There is no single answer: the Regulation governs foreign bureaux separately by type and scale of publication, producing three different outcomes.
Daily Political Newspapers
Art. 19/2-a sets three rules for daily political newspapers with a total page surface area of more than 1.20 square metres:
| Rule | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Domestic bureaux | No quota limit is applied to staff |
| Foreign bureaux of national and regional newspapers | No quota limit is applied to staff |
| Foreign bureaux of local newspapers | Cards are issued to at most 25 per cent of the staff |
Subparagraph (e) of the same paragraph sets a floor: no press card is issued to staff in the foreign bureaux of newspapers with a surface area of 1.19 square metres or less.
Other Newspapers and Magazines
Arts. 20, 21 and 22 govern weekly political newspapers and magazines, non-political newspapers and magazines, and publications appearing fortnightly or less often. Their provisions on foreign bureaux are more restrictive:
| Publication | Foreign bureau | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly political newspapers with a total surface area of 3.59 m² or less | No cards issued | Art. 20 |
| Weekly political magazines | No cards issued | Art. 20 |
| Non-political daily newspapers | No cards issued | Art. 21 |
| Non-political weekly newspapers | No cards issued | Art. 21 |
| Non-political magazines | No cards issued | Art. 21 |
| Fortnightly newspapers | No cards issued | Art. 22 |
| Magazines at intervals longer than a fortnight | No cards issued | Art. 22 |
News and Photograph Agencies
While granting a quota to agencies that document certain conditions, Art. 24 adds this qualification: no press card is issued to their staff in foreign bureaux.
For example, cards are issued to the owners or representatives of the legal persons of agencies that document a news or photograph contract with a national newspaper or a national radio-television organisation and at least five journalists on staff who have previously held a press card and work under Law No. 5953, together with eighteen employees - but not to those in foreign bureaux.
Radio and Television
Art. 26/2 sets up a two-ended regime:
- (a) Cards are issued, with no quota limit, to the board chairs of nationally broadcasting radio and television outlets together with staff in their domestic and foreign bureaux.
- (e) No press card is issued to staff in the foreign bureaux of regionally or locally broadcasting radio and television outlets.
Summary Table
| Outlet | Foreign bureau staff |
|---|---|
| National radio-TV | No limit |
| National and regional daily newspaper (surface area above 1.20 m²) | No limit |
| Local daily newspaper (surface area above 1.20 m²) | At most 25% |
| Daily newspapers with 1.19 m² or less | No cards issued |
| Weekly and less frequent publications, magazines | No cards issued |
| News and photograph agencies | No cards issued |
| Regional and local radio-TV | No cards issued |
Turkish Press Members Resident Abroad
For Turkish press members abroad who are not bureau staff, Art. 28/5 provides a separate procedure: the application is made by sending to the Directorate the application documents together with a letter from the embassy or consulate general in the country of residence confirming their situation.
Art. 13/4 opens a similar route: a free press card may be issued to Turkish citizen journalists working as freelance journalists abroad without being attached to any media outlet, where their situation is confirmed by the embassy or consulate in the country concerned.
Summary
- Whether foreign bureau staff get cards depends on the type and scale of the publication.
- There is no limit for national broadcasters and for national and regional daily newspapers above 1.20 m².
- Local newspapers of the same scale get cards for at most 25 per cent of foreign bureau staff.
- Regional and local broadcasters, agencies and infrequent publications get none.