On Monday 1 January 2024, a new regulation came into force to address the growing problem of unsolicited commercial advertising.
The posting and distribution of advertising material for commercial purposes (except for free information press) in letterboxes is now prohibited without the recipient’s formal agreement.
This regulation aims to reduce waste and promote more targeted and respectful advertising.
Distributors of commercial advertising must have the formal consent of the recipient before distributing advertising materials to mailboxes. This agreement can be obtained by written agreement or by the presence of a sticker on the mailbox indicating the recipient's agreement to receive advertising (e.g. 'yes advertising').
Advertisements have a commercial purpose: leaflets, brochures and prospectuses promoting the activities, products or services of a company (for example: restaurant menus, supermarket catalogues, real estate advertisements, etc.).
The following are not considered “commercial” printed matter:
- Documents from non-profit associations, non-governmental organizations, political parties and religious communities promoting their activities (even if these documents also include commercial advertisements);
- Documents from public organisations (municipality, ministries, etc.) informing citizens or promoting projects or events;
- Free news press: The regulation does not apply to the free news press, thereby preserving the distribution of relevant local information.
