The press card, accreditation and a freedom of information request all pass through a single institution: the Directorate of Communications. The institution's founding document is Presidential Decree No. 14 of 24/7/2018. This guide gathers the Decree and the regulations and directives attached to it under twenty-three headings.

Where Does a Journalist Do Which Thing?

TransactionUnitBasis
A press card applicationThe regional directorate accepts it, keeps the file and sends it to the DirectorateRegional Directorates Reg. Art. 5/g
Issuing the cardThe Press and Publications DepartmentPresidential Decree No. 14 Art. 7/1-e (added by Presidential Decree No. 66)
AccreditationThe Press and Publications DepartmentPresidential Decree No. 14 Art. 7/1-ç
A freedom of information requestThe Department of Public RelationsPresidential Decree No. 14 Art. 8/1-c
A CIMER applicationThe Department of Public Relations + the regional directorate officerCIMER Reg. Art. 11
A DES subscriptionThe Press and Publications DepartmentDES Directive Art. 4/c

1. Establishment and Organisation

The Directorate of Communications was founded by Presidential Decree No. 14 upon the repeal, by Art. 122 of Decree-Law No. 703, of Decree-Law No. 231 on the Directorate General of Press and Information. The Head is responsible directly to the President (Art. 4).

2. Service Units

Art. 5 lists ten service units. The structure has changed twice since 2018: Presidential Decree No. 66 (Official Gazette 18/9/2020-31248) added the Department of Strategic Communication and Crisis Management and the Private Secretariat; Presidential Decree No. 92 (Official Gazette 19/2/2022-31755) amended the Personnel and Training Department and added the Support Services Department.

3. The Provincial Organisation

Under Art. 22 the provincial organisation consists of regional directorates attached directly to the centre and is established in 19 centres: Adana, Afyonkarahisar, Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Çanakkale, Diyarbakır, Edirne, Erzincan, Erzurum, Gaziantep, &Inodot;stanbul, &Inodot;zmir, Kayseri, Konya, Muğla, Samsun, Şanlıurfa and Trabzon. Liaison offices may be set up where needed.

4. Anadolu Agency and the Promotion Fund

IssueProvisionArticle
The AA contractA contract of at most 5 years, not exceeding the appropriation in the budgetArt. 14
Audit of AAThe Directorate has the power of audit over the Agency's budgetArt. 14
Fund projectsThe Directorate examines or has examined, and submits those found suitable to the PresidentArt. 15/1
The amountsThe aid and allocation amounts are determined by the PresidentArt. 15/2
RecoveryNon-payment or recovery for projects contrary to the protocol - the decision is the President'sArt. 15/3

5. Applications and Freedom of Information

CIMER has five channels: the electronic and mobile service provider, the e-Devlet gateway, ALO 150, letter/post and applying in person. No signature is required for electronic and telephone applications. The response periods are not in the CIMER Regulation but in Art. 11 of Law No. 4982: as a rule fifteen working days.

6. Training Programmes for Press Members

ProgrammeAge limitDurationSource
Overseas professional training and internship50At most 6 monthsThe Promotion Fund
Domestic foreign language training45The course termThe Promotion Fund

Both programmes require at least a high school diploma, actual work in the field of press and broadcasting, a yellow press card and leave from the organisation. In the overseas programme those first in the Schools of Press and Broadcasting are exempt from the yellow card condition.

7. The Personnel Regime

StatusInstrument it is subject toDiscipline
Civil servantLaw No. 657657 + the Disciplinary Superiors Regulation
Communication expertAdditional Art. 41 of Law No. 657 + the Communication Expertise Regulation657
Contracted personnelArt. 4/B of Law No. 657 + the Principles on Contracted PersonnelThe Principles
Permanent workerLaw No. 4857The Discipline Regulation for Permanent Workers

Appointment as an expert requires at least three years of actual work, an accepted thesis, at least seventy points in the proficiency exam and a document at least at level (C) in the YDS.

8. The Internal Regime

The backbone of financial management is Public Financial Management and Control Law No. 5018. The opinion given as a result of preliminary financial control is advisory and preventive; it does not bind the spending authority and does not remove their responsibility. In procurement, the 3/b (security and confidentiality) and 3/y (promotion and digital transformation) exemptions of Law No. 4734 are used.

9. The Overseas Organisation

Permanent appointment requires at least four years of higher education, at least three years of public service and at least seventy points in the YDS; the language document is valid for three years. In temporary assignments the daily allowances are determined by Presidential decision under Art. 34 of Travel Allowance Law No. 6245 and are increased by 50% for the first ten days.

Constitutional Court Annulments

Presidential Decree No. 14 has passed through review of the conformity of presidential decrees with the Constitution. The annulments visible in the consolidated text:

ProvisionDecisionDate
Art. 3E.2022/93, K.2024/918/1/2024
Art. 14, second and third sentencesE.2019/71, K.2020/8230/12/2020
Art. 17 - certain phrasesE.2020/88, K.2023/224-
Art. 22E.2018/134, K.2021/13-

Other Main Guides

GuideScope
turkish-press-card-guideCard types, conditions, commission, quotas, cancellation
journalist-employment-rights-turkeyThe Law No. 5953 regime: contract, wages, leave, notice and severance
starting-a-media-outlet-in-turkeyDeclaration, imprint, responsible editor, delivery, archive, licensing
turkish-media-ancillary-legislation-mapLegal deposit, printing houses, elections, service, the levy, transmission, advertising
copyright-data-protection-and-access-to-information-in-turkish-newsQuotation, source attribution, reader data and freedom of information
turkish-news-agencies-and-support-legislationAgency conditions, Anadolu Agency, the Promotion Fund and the 2018 alignment package
working-as-a-foreign-journalist-in-turkeyWork permits, residence, card types, the letter of introduction, customs