Ending a contract online: the cancel or withdraw button, by country
Only Germany requires a button to end a running subscription: § 312k BGB prescribes the labels “Verträge hier kündigen” and “jetzt kündigen” and lets the consumer terminate without notice when the trader leaves it out. France, Austria and Sweden require an online function for something narrower, withdrawal from a distance contract within the withdrawal period, and only Austria fixes the wording in the statute. Spain has no button at all: it lets the consumer end a continuing contract in the same form in which it was made.
| Country | What the online function ends | What the trader must provide | Label set by the statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Withdrawal from a distance contract concluded through an online interface | A withdrawal function, then a confirmation function, then a durable-medium receipt without delay | “Vertrag widerrufen”, then “Widerruf bestätigen” |
| Germany | Ordinary or extraordinary termination of a paid continuing contract that can be concluded on a website | A termination button leading straight to a confirmation page with a second confirmation button; confirmation by electronic text at once | “Verträge hier kündigen”, then “jetzt kündigen” (or an equally clear wording) |
| Spain | Ending a contract for services or supplies that continue over time | No button: the consumer may end the contract in the same form in which it was made, and the contract must state the procedure | |
| France | Withdrawal from a distance contract concluded through an online interface | A free functionality for exercising withdrawal before the withdrawal period expires | Not in this article; a decree sets how it is presented and used |
| Sweden | Withdrawal (ångerrätt) from a contract concluded through an online interface | A function for exercising the right, easy to reach throughout the withdrawal period, and a receipt sent without delay | Clearly and legibly labelled; no exact words fixed |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Fern- und Auswärtsgeschäfte-Gesetz § 13a
- This is the withdrawal right (Rücktritt) within the withdrawal period, not termination of a running subscription.
- The function must stay available throughout the withdrawal period and be prominent and easy to reach.
Bei Fernabsatzverträgen, die über eine Online-Benutzeroberfläche geschlossen werdenRücktrittsfunktion zur Verfügung steht„Vertrag widerrufen“„Widerruf bestätigen“ Germany
- Rule
- BGB § 312k
- Does not apply where the law requires a stricter form than text form for termination, or to financial services.
- If the buttons and confirmation page are not provided, the consumer may terminate at any time without a notice period.
Dauerschuldverhältnisses gerichtet istüber eine Kündigungsschaltfläche abgeben kannmit nichts anderem als den Wörtern „Verträge hier kündigen“jederzeit und ohne Einhaltung einer Kündigungsfrist kündigen Spain
- Rule
- Texto refundido LGDCU art. 62
- The statute sets no label and no online function; the rule is that ending the contract must not be harder than making it.
- The same article bans clauses that obstruct the right to end such a contract.
podrá ejercer su derecho a poner fin al contrato en la misma forma en que lo celebródeberán contemplar expresamente el procedimiento a través del cual el consumidor y usuario puede ejercer su derecho a poner fin al contrato France
- Rule
- Code de la consommation art. L221-21
- This is the withdrawal right within the withdrawal period, not termination of a running subscription.
- The article requires easy, direct and permanent access to the functionality; the detail is left to a decree that is not in the ingested text.
Pour les contrats conclus à distance au moyen d'une interface en ligne, le professionnel met à la disposition du consommateur, sans frais pour ce dernier, une fonctionnalité lui permettant d'exercer gratuitement son droit de rétractationun accès facile, direct et permanent du consommateur Sweden
- Rule
- Distansavtalslagen 2 kap. 10 a § and 22 §
- Separately, 2 kap. 22 § lists making it harder to end a service than to join it as a factor in judging a manipulative online interface.
- This is the withdrawal right, not termination of a running subscription.
När ett avtal ingås genom ett onlinegränssnitt ska näringsidkaren tillhandahålla en funktion för utövande av ångerrättenvara märkt på ett tydligt och lättläst sätt gör det svårare att avsluta en tjänst än att ansluta sig till den Countries not in this table yet
Norway, Japan, the Netherlands and Australia are left out: their ingested consumer provisions (Angrerettloven, the Tokutei Shotorihiki Act, BW 7, Schedule 2 ACL) state no online cancel or withdraw function. The United Kingdom, Canada and the United States are left out because the relevant consumer statutes are not ingested.
How this table was built
Every row is taken from the official, consolidated text of the statute, which LawAsked loads from each government’s legislation service.
Each figure is tied to a passage quoted word for word from that text. When the page is served, it checks that every quoted passage is still in the current text of a law that is in force; if a law is amended and its wording changes, that row is hidden until a person reviews it again.
The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
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LawAsked, “Ending a contract online: the cancel or withdraw button, by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/online-cancellation-button (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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