A press card file passes through two stages: the Directorate of Communications reviews it first, then the Press Card Commission takes it up at a meeting. The Commission meets at least three times a year, and there is no binding calendar announced in advance. This article sets out the legal basis, the composition, the decision procedure, the meeting dates recorded for 2025 and 2026, and where results are published.
Legal Basis: Additional Art. 5 of Law No. 5187
The statutory basis of the Commission is Additional Article 5 of Press Law No. 5187, added when the whole press card regime (Additional Arts. 1-8) was written into the Law by Law No. 7418 of 13/10/2022. The procedural rules sit in the Press Card Regulation issued under Additional Art. 8 (Presidential Decision No. 7051, Official Gazette 10/4/2023-32159). The Commission provisions are Arts. 29-35.
Composition: 19 Members
Under Art. 30/1 the Commission has 19 members, drawn from the sources listed in its subparagraphs:
| Subpara. | Source of members | No. |
|---|---|---|
| a | Representing the Directorate | 3 |
| b | Excluding umbrella bodies; from professional press organisations founded by owners and/or staff of periodicals, designated by the one with the most press-card-holding members | 1 |
| c | Excluding umbrella bodies; one member each from the organisations with the most press-card-holding members in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, plus one from the organisation with the most members among those established in other provinces | 4 |
| ç | Designated by the Directorate from among holders of permanent press cards | 4 |
| d | Excluding umbrella bodies; from organisations founded by the board chairs and/or journalist staff of nationally broadcasting radio and television outlets, designated by the one with the most members | 1 |
| e | Designated by the Directorate from among journalists holding post-linked cards | 1 |
| f | Designated by the trade union with the most press-card-holding members | 2 |
| g | Designated by the Directorate from among communication faculty deans or press-card-holding journalists | 3 |
| TOTAL | 19 |
Two supplementary rules. Under Art. 30/2 the members designated under (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) are as a rule chosen from professionals who have held a press card for at least five years. Under Art. 30/3, changes in the membership numbers of the bodies they represent are disregarded during a member's term - a representative does not fall away mid-term because their organisation has shrunk.
- The term of office is two years; members whose term expires may be re-elected (Art. 31/1).
- At its first meeting the Commission elects, by absolute majority of the full membership, a chair and a deputy chair from among its own members for two years (Art. 31/2).
- In the chair's absence the deputy chair presides.
- Membership ends for a member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without excuse. Excuses are notified to the Directorate in writing before the meeting day; the Commission rules on their validity (Art. 32/1).
- Membership ends automatically on death, resignation, or termination of the post held at the relevant institution (Art. 32/2).
- For members from subparagraphs (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f), membership ends automatically if their post at the represented organisation or union ends (Art. 32/3).
- A vacant seat is filled by the same procedure, for the remainder of the predecessor's term (Art. 32/4).
Powers of the Commission
Art. 33/1 lists five powers:
- (a) To accept or refuse the request, assessing the applicant's qualifications, professional work, published output and awards.
- (b) In case of conduct contrary to the press ethics principles set under Art. 49 of Law No. 195, to issue a warning or to cancel the card, having regard to the nature of the breach.
- (c) To accept or reject the excuses of members who did not attend.
- (ç) To decide that a group of applications be voted on collectively.
- (d) To warn a member disrupting the order of business and, if they persist, to remove them from the meeting.
Quorums
| Issue | Rule | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary meetings | On the Directorate's call, at least three times a year, save for force majeure | Art. 34/1 |
| Extraordinary meeting | On the Directorate's call, on its own motion or at the written request of an absolute majority of members | Art. 34/1 |
| Meeting quorum | At least 13 members | Art. 34/2 |
| Second meeting | If the first fails for want of a quorum, within 30 days at the latest; the date is set by absolute majority of those who did attend. Except for the chair-election meeting, no quorum is required at the second meeting | Art. 34/2 |
| Remote participation | Permitted provided sound and image are transmitted together; proposals, opinions and votes carry all the legal effects of physical attendance | Art. 34/3 |
| Decision quorum | Absolute majority of those attending. Abstention is not permitted | Art. 34/4 |
| Tie | The decision follows the side on which the chair - or, in their absence, the deputy chair - sits | Art. 34/4 |
When a File Closes
The most consequential rule for an applicant is Art. 35/1: applications to be discussed at a Commission meeting are finalised at least five days before the meeting date and opened to members electronically. A file not complete by that point is not taken up at that meeting; it waits for the next one.
- Art. 35/5 - Decisions are recorded in minutes; the reasons for refusals are annexed.
- Art. 35/6 - Separate minutes are drawn for warnings, removals from the meeting, and decisions accepting or rejecting excuses.
- Art. 35/7 - Minutes are signed by attending members; a remote participant transmits their opinion in writing through the electronic system and the minutes are signed with a secure electronic signature.
- Art. 35/8 - Information, documents and records of remote meetings are processed and kept in conformity with Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698.
Under Art. 35/2 the Commission weighs the applicant's qualifications, professional work, published output, awards and the qualities of the media outlet they belong to. Two special criteria are added:
- Art. 35/3 - Where the applicant works for an internet news site, the site's unique visitor count and page-view count are also taken into account.
- Art. 35/4 - For information officers, whether the title and the duties actually performed are media-related is taken into account.
Before the Commission: First Review
Not every file reaches the Commission. Art. 29 provides a filter:
- Art. 29/1 - The Directorate may request information and documents from professional press organisations, governorships, the Directorate General of Criminal Records and Statistics, tax offices, the Social Security Institution, the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs, the Press Advertising Agency, or any other body it considers necessary.
- Art. 29/2 - Requests from those the Directorate finds not to meet the conditions in Art. 8 or Art. 9 are refused without going to the Commission; the applicant is notified using the contact details in the declaration. A fresh application may be made once the deficiencies are made good and the condition is met.
- Art. 29/3 - Files of those who applied properly and are under no disqualification are referred to the Commission.
Meeting Dates: 2025 and 2026
The Regulation announces no fixed calendar; Art. 34/1 only requires at least three meetings a year. In practice the Commission meets three times a year at roughly quarterly intervals. The dates below are compiled from the Directorate's result announcements.
| Year | Meeting | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1st | Exact date not verified | The result announcement was published in late April; the meeting date could not be confirmed |
| 2025 | 2nd | 12 September 2025 | Confirmed by official announcement |
| 2025 | 3rd | 2 December 2025 | Single-source only; verify against the official announcement |
| 2026 | 1st | 24 March 2026 | Confirmed by official announcement |
| 2026 | 2nd | 29 June 2026 | Confirmed by official announcement |
| 2026 | 3rd | 4 September 2026 | Confirmed by official announcement |
Where Results Are Published
Results are not pushed to applicants individually; they open for query. The main channel is e-Devlet.
| Channel | Address | For |
|---|---|---|
| e-Devlet - Commission result query (main channel) | turkiye.gov.tr/cib-komisyon-sonucu-sorgulama | The decision taken on your file |
| e-Devlet - Press card query | turkiye.gov.tr/cib-basin-karti-sorgulama | The status of an existing card |
| Directorate announcements | iletisim.gov.tr/turkce/duyurular | The result announcement published after each meeting |
| Card delivery | Regional Directorates of the Directorate of Communications | Distribution to successful applicants once printing is complete |
The announcements follow a standard form: the Commission decisions on the media members whose files were discussed have been opened for access on e-Devlet. The announcement tells you the query is open; it does not carry the decision itself.
Application Channels
| Channel | Address | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Main page | iletisim.gov.tr/turkce/basin-karti | The official entry point; legislation and announcements |
| Application system (BKS) | bks.iletisim.gov.tr | Press Cards and Service-Stamped Passport Application System |
| Via e-Devlet | turkiye.gov.tr/byegm-basin-karti-islemleri | Press card and service-stamped passport application |
Two-factor identity verification through the e-Devlet Gateway is required to enter the system. The portal separates two scenarios: an application for a worn card (no change in card details) and an application where card details have changed (outlet, title or surname).
Planning Around the Calendar
The practical consequence of Art. 35/1 is that applying before your file is ready costs you time rather than saving it: an incomplete file does not slip into the current meeting, it waits for the one about three months later.
- Aim to complete your file at least a month ahead. Every meeting you miss is on average a three-month delay.
- Quota is the most technical of refusal grounds and can be solved before you apply. Check your outlet's quota against the tables in the quota calculation guide.
- Your contract's conformity with Law No. 5953 is both an application condition and a quality the Commission weighs.
- A change of workplace or title must be notified to the Directorate in writing within one month of the change (Art. 36/1). Skipping that notification affects your next application too.
- Your new application is not processed until you have returned your old card (Art. 37/4).
After a Refusal
The Regulation lays down no administrative appeal body, appeal period or reconsideration procedure against refusal or cancellation decisions; there is no article headed "appeal". What it does provide runs through fresh application:
- Art. 29/2 - A fresh application may be made once the deficiencies are made good and the condition is met.
- Art. 38/1 - A fresh application is required once the grounds of cancellation have disappeared.
- Art. 38/4 - Where the card was cancelled for breach of press ethics principles, no new card is issued until one year has passed from the date the card was returned.
Summary
- The statutory basis is Additional Art. 5 of Law No. 5187; the procedure sits in Arts. 29-35 of the Press Card Regulation.
- The Commission has 19 members serving two-year terms; the chair and deputy chair are also elected for two years.
- The meeting quorum is 13 members; decisions require an absolute majority of those present and abstention is not permitted.
- Files close at least five days before the meeting (Art. 35/1) - plan around that date.
- The Commission meets at least three times a year.
- Results open at turkiye.gov.tr/cib-komisyon-sonucu-sorgulama.
- For internet news site staff, unique visitors and page views are also weighed, with no numerical threshold (Art. 35/3).