What the New Withdrawal Button Does
Since 19 June 2026, every company that lets you sign a contract online in Germany must show a clear electronic withdrawal button. The rule sits in a new section of the German Civil Code, §356a BGB, and brings an EU-wide directive into German law. It covers most things you can sign up for through a website or app, online shopping, streaming services, gym memberships sold online, mobile and internet plans, and many insurance products. The button must be labelled clearly, for example “Widerruf” or “Vertrag widerrufen” (“Withdraw from contract”). You click it, fill in your name and order number on the confirmation page, then press a second button like “Widerruf bestätigen” (“Confirm withdrawal”). Done. The company is not allowed to hide it in a footer, behind a login, or inside a long help page.
The 14-Day Rule — and Only 14 Days
This is the part that often confuses people, so please read carefully. The withdrawal button is only for the legally protected 14-day “cooling-off” period that EU law gives you after signing an online contract. The clock starts when you receive the goods, or, for services and subscriptions, on the day you sign up. Inside that window, you can withdraw for any reason or no reason at all and the company must refund you. After day 14, the withdrawal button no longer applies to your contract. If a company fails to provide the button, your withdrawal right is extended to up to 12 months and 14 days, which gives the rule real teeth.
What If You Want to Cancel After the 14 Days?
After the 14-day window closes, you are no longer “withdrawing” you are “cancelling” (“kündigen”), and a different set of rules applies. For ongoing online subscriptions like gyms, streaming services, mobile plans, or dating apps, a separate law from 2022 already requires a “Kündigungsbutton” (cancellation button) on the company’s website. This second button is for ending a running contract according to its notice period. Since 2022, German law also caps the notice period for auto-renewing consumer contracts at one month, so you should never be locked in for another full year by missing a tight deadline. For one-time purchases outside the 14-day window, the standard return and warranty rules apply, not withdrawal.
What to Do If a Company Is Missing the Button
If you signed an online contract on or after 19 June 2026 and the company has no working withdrawal button, you can report it to the local consumer advice centre (“Verbraucherzentrale”) in your federal state. They offer free or low-cost help in several languages and can write to the company on your behalf. Companies that ignore the rule risk fines of up to 50,000 euros, or up to 4% of yearly turnover for larger businesses. Take a screenshot of the missing or broken button, it will support your case.
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