Withdrawal button and cancellation button in online shops

What applies since 19 June 2026

Directive (EU) 2023/2673 inserted a new Article 11a into the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU. Member States had to adopt their rules by 19 December 2025 and have to apply them from 19 June 2026 (Article 2). The rule covers distance contracts concluded through an online interface, such as a website or an app. The consumer must be able to withdraw by using a withdrawal function, in addition to the other ways, such as the model withdrawal form. Where it applies, the information before the contract also says that the function exists and where it is (Article 6(1)(h)).

Germany has put the rule into § 356a BGB. For Poland we read the consolidated Consumer Rights Act (Dz.U. 2026 item 1244, legal state of 2 September 2026) and did not find a rule on the withdrawal function there. Check the current Polish law before you rely on details. The guide ‘Deadline calendar: EU rules for your website’ lists this date together with other EU dates.

The withdrawal function step by step

The function is labelled in an easily legible way with the words “withdraw from contract here” or an unambiguous corresponding wording. The German law uses “Vertrag widerrufen”, the Polish text of the directive “odstąp od umowy tutaj”. The function must be continuously available during the whole withdrawal period, prominently displayed on the online interface and easy to reach (Article 11a(1), § 356a(1) BGB).

Behind the button there is an online withdrawal statement. It lets the consumer easily provide or confirm their name, details that identify the contract or the part of it, and the electronic means for the acknowledgement, for example an email address (Article 11a(2), § 356a(2) BGB). Recital 37 adds: a consumer who is logged in should not have to identify again, links can lead to the function, and nobody should have to download an app in which the contract was not concluded.

The consumer then sends the statement with a confirmation function labelled “confirm withdrawal” or an unambiguous corresponding wording, in German “Widerruf bestätigen”. The trader sends an acknowledgement of receipt on a durable medium without undue delay, with the content of the statement and the date and time of its submission. A statement sent through the function before the period ends counts as made in time (Article 11a(3) to (5), § 356a(3) to (5) BGB).

Where to place the button

The law asks for access that is prominent, easy and continuous. It does not name a fixed place. These places are common in shops and easy to check:

• In the footer of every page, as a real link or button, not only inside a longer text.
• In the customer account, next to each order that can still be withdrawn.
• In the order confirmation email, as a link to the function.
• For guests who ordered without an account: a way in that works with the order number and the email address.
• On small screens: check that the menu or the footer still shows the button.

Labels and texts you can copy

Use the wording of the law where you can. Then nobody has to judge whether another wording is just as clear. The labels in English, German and Polish:

Withdrawal button:    withdraw from contract here
Confirmation button:  confirm withdrawal

Widerrufsbutton:      Vertrag widerrufen
Bestätigung:          Widerruf bestätigen

Przycisk odstąpienia: odstąp od umowy tutaj
Potwierdzenie:        potwierdź odstąpienie od umowy

An acknowledgement of receipt as an email. Replace the parts in square brackets:

Subject: We have received your withdrawal

Hello [name],
we received your withdrawal on [date] at [time].
Contract: [order number, product or part of the order]
Your statement: [text of the statement as sent]
We will contact you about the next steps, such as the return.
[company name, postal address, email address]

Germany: the cancellation button for subscriptions

§ 312k BGB applies when consumers can conclude a contract on a website for a continuing paid service, for example a subscription or a membership. Financial services and contracts that by law can only be cancelled in a stricter form than text form are excluded. The cancellation button says nothing other than “Verträge hier kündigen” or a corresponding unambiguous wording. It leads directly to a confirmation page that asks for the type of cancellation, details of the consumer and the contract, the end date and how the confirmation should reach the consumer. The final button says “jetzt kündigen” or a corresponding unambiguous wording. Buttons and page must be continuously available and directly and easily accessible (§ 312k(1) and (2)).

The consumer must be able to save the cancellation with date and time. The trader confirms its content, the date and time of receipt and the end date immediately, electronically and in text form. Without an end date, the cancellation takes effect at the earliest possible time. If the buttons or the page are missing, the consumer can cancel such a contract at any time without notice (§ 312k(3) to (6)).

A subscription sold online in Germany can need both: the withdrawal function during the withdrawal period and the cancellation button for the whole term. They are separate functions with their own labels.

Checklist

• Every page of the shop shows a withdrawal button with the wording of the law, also on mobile.
• The button works during the whole withdrawal period, also for guest orders.
• The form asks for name, contract details and the email address for the acknowledgement, or fills them in for logged-in customers.
• The last button says “confirm withdrawal” or the wording in your language.
• The acknowledgement with content, date and time is sent at once. Test it with a real order.
• Your information before the contract and your withdrawal policy say that the function exists and where it is.
• German subscriptions: “Verträge hier kündigen”, a confirmation page and “jetzt kündigen”.

Work with Do4U

The Withdrawal button check reads the address of a shop page or HTML you paste. The code finds buttons, links and forms, compares labels with the wording of the law in English, German and Polish, notes where the button is and whether it is hidden or behind a sign-in, and reads up to two linked pages of the same website for the form and the confirmation button. For subscriptions under German law it also checks the cancellation button of § 312k BGB. The code sets every status. If you want, the AI judges labels that differ from the wording and gives a reason with a quote. With ‘code only’ the check runs without AI and is free up to a daily limit. It cannot see whether the acknowledgement arrives or whether the button stays available for the whole period.

Do4U finds hints. You check them in your shop and decide what to change.