Right of withdrawal: the 14-day cooling-off period and a free model withdrawal form

When does the cooling-off period start and end?

For goods, the 14-day period starts on the day after you receive them. If you order several items in one order that are delivered separately, it runs from the day after you receive the last item. For services, the period usually starts on the day after the contract is concluded.

If the last day of the period falls on a Saturday, Sunday or official public holiday, the period runs until the end of the next working day.

If the shop did not properly inform you about the right of withdrawal, the period is extended by up to twelve months after the end of the original period. If you receive the information later, you have 14 days from that moment.

How to withdraw from a purchase

You must clearly tell the shop within the period that you are withdrawing from the purchase. You can use the model form below, but your own email or letter with an unambiguous statement is also enough. Sending a product back without a message is risky, so always let them know in writing; then you have proof.

Preferably use the email address from the terms and conditions or the order confirmation, and include your order number. That way the shop can match your withdrawal to your order straight away.

Since 19 June 2026, online shops and apps must also offer a simple online withdrawal function, often called a withdrawal button. The obligation comes from an EU directive (2023/2673). The function must be easy to find throughout the withdrawal period, and you receive an acknowledgement of receipt without delay. Keep that acknowledgement.

After notifying the shop, you have another 14 days to send the product back. Keep your proof of postage with the tracking code.

Free model withdrawal form (text to copy)

You may use this form, but you do not have to. The text follows the EU model form from the Consumer Rights Directive. Fill in the details in brackets, add your order number and send it by email or post.

Model withdrawal form (complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)

To: [name of the shop], [address], [email address]

I/We* hereby give notice that I/We* withdraw from my/our* contract of sale of the following goods*/for the provision of the following service*: [description and order number]

Ordered on*/received on*: [date]

Name of consumer(s): [name]

Address of consumer(s): [address]

Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper): [signature]

Date: [date]

* Delete as appropriate.

Refunds and return costs

The shop must refund you within 14 days of your withdrawal, including the standard delivery costs you paid when ordering. If you chose a more expensive delivery option yourself, the shop only has to refund the cost of standard delivery. The shop may wait to refund you until it has received the product back or until you show that you have sent it back.

You pay the cost of sending the item back if the shop clearly told you so beforehand. If it did not, you do not have to pay. If you handle the product more than needed to assess it, as you would in a shop, the online shop may deduct an amount for the reduced value.

Exceptions: no cooling-off period here

The right of withdrawal is a right you have against a trader. If you buy from a private individual, for example through a classifieds site, it does not apply.

Even when you buy from a trader, not everything is covered by the right of withdrawal. The main exceptions are:

• Products made to measure or to your specifications
• Products that spoil quickly, such as food and flowers
• Sealed hygiene or health products whose seal you have broken
• Sealed audio, video or software whose seal you have broken
• Newspapers and magazines, except subscriptions
• Leisure services on a fixed date, such as concert tickets and hotel stays
• Digital content you could download immediately after expressly agreeing to this and giving up the cooling-off period

Frequently asked questions about returns

Does the cooling-off period apply in the sales too? Yes. Discounted products bought online also come with a 14-day cooling-off period, unless one of the exceptions above applies.

May the shop give you a voucher instead of money? Only if you expressly agree. The shop must refund you using the same means of payment you used, unless you agree otherwise.

Does the product have to go back in its original packaging? You may open the packaging to inspect the product, and a shop may not refuse a return just because the packaging has been opened. This does not apply to the sealed products listed above, such as hygiene products whose seal you broke. If you handle the product more than needed to inspect it and it loses value as a result, the shop may deduct an amount for that. So send the product back well packed.

What if the shop does not respond or does not refund you? Send a reminder with a clear deadline and keep your evidence. If you paid by credit card, you can also contact your card issuer.

Withdrawal is not the same as a guarantee

The cooling-off period is about changing your mind: you do not need to give a reason. If a product is faulty or different from what was promised, that is about conformity, also known as the statutory guarantee. Different rules and longer periods apply to that.

Can’t resolve it with the shop? In the Netherlands, ACM ConsuWijzer, the regulator’s consumer information service, has explanations and template letters. For problems with a shop in another EU country, the European Consumer Centre in your country can help.

• Conformity and the statutory guarantee: what you can claim
• Returns and the right of withdrawal: the basics
• ACM ConsuWijzer (in Dutch)
• ECC Netherlands: help with purchases from other EU countries
• Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU (EUR-Lex)