At the beginning of 2022, many entrepreneurs became acquainted for the first time with Reprobel, the body responsible for the collection and redistribution of reproduction remunerations. Again this year, many entrepreneurs received a letter or e-mail asking them to submit their returns by 15/04/2026. Therefore, we repeat what Reprobel does and what steps you need to take.
What does Reprobel do?
Reprobel is the body responsible for the collection of reproduction fees, in other words fees for making prints and photocopies, digital or otherwise, of copyrighted works for internal use.
The goal of Reprobel is in fact the same as that of SABAM viz. collect copyrights and redistribute among authors. However, here we are talking about writings (books, articles...) and not music.
Consider, for example, making a copy of a page in a book, using an image from the Internet in a presentation, or sharing an article on the internal company network. If you do not pay a reproduction fee for this, you are basically violating copyright.
Can Reprobel also do something for you?
Of course, as an author or publisher you can also claim the reproduction remuneration that Reprobel receives and redistributes, if you create copyright protected works yourself. You can do this by submitting your connect at a member management company from Reprobel, such as SACD, Copiebel, etc.
What is expected of the entrepreneur now?
Any business owner who received a letter or email is mandatory a declaration submit. The deadline for this is April 15, 2026.
Using the username and password in the letter or email, you can sign up on the portal and complete the declaration. So when you have been written to by Reprobel, there should be no matter what action be undertaken.
Did you not take photocopies during the 2025 reference year? Then you will receive a nihila declaration can file. Did you do take digital or paper prints of copyrighted works? Then you can choose to file based on the number of copies or the combined license.
It is important to note, that if no letter was received, filing a tax return is not possible. You can of course always spontaneous file a declaration and contact Reprobel for this purpose.
Did you not respond to the letters or emails you received in previous years? Don't panic! You can still file a return for previous years. As such, we strongly recommend this to fines avoid.
How to file the Reprobel declaration?
Log in to the online portal of Reprobel.
STEP 1: Check your billing information and complete it in step 1 or via "My Profile".
Note: It is important to use the Nacebel code check. After all, it will be important later for tax returns and the price of any license.
STEP 2: In a second step, either choose to submit a reprography declaration or choose the combined license.
Option 1, the combined license, which since this year has carried the name ‘Bizili,’ can be compared to a flat-rate declaration. A fixed price charged, regardless of the number of copies or reproductions, whether digital or paper-based.
The price of the license depends on your business activity (via your Nacebel code) and the number of relevant staff and not from the number of copies taken. A relevant staff member is someone who takes copies (digital or paper) of copyrighted works on a regular basis. For example, consider someone who writes the newsletter within the company. In contrast, a warehouse worker or truck driver, for example, may qualify as a non-relevant employee.
License fees range from 43 euros (category 1, without staff) to 31 euros base fee increased by 31 euros per additional relevant staff member. More detail on pricing can be found at the site itself.
So the license is more expensive than the fee per copy, but it also offers benefits. Protected works can be reproduced digitally under this remuneration, which is not allowed with the remuneration per copy. The risk of control is therefore much smaller, as is the risk of fines and/or rate increases. A rate increase is imposed per page. In addition, this creates a simplification on an administrative level. There is no need to keep track of how many copies were taken.
Wish you a nihila declaration submit, then you can choose option 2.
STEP 3: Depending on the choice you made in step 2, you will either additional information have to provide the activity of the company and communicate the number of relevant personnel or the number of prints on paper.
STEP 4: Finally, depending on the data entered, you will receive a summary be shown the declaration, as well as asked to confirm it and make any payment due.
Do you have questions or would like assistance filing the Reprobel return?
A lot of answers can be found in the FAQ of Reprobel itself. Not found what you were looking for, don't hesitate to contact with us.