The legislation does not say "foreign journalist"; it says foreign media member, and divides such persons in two by their area of duty.
The Distinction in the Law
Subparagraph (c) of Additional Art. 2 of Law No. 5187 lists among those who may be issued a press card: foreign media members acting on behalf of media outlets whose area of duty covers Turkey, and foreign media members whose area of duty does not cover Turkey but who come to Turkey for news purposes for a limited period.
| Group | Measure | Card type |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Area of duty covering Turkey | Turkey is within the permanent area of duty | Fixed-term press card (Reg. Art. 11) |
| 2. Coming for news purposes for a limited period | The area of duty does not cover Turkey | Temporary press card (Reg. Art. 12) |
Its Counterpart in the Regulation
Art. 7 of the Press Card Regulation repeats the same distinction and adds two further groups:
- (c) Foreign media members acting on behalf of media outlets whose area of duty covers Turkey, and those whose area of duty does not cover Turkey but who come to Turkey for news purposes for a limited period
- (ç) Turkish citizen owners and employees of media outlets broadcasting abroad
- (d) Turkish citizen media members doing freelance journalism abroad
Their Position Among the Card Types
Art. 6 of the Regulation lists five card types. Two are set aside for foreign media members:
| Card type | For whom | Issued to a foreigner? |
|---|---|---|
| Post-linked press card | Turkish citizen media members and information officers attached to a media outlet | No - Art. 10/2-b requires Turkish citizenship |
| Fixed-term press card | Foreign media members whose area of duty covers Turkey | Yes |
| Temporary press card | Foreign media members coming for news purposes for a limited period | Yes |
| Free press card | Turkish citizen media members temporarily not working or working as freelance journalists abroad | No |
| Permanent press card | Issued for life to those with at least eighteen years of professional service | No - Art. 14/3 prohibits it expressly |
To Whom It Cannot Be Issued
Two Doors Closed to Foreigners
- The permanent press card - Art. 14/3: "A permanent press card cannot be issued to foreign media members."
- The press traffic card - Art. 44/3: "Press traffic cards are not issued to foreign media members."
We cover them in the permanent card guide and the traffic card guide.
The Source of the Concept of a Foreigner
International Labour Force Law No. 6735 defines a foreigner as: a person having no bond of citizenship with the Republic of Turkey. The Press Card Regulation gives no separate definition of a foreigner; that general definition is taken as the basis.
The Position in Responsible Editorship
When Art. 5 of Law No. 5187 lists the conditions for a responsible editor it does not prohibit foreigners; subparagraph (f) requires the condition of reciprocity to be sought for those who are not Turkish citizens. We cover this in the reciprocity guide.
Summary
- The legislation divides foreign media members in two by area of duty: a fixed-term press card for those whose area of duty covers Turkey, a temporary one for those coming for news purposes for a limited period.
- Permanent press cards and press traffic cards are not issued to foreigners.
- The publishing staff of foreign representations in Turkey are outside the scope.