Media accreditation procedures at NATO

  • 02 Mar. 2023 -
  • |
  • Last updated: 15 Mar. 2023 15:07

Journalists need accreditation to come to NATO Headquarters and attend NATO events. Please see the general eligibility criteria in Annex 1.

Requests for accreditation are made through the accreditation portal.

TYPES OF ACCREDITATION: Annual & Ad Hoc

If you are a journalist and plan to cover NATO on a regular basis, we recommend that you seek annual accreditation. This will facilitate your access to NATO events (including routine events and ministerial meetings at NATO Headquarters), and the media facilities on site.

Ad-hoc accreditation is an option for journalists without annual accreditation who want to come to NATO Headquarters for a specific event, or to cover a NATO event at a different location. This type of accreditation is valid only for an event or limited period, and cannot be extended or renewed.

Regardless of the type of accreditation, journalists must collect their accreditation passes in person. They will need to show an ID card or passport (the same document used for accreditation) and a valid national press pass (or recent assignment letter from a recognised media organisation) to pick up their pass.  
 

Annual accreditation

Annual accreditation is for journalists who cover NATO on a regular basis. To apply for annual accreditation, journalists need to provide:

  • ID card / Passport from country of origin
  • Proof of journalistic status, i.e. a reference to that profession in an official document with the journalist’s name, or a valid press card
  • A recent letter on headed paper or equivalent, signed by the editor-in-chief or director of the media organisation, stating that this journalist covers NATO as permanent or freelance representative of that media organisation
  • In addition, freelance journalists need to provide proof of regular and sustained journalistic work.

These documents need to be uploaded in the Accreditation portal when applying for annual accreditation. Without the full set of documents above, your request will not be processed.

Please do not send documents by email or post.

You may be asked to provide additional information to complement your accreditation request, such as proof of publications or details about the media outlet you represent.

What are the advantages of annual accreditation?

Annual accreditation gives media representatives day-to-day access to NATO Headquarters (public facilities, media centre) during normal business hours.

Annual accreditation also gives media representatives access to regular events and ministerial meetings at NATO Headquarters.

Annual accreditation will be renewed automatically for the following year for media representatives who continue to meet the eligibility criteria:

  • They confirm that they are interested to continue their accreditation (they will be contacted by the NATO Accreditation Office to confirm their interest and update their profile).
  • They regularly attend NATO events AND
  • Their profile continues to contain valid documents, such as a valid passport, a recent letter from the editor and proof of journalistic status.

Media representatives should contact NATO Accreditations (at NATOAccreditations@hq.nato.int) in the event of a change in circumstances, such as change in media outlet, job title, outdated press card.

How to request annual accreditation

  1. Create a profile in the NATO accreditation portal:
    • Go to https://my.hq.nato.int/
    • If you do not have an account, click on "new user" and fill in the form
    • Log in with your username and password (you can recover your password here)
    • Attach a copy of your valid passport or national ID
    • Attach digital identity photograph in JPEG or PDF format
    • In the relevant field, please add proof of your status as a journalist, i.e. a reference to that profession in an official document with the journalist’s name, or a valid press card
    • Attach an official letter from your editor, which includes the editor’s contact details and a date. The letter should confirm that you work for the media outlet they represent (either full-time or as freelancer), and that you are their designated press representative for regular coverage of NATO's activities.
    • In addition, freelance journalists need to provide proof of payment for regular and sustained journalistic work. Please attach this in the relevant field.

Procedure

Please note that the approval process of your annual accreditation request may take several weeks.

You will receive an answer by email. If your request is accepted, you will receive instructions on how to collect your NATO annual accreditation pass at the NATO Headquarters Pass Office You will be asked to bring a copy of the confirmation email, your valid press card and your ID/passport.

Please make sure that all documents in support of your accreditation are valid and a letter from the editor is recent, or clearly specifies the duration of your assignment. This will support the renewal of your accreditation.

Note on accreditation decisions

NATO will verify that the individuals applying for or renewing annual accreditation at NATO are media professionals and represent bona fide media organisations.

Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis and the decisions of NATO are final.

NATO reserves the right to deny accreditation or to revoke it even if already confirmed.

NATO cooperates on its accreditation policy with the International Press Association. The IPA can be contacted by media representatives for queries or for more information.

Media accreditation is not given to employees of non-media organisations, such as online publications which do communications outreach or advocacy work.

For any questions, please send an email to NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int

 

Ad hoc accreditation

Journalists without annual accreditation can cover NATO events or come to NATO Headquarters to use the media facilities, provided that they apply for and are granted ad-hoc accreditation. It will be valid only for a specific event / dates.

Ministerial meetings abroad, summits and other high-level events will require ad-hoc accreditation, including for holders of annual NATO accreditation.

Late requests for ad-hoc accreditation (made just before an event), as well as requests submitted without all necessary documents, will not be successful.

To request ad-hoc accreditation that’s not linked to a particular event, please contact NATOAccreditations@hq.nato.int. Please note that checks may take several days, so submit your request early.

To request ad-hoc accreditation for a specific event at NATO Headquarters:

  1. The NATO Press Service issues a media advisory announcing the event on the NATO Website http://www.nato.int/ (under Event Calendar)
  2. Media representatives request accreditation by submitting an application via the NATO accreditation platform, respecting the deadline mentioned in the media advisory. Instructions are provided in Annex 2
  3. To verify if you have duly submitted your application with attachments, please log in to your profile and click on the Event Attendance tab. The event tick box should appear as checked https://my.hq.nato.int/ → Login à Homepageà Event Attendance

Please note:

Media representatives are responsible for their registrations. NATO will not verify if a registration has been submitted on behalf of applicants.

Media representatives are responsible for making sure they have provided all the correct documents as part of their application, including a valid ID. Please do not amend ID details after applying for an event. If this is required, please contact NATO Accreditations.

Please note that if you miss the accreditation deadline, or your application is incomplete, your accreditation request will most likely be denied.

Annex 1 - Eligibility to apply for media accreditation at NATO

Media accreditation to NATO is reserved for journalists (written press, online, radio and TV journalists, film crews and press photographers). To apply, they must meet the following criteria:

  • Journalism must be their main source of income

AND

  • Be employed by a bona fide media organisation

OR

  • Cover NATO affairs for a bona fide media organisation on freelance basis

Media organisations must meet the following criteria to have their representatives be accredited at NATO:

  • Editorial independence
  • Be a commercial organisation with no distribution restrictions
  • Must be open about how and by whom they are financed, and have a specific, verifiable address and telephone number.
  • For online media, they must demonstrate that the majority of their website content covers original news, commentary or analysis, and be updated at least once a week.

Publications that focus on communications outreach, advocacy publications of non-governmental or non-profit organisations, think tanks or interest groups do not qualify for media accreditation.

Annex 2 - Instructions for using the NATO Accreditation portal

Portal link: https://my.hq.nato.int/

Creating a new profile:

  • Select New user on the portal homepage
  • Use a unique email address per registration. It is not possible to register groups or more than one person with the same email address
  • In case our site is blocked by your provider (most likely because of a firewall), use a device connected to a different Internet source (4G or connection at home)
  • For media not in possession of a national press card number, please enter N/A in the National Press Card Number field
  • Safari browser is not supported. Please use another browser (also see below the paragraph on Attachments re Mac OS X).

Updating an existing profile:

Registering for an event:

Once your profile has been created:

  • Select Registered user on the portal homepage and log in
  • Click on  Event Attendance: select the event
  • Attach files as required
  • Tick and accept fields
  • Submit your request before the deadline

To verify if you have duly submitted your application with attachments, please log in to your profile and click on the Event Attendance tab. The event tick box should appear as checked https://my.hq.nato.int/ → Login → Homepage → Event Attendance

Including attachments:

To complete your registration, you will be required to upload two types of attachments:

  • Identity: a copy of your ID card/passport
  • Professional:
    • Candidates in possession of a valid press card (provided by a recognised national professional body of a NATO country – i.e. government, professional association or union) are required to upload a scanned copy of it onto their profile (PDF)
    • Candidates not in possession of a valid press card are required, regardless of nationality, to upload a signed letter from their editorial staff onto their profile (in PDF)

For users of Mac OS X: Please upload files only in PDF.

Group registrations:

  • It is not possible to register groups or more than one person under the same email address. 
  • A unique email address must be used to create a profile and register.
  • Editorial staff can prepare and sign a letter (in letterhead) containing all the names of the crew members that the media outlet/company wishes to send to cover the event. The letter must contain:

            SURNAME, Name, date of birth, ID/Passport number

Each crew member can upload the same group letter onto their individual registration.

It is the company/media outlet responsibility to ensure that all their crew members are registered for the event.

To verify if you have duly submitted your application with attachments, please log in to your profile and click on the Event Attendance tab. The event tick box should appear as checked https://my.hq.nato.int/ → Login → Homepage → Event Attendance