return the card within one month where their duty ends, the address of their organisation or residence changes, or they acquire Turkish citizenship.
- The cards of those who do not comply are cancelled.
- The power to issue and cancel cards for foreigners lies directly with the Directorate.