PPA administers Press Cards for members through the UKPCA

A Press Card identifies the cardholder as a newsgatherer. Press Cards give no authority or privileges but are accepted as a means of identification by UK Police forces who may, at their discretion, give cardholders access beyond that afforded to the general public. Please note that access to major or Royal events almost always requires additional tickets or passes.

PPA Press Cards will only be issued to staff, freelancers, or other suppliers sponsored and approved by a PPA member company. Please note that PPA Press Cards are for newsgatherers only – sales and PR personnel are not eligible.

Applying for/renewing a Press Card

To apply for a PPA Press Card, you will need to complete the appropriate Press Card Application Form at the bottom of this page. Renewals are only administered by PPA for individuals currently employed by PPA members. There is a charge of £38.00 for PPA members, which can be paid by credit/debit card or cheque (inclusive of VAT and UK postage and packing). Additional charges apply for overseas applications. Once we have received your application, we will validate the information provided and get in contact with you to arrange payment. Please note, you are only entitled to hold one Press Card at a time.

Please email or call 020 7404 7526 for more details.

Use of Press Cards

Press Cards for newsgatherers are issued as part of a scheme authorised and approved by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. Nineteen groups (known as Gatekeepers) issue Press Cards on behalf of the organising committee. A full list of Gatekeepers can be found at www.presscard.uk.com. All Press Cards are identical, except for the issuing Gatekeeper’s logo in the top right hand corner. Each Press Card contains the sponsoring company’s name, the cardholder’s name and job title, an expiry date, a serial number and a photograph of the cardholder.

Press Cards from all Gatekeepers are processed by the same supplier. This supplier maintains a log of all cards issued, and checks for duplicate applications. On your application form, you will supply a Personal Identification Number (PIN), like a credit card. This, together with the Press Card serial number, is supplied to an office at Scotland Yard in London. The telephone number of the Scotland Yard contact point can be found on the back of each Press Card. Anyone that wants to check your card’s authenticity can call Scotland Yard and ask them to check the serial number on the card and your PIN with the numbers they hold on their database. Scotland Yard does not have access to any other information – this all stays with the Gatekeeper.

Validity

PPA Press Cards are valid for up to one year, after which they must be renewed. If you have any queries please email or call 020 7404 7500.

Press Cards are intended for use in the UK, and technically have no validity overseas. However, in many parts of the world journalists have to carry identification cards and PPA Press Cards are in regular use abroad for this purpose. The verification procedure will work from abroad, but Scotland Yard will not accept reverse charge calls.

Complaints

Complaints about the system or refusals to supply a card should be made to the relevant Gatekeeper, and will be discussed at the next meeting of the co-ordinating committee, which meets quarterly. If you have any further queries please email email or call 020 7404 7526.