Cooling-off period for online purchases, by country
Austria, France, Norway, Spain and Sweden all give the consumer 14 days to withdraw from a distance contract, and the clock starts when the goods reach the consumer or, for services, when the contract is made. Japan is the outlier: its mail-order rule gives only 8 days counted from delivery, and the seller can switch the right off by stating its own return terms in the advertisement. Where the seller failed to tell the consumer about the right, the European statutes add 12 months (Sweden says one year); the Japanese text contains no such extension.
| Country | Withdrawal period | When the period starts | If the seller gave no information on the right |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 14 days | Extended by 12 months | |
| Spain | 14 calendar days | Services: the day the contract is made. Sales of goods: the day the consumer (or a third party they name, other than the carrier) takes physical possession | Ends 12 months after the original period |
| France | 14 days | Services: the day the contract is made. Sales of goods: the day the consumer (or a third party they name, other than the carrier) receives the goods | Extended by 12 months |
| Japan | 8 days | The day the buyer receives the goods or the transfer of the right | |
| Norway | 14 days | Services: the day the contract is made. Goods: the day the consumer (or a third party they name, other than the carrier) gets the goods in physical possession | Ends 12 months after the original period |
| Sweden | 14 days | Goods: the day the consumer takes possession. Services: the day the contract is made | Right ends at most one year after the period would have ended |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Fern- und Auswärtsgeschäfte-Gesetz §§ 11, 12
- Covers distance contracts and contracts concluded outside business premises between a trader and a consumer.
- The ingested text of section 11(2), which says when the period starts, is cut off after the opening words, so the start date is not shown.
- If the trader supplies the missing information within the 12 months, the period ends 14 days after the consumer receives it.
Der Verbraucher kann von einem Fernabsatzvertrag oder einem außerhalb von Geschäftsräumen geschlossenen Vertrag binnen 14 Tagen ohne Angabe von Gründen zurücktreten. so verlängert sich die in § 11 vorgesehene Rücktrittsfrist um zwölf Monate Spain
- Rule
- Ley General para la Defensa de los Consumidores y Usuarios arts. 102, 104, 105
- Applies to the contracts covered by the distance-selling rules of the Act, subject to the exceptions in article 103.
- Article 102 raises the period to 30 days for contracts made after an unsolicited visit to the consumer’s home or on a sales excursion, which is a doorstep rule rather than an online one.
- For several goods ordered together and delivered separately, the period runs from the last delivery.
el consumidor o usuario tendrá derecho a desistir del contrato durante un periodo de catorce días naturales sin indicar el motivo a) El día de la celebración del contrato, en el caso de los contratos de servicios.adquiera la posesión material de los bienes solicitados, en el caso de los contratos de venta el periodo de desistimiento finalizará doce meses después de la fecha de expiración del periodo de desistimiento inicial France
- Rule
- Code de la consommation art. L221-18, L221-20
- Applies to distance contracts, contracts after telephone canvassing and contracts made away from the trader’s premises.
- For goods ordered together and delivered separately, the period runs from receipt of the last item; for regular deliveries, from the first.
- If the information is supplied during the extension, the period ends 14 days after the consumer receives it.
Le consommateur dispose d'un délai de quatorze jours pour exercer son droit de rétractation d'un contrat conclu à distance1° De la conclusion du contrat, pour les contrats de prestation de services2° De la réception du bien par le consommateur ou un tiers, autre que le transporteur, désigné par lui, pour les contrats de vente de biens. le délai de rétractation est prolongé de douze mois à compter de l'expiration du délai de rétractation initial Japan
- Rule
- 特定商取引法 第十五条の三
- Covers mail-order sales (通信販売), which is the category that includes online shops.
- The right does not apply if the seller stated a special term on withdrawal in its advertisement; for electronic consumer contracts the term must also be shown in a further way set by ministerial order.
- The ingested text does not extend the period when the seller gave no information, so that column is left blank.
商品の引渡し又は特定権利の移転を受けた日から起算して八日を経過するまでの間は、その売買契約の申込みの撤回又はその売買契約の解除ただし、当該販売業者が申込みの撤回等についての特約を当該広告に表示していた場合 Norway
- Rule
- Angrerettloven §§ 20, 21
- Applies to distance sales and sales outside permanent business premises where the consumer pays or agrees to pay.
- The period is met if the notice is sent before it ends.
- If the information is given within the 12 months, the period ends 14 days after the consumer receives it.
Angrefristen utløper 14 dager fra den dag avtalen om tjeneste ble inngått, eller den dag forbrukeren får varen i fysisk besittelse.utløper angrefristen 12 måneder etter utløpet av den opprinnelige angrefristen Sweden
- Rule
- Lag (2005:59) om distansavtal och avtal utanför affärslokaler 2 kap. 10 och 12 §§
- The period never starts before the consumer has received the information about the right of withdrawal.
- For several goods or a good in several parts, the period runs from the last one received; for regular deliveries, from the first.
- The consumer meets the deadline by sending a clear message within the period.
inom 14 dagar från den dag som anges i 12 § Vid avtal om överlåtelse eller upplåtelse av en vara börjar ångerfristen löpa den dag då konsumenten får varan i sin besittning.Vid avtal om en tjänst börjar ångerfristen löpa den dag då avtalet ingås.Rätten att ångra sig upphör dock senast ett år efter det att ångerfristen skulle ha löpt ut om information hade getts på föreskrivet sätt. Countries not in this table yet
Germany: the ingested BGB sections give the right of withdrawal (§ 312g) but refer to § 355 for the period, which is not ingested, so no days are shown. Netherlands: the distance-selling rules sit in Book 6 of the Civil Code, which is not ingested (the old Book 7 section on distance contracts is repealed). Australia: the Australian Consumer Law has a termination period only for unsolicited (doorstep and telephone) agreements, shown in the doorstep guide. The United States, United Kingdom and Canada are not covered because the statutes are not ingested.
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