This guide is technical help to understand the rules, not legal advice. Check the official source for your situation, or ask a lawyer when you are unsure.
What the law asks for
Directive (EU) 2023/2673 added Article 11a to the Consumer Rights Directive. Where customers have a right of withdrawal, a shop that sells through a website or app has to offer a withdrawal function:
- A clearly labelled button or link, for example "Withdraw from contract here", that is easy to find and stays available for the whole withdrawal period.
- A short form where the customer gives their name, details that identify the contract, and how they want to receive the confirmation.
- A second button, for example "Confirm withdrawal", that sends it.
- An acknowledgement of receipt, sent without delay on a durable medium such as email, with the content of the withdrawal and the date and time it arrived.
Your withdrawal instructions and pre-contract information also have to say that the function exists and where to find it. Germany and Austria changed their model withdrawal instructions for this.
Dates by country
| Where | What applies | Applies from | Legal basis and official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU-wide | Electronic withdrawal function | Directive (EU) 2023/2673, Art. 11a Directive 2011/83/EU Official source | |
| EU-wide | Pre-contract info on the withdrawal function | Art. 6(1)(h) and Annex I(A) Directive 2011/83/EU as amended by 2023/2673 Official source | |
| Austria | Withdrawal button labels (Austria) | § 13a FAGG, BGBl. I Nr. 59/2026 Official source | |
| Austria | Updated Widerrufsbelehrung | § 4 Abs. 1 Z 8 and Anhang I FAGG, BGBl. I Nr. 59/2026 Official source | |
| Germany | Withdrawal button labels (Germany) | § 356a BGB, BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 28 Official source | |
| Germany | Updated Muster-Widerrufsbelehrung | Art. 246a § 1(2) EGBGB and Anlage 1 Official source | |
| France | Withdrawal button labels (France) | Code de la consommation L. 221-21, D. 221-5 (Ord. 2026-2, Décret 2026-3) Official source | |
| Italy | Withdrawal button labels (Italy) | Codice del Consumo art. 54-bis and art. 49(1)(h), D.Lgs. 209/2025 Official source | |
| Netherlands | Withdrawal button labels (Netherlands) | BW Boek 6 art. 6:230oa (Stb. 2026, 153) Official source |
Button wording by country
The laws allow other wording if it is just as clear. These are the safe defaults, taken from the official texts.
| Country | Withdrawal button | Confirmation button |
|---|---|---|
| EU-wide | Withdraw from contract here | Confirm withdrawal |
| Austria | Vertrag widerrufen | Widerruf bestätigen |
| Germany | Vertrag widerrufen | Widerruf bestätigen |
| France | renoncer au contrat ici | confirmer la rétractation |
| Italy | recedere dal contratto qui | conferma recesso |
| Netherlands | hier de overeenkomst ontbinden | ontbinding bevestigen |
Who it applies to
Every shop that sells to consumers online where a right of withdrawal exists. Small shops are not exempt. For contracts without a withdrawal right, such as goods made to the customer's specifications, the function is not needed.
Austria applied the rule later than the other countries: from , for contracts concluded from that day.
Common mistakes
- The button sits only inside the customer account. Customers who ordered as guests need to reach it too, so link it from the footer as well.
- An email address or a general contact form instead of the two-step function.
- No automatic acknowledgement, or one without the date and time.
- Withdrawal instructions that do not mention the new function yet.
How Shopproof helps
The free Shopproof app for Shopify and plugin for WooCommerce add the footer link, a ready-made withdrawal page, the two-step form and the acknowledgement email, in each customer's language with the wording above. The Shopify app and the WooCommerce plugin are in store review now, and the list below gets an email on launch day. The Shopware plugin can be downloaded today.
Official sources
- eur-lex.europa.eu: Directive (EU) 2023/2673, Art. 11a Directive 2011/83/EU; Art. 6(1)(h) and Annex I(A) Directive 2011/83/EU as amended by 2023/2673
- ris.bka.gv.at: § 13a FAGG, BGBl. I Nr. 59/2026
- ris.bka.gv.at: § 4 Abs. 1 Z 8 and Anhang I FAGG, BGBl. I Nr. 59/2026
- gesetze-im-internet.de: § 356a BGB, BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 28
- gesetze-im-internet.de: Art. 246a § 1(2) EGBGB and Anlage 1
- entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr: Code de la consommation L. 221-21, D. 221-5 (Ord. 2026-2, Décret 2026-3)
- normattiva.it: Codice del Consumo art. 54-bis and art. 49(1)(h), D.Lgs. 209/2025
- ondernemersplein.overheid.nl: BW Boek 6 art. 6:230oa (Stb. 2026, 153)
Questions or corrections
Have a question about your shop, or spotted something out of date in this guide? Email us at hello@shopproof.app. We read every message and use good questions to improve the guides. We cannot give legal advice.
Checked against Shopproof rules data 0.9.0 on 2 November 2026. Rules we are still checking are left out.