The EU withdrawal button, explained

What the law says

Directive (EU) 2023/2673 added Article 11a to the Consumer Rights Directive. For distance contracts concluded through an online interface, the trader must make sure the consumer can also withdraw “by using a withdrawal function”. The function must be labelled “withdraw from contract here” or an unambiguous equivalent, be continuously available throughout the withdrawal period, and be prominently displayed and easy to access.

EU countries had to transpose the rule by 19 December 2025 and apply it from 19 June 2026. A withdrawal sent through the function before the withdrawal period ends counts as made in time.

Who needs it

• Any business selling to consumers through a website or app, whatever its size.
• For goods, services and digital content, and, with this change, for financial services sold at a distance.
• Only where the customer has a right of withdrawal. Contracts the law excludes from withdrawal, such as custom-made goods, don’t need it.
• B2B sales are not covered.

What’s exempt

The button is only needed where the customer has a right of withdrawal. Article 16 of the Consumer Rights Directive lists the contracts that don’t have one. In plain words:

• Goods made to the customer’s specifications or clearly personalised, like engraved jewellery or made-to-measure curtains.
• Goods that go off or expire quickly, like fresh flowers or food.
• Sealed goods that can’t be returned for health or hygiene reasons once unsealed, like cosmetics or underwear.
• Sealed audio, video or software that was unsealed after delivery.
• Goods that are mixed with other items after delivery, like fuel.
• Goods or services whose price depends on financial markets the shop can’t control.
• Newspapers and magazines bought one at a time (subscriptions still have the right).
• Bookings for a set date: accommodation that isn’t a home, car rental, catering, transport of goods and leisure such as concert tickets.
• Digital content not on a physical medium, once the download or stream started with the customer’s express consent and acknowledgement.
• Services fully performed with the customer’s prior express consent, and urgent repairs the customer asked for at home.
• Alcoholic drinks with delivery after 30 days, whose price depends on the market and was agreed at the time of the sale.
• Contracts made at a public auction.

An exemption covers the item, not the whole shop. If you sell both personalised and standard goods, the standard ones still need the button. Each country can word these slightly differently, so check the law where your customers live. This list is a plain-words summary, not a complete legal reading.

The four parts of the withdrawal flow

1. 01
   A clearly labelled button“Withdraw from contract here”, or an unambiguous equivalent in your language, prominently placed and easy to reach for the whole withdrawal period.
2. 02
   A short withdrawal statementThe customer gives or confirms their name, which contract (or order) they are withdrawing from, and where the confirmation should go, usually their email.
3. 03
   A confirmation buttonLabelled only “confirm withdrawal” (in German „Widerruf bestätigen“) or an unambiguous equivalent. No extra wording on this button.
4. 04
   An automatic receiptSent without undue delay on a durable medium, such as email, with the content of the statement and the date and time it was submitted.

The official wording, by language

Use the wording below or an unambiguous equivalent in your shop’s language. The German law, for example, accepts other clear wording alongside „Vertrag widerrufen“.

Where to put it

• In the footer of every page, so it’s always one click away during the withdrawal period.
• In the order confirmation email and the customer account, as extra entry points.
• Without a login wall where people can order as guests: they need a way in too.

Shopify and WooCommerce: built in or an app?

Shopify

Built in. Since 18 June 2026, self-serve returns also take cancellations, with rules per market. Shopify points to this for the withdrawal function. It opens from the customer account or the order status page, and the customer confirms in a second step.

Apps and plugins. Apps in the Shopify App Store add a public withdrawal page and a footer button that works without a login. Pick one that sends the automatic receipt with date and time. All four checks on Shopify.

WooCommerce

Built in. WooCommerce says a contact form plugin can work, as long as it sends a confirmation email, with its order and refund tools handling the rest. Its guide doesn’t mention a built-in withdrawal button.

Apps and plugins. Plugins such as Germanized add a withdrawal button and request form for Directive (EU) 2023/2673. Others exist on WordPress.org; check the confirm step and the receipt. All four checks on WooCommerce.

Test it yourself in five minutes

Do this as a customer would, ideally on your phone. If any step fails, a customer can’t withdraw the way the law expects.

1. 01
   Place a test order as a guestUse a private window and a real email address you can read. Don’t create an account.
2. 02
   Find the button from any pageStart from a product page, not the homepage. It should be easy to find from every page (the footer or main menu is the usual place), labelled “withdraw from contract here” or your language’s equivalent.
3. 03
   Fill in the short formIt should ask only for your name, the order, and where to send the confirmation. Extra questions, like a reason for leaving, shouldn’t be required: the law lists only those three.
4. 04
   Look at the confirm buttonIt should say only “confirm withdrawal” or the equivalent, with no offer or extra wording on the button.
5. 05
   Check your inboxA receipt should arrive promptly (the law says “without undue delay”), with what you sent and the date and time. Keep it as your evidence.

Germany: § 356a BGB

Germany implemented the rule in § 356a of the Civil Code (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 28), with the labels „Vertrag widerrufen“ and „Widerruf bestätigen“. Unlike the older cancellation button, there is no exemption for financial services.

The stakes are practical. If customers aren’t properly informed about the function, the withdrawal period can run for up to 12 months and 14 days instead of 14 days, and German consumer and competition associations send warning letters (Abmahnungen). The first ones over a missing withdrawal button were reported in August 2026.

France and other countries

France implemented the rule by an ordinance of 5 January 2026, and French lawyers report administrative fines of up to €15,000 for an individual and €75,000 for a company. Each EU country sets its own penalties, so check the rules where your customers live.

How untick checks your shop

untick first decides whether a site is a shop that sells to EU consumers: a shop platform or cart and product signals, plus an EU domain, euro prices or an EU language. It then looks for a withdrawal link or button in 11 languages on the public pages it scans, and takes a screenshot of your footer if it can’t find one. A link to the withdrawal policy alone doesn’t count, and the finding lists exactly which pages were checked, because we can’t see pages behind a login.

Check your shop free