Chapter 2 · Mandatory from 19 Jun 2026
The withdrawal button: how withdrawal has to work in your shop
Since 19 June 2026, every online shop selling to consumers in the EU has to offer its own way to withdraw from a contract. In Germany that means a button labelled “Vertrag widerrufen” (withdraw from contract), a short form, a second click on “Widerruf bestätigen” (confirm withdrawal), and then an immediate acknowledgement by email. Here is how the flow has to look, what you may not ask for, which sentence goes into your withdrawal notice, and how far your shop system has got.
Last checked: · A reference, not legal advice.
The essentials
- Since
- 19 June 2026.
- Who
- Everyone who concludes contracts with consumers through a website or app where a right of withdrawal applies.
- What
- A clearly legible function labelled “withdraw from contract”, available for the whole withdrawal period.
- Flow
- Click “withdraw from contract”, give name, order and email, click “confirm withdrawal”.
- Then
- An immediate acknowledgement, for example by email, with the content, date and time of the withdrawal.
- Not allowed
- Requiring a reason. According to the German explanatory memorandum, also no login if people can order as guests.
The flow, step by step
The EU rule is Article 11a of the Consumer Rights Directive, added by Directive (EU) 2023/2673. Germany put it into § 356a of its Civil Code (BGB). The flow has two clicks and one email. It does not need more, and it must not have less.
“Withdraw from contract”
A button or link with these words or an equally clear wording. In Germany the label is “Vertrag widerrufen”. Easy to read, prominent, reachable from every page of the shop while the withdrawal period runs.
The details
The customer enters or confirms three things: their name, which order or part of it they want to withdraw from, and where the acknowledgement should go, usually their email address.
“Confirm withdrawal”
A second button with these words or an equally clear label (in Germany “Widerruf bestätigen”). It sends the withdrawal. No further pop-up is needed. Sending it in time is enough to meet the deadline, even at five to midnight on the last day.
The acknowledgement
Immediately and on a durable medium, in practice by email. It states what the customer withdrew from, with name and order, and the date and time it was received.
Where the button goes
The law says: permanently available, prominently placed, easy to access. The German explanatory memorandum is more specific. The function should be reachable directly from every page. A link straight to the page with the form does the job.
The footer is fine, but not as a grey line between terms and imprint. The memorandum asks for a distinct colour or clear contrast there, so the button stands out from the other links.
You do not have to work out for each customer whether their period is still running. According to the memorandum, you may simply show the button at all times. That is the simplest and safest option.
What you may not ask for
- A reason. A withdrawal does not need a reason. A mandatory “reason for return” field before sending does not fit with that.
- Registration or a login when people can also buy from you as guests. That is what the German explanatory memorandum says. Only if you sell exclusively through customer accounts may the button sit in the logged-in area.
- An app, if the purchase did not happen in that app.
- Typing things twice: a logged-in customer should not have to enter themselves or the order again. You show the data, they confirm it.
- An acknowledgement that sounds as if the withdrawal has already been checked and accepted. The memorandum advises against wording like “your withdrawal is hereby confirmed”. Say that it has been received and that you are still checking it.
The new sentence in your withdrawal notice
In Germany, the statutory model withdrawal notice has a new building block. If you must offer the function, add this sentence with the address of your withdrawal page (official German text, here in translation):
“You can also exercise your right of withdrawal online at … . If you use this online function, we will immediately send you an acknowledgement of receipt on a durable medium (e.g. by email) with information on the content of the withdrawal declaration and the date and time of its receipt.”
Keep the rest of the notice and the model withdrawal form. If a service provides your legal texts, check that the sentence is there and the address is right.
This is not just paperwork. Under German law the withdrawal period only starts once you have informed the customer correctly, and that information now includes the withdrawal function.
What is still open
Open or disputed
- Login with a one-time code: Shopify lets customers sign in with their email and a six-digit code, no password. Whether that still counts as “no login” for guest orders is not said in the law or the memorandum. How courts see it is open.
- The explanatory memorandum is not law. It shows how the German ministry reads the rules, and courts often refer to it. It binds no one.
- A voluntary reason field, for example after sending, is not expressly regulated. It must never hold up the withdrawal.
- Whether the withdrawal period grows to up to twelve months and 14 days if the notice does not mention the function has not been decided. German law links the start of the period to the notice; I know of no ruling on this point.
- Shops with no right of withdrawal at all, for example made-to-measure only: according to the memorandum, the duty applies to contracts with a right of withdrawal. If you sell a mix, show the button for everyone.
- Outside Germany, labels and details follow your country’s transposition of the same directive. Check the wording your country prescribes.
Setting it up in your shop system
| System | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Built in since 18 Jun 2026 through self-serve returns and cancellations, configurable per market. Only works with the new customer accounts; the customer signs in with email and a code. For the guest-login question, see above. | Shopify Changelog |
| Shopware 6 | Built in from version 6.7.9.0 (April 2026), backported to 6.6, no extra cost. The form is placed through Shopping Experiences, the acknowledgement is sent automatically. With custom or headless front ends you have to add the button yourself. | Shopware (German) |
| JTL-Shop | Built in from version 5.7.0 (8 Apr 2026). Version 5.7.1 fixed the button only showing with the “Fuss” link group. Use at least 5.7.1. | JTL forum, release notes (German) |
| WooCommerce with Germanized | Included from Germanized 4.0, setting under WooCommerce > Settings > Germanized > General > Withdrawal button. Customer and shop both get an email. The maker advises testing as a guest and as a logged-in customer. | vendidero (German) |
| WooCommerce with German Market | Included from German Market 3.58. Button in the footer, menu, as a widget or via shortcode; withdrawals are listed under WooCommerce > Withdrawals. | MarketPress (German) |
| Jimdo | Switched on automatically in the footer for EU websites with a shop or bookings, including a confirmation email. You have to update your withdrawal notice yourself unless you use Jimdo’s legal text manager. | Jimdo (German) |
| Wix | Nothing built in. Wix describes a manual route: a page with a form, a “withdraw from contract” button, sending with a second click, then a confirmation. Check yourself that it includes date and time. | Wix Help Center |
| Marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Etsy …) | The duty stays with you as the seller, even when the sale runs through someone else’s platform. According to the German memorandum, you may have to oblige the operator by contract. Check whether your marketplace offers the function. | German explanatory memorandum (BMJV) |
Sources
- § 356a BGB: electronic withdrawal function (German)
- § 355 BGB: withdrawal without reasons (German)
- § 356 BGB: start and end of the withdrawal period (German)
- Art. 246a § 1 EGBGB: information duties (German)
- Annex 1 EGBGB: model withdrawal notice (German)
- Federal Law Gazette 2026 I No. 28 (act of 3 Feb 2026, entry into force Art. 10)
- Government bill with explanatory memorandum on § 356a BGB (BMJV, German)
- Directive (EU) 2023/2673
- Shopify Help: setting up self-serve returns (new customer accounts, sign-in by code)
Questions about this chapter
Does it have to be a button, or is a link enough?
The law speaks of a function, not a button. A link is enough if it is labelled “withdraw from contract”, stands out and leads straight to the form.
May I ask why the customer is withdrawing?
Not as a requirement. A withdrawal needs no reason. If you still want to know, ask on a voluntary basis so the withdrawal goes through without an answer. Even that is not fully settled.
Does the customer have to log in?
No, if people can also order from you as guests. Then withdrawal has to work without an account too. A customer who is logged in should only have to pick the order and confirm.
What goes into the acknowledgement?
Name, which order or items were withdrawn, the address for the acknowledgement, plus date and time of receipt. Send it immediately. Say the withdrawal was received, not that it was accepted.
Is my returns page with a contact form enough?
Only if it follows the required flow: start with “withdraw from contract”, the three details, send with “confirm withdrawal”, then the acknowledgement with date and time. A general contact form usually does not.
I only sell on a marketplace. What do I do?
The duty is yours as the seller. Check whether the platform offers a withdrawal function and ask if it does not. According to the German memorandum, you may have to require it from the operator by contract.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is the current state with sources and dates. For your specific case, ask a lawyer or your trade association.
Related rules
- Chapter 1The EU legal guarantee notice The blue EU box on the legal guarantee has to be visible in your shop, in colour and unchanged.
- Chapter 4Right to repair When a customer complains, you have to tell them they may choose repair or replacement, and that a repair extends the legal guarantee by twelve months.
- Chapter 7Shop accessibility Online shops selling to consumers must work for everyone, including keyboard and screen reader users. Only microenterprises are exempt.