Deadline for a refund after cancelling
France, Spain, Austria, Norway and Sweden give the trader at most 14 days to refund, but they start the clock at different moments: Austria counts from receipt of the withdrawal declaration, while Sweden counts from the day the trader received the consumer's notice. Australia sets no number of days for doorstep and telephone sales and instead demands the refund immediately on notice of termination. Four of the five countries with a 14-day limit also tie the refund to the original payment method, and all five let a seller of goods wait for the goods or proof of return.
| Country | Refund deadline | Clock starts | Payment method | Seller may wait for the goods? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Without delay, at most 14 days | Receipt of the withdrawal declaration | Same payment method, unless agreed otherwise at no cost to the consumer | Yes, until the goods are back or proof of return is given |
| Australia | Immediately | Notice of termination | ||
| Spain | Without undue delay, within 14 calendar days | Date the trader is told of the withdrawal | Same payment method, unless the consumer says otherwise and bears no cost | Yes, until the goods are received or proof of return is given |
| France | Without undue delay, at most 14 days | Date the trader is informed of the decision to withdraw | Same payment method, unless the consumer expressly agrees otherwise at no cost | Yes, until the goods are recovered or proof of dispatch is given |
| Norway | Without undue delay, at most 14 days | Date the trader got notice of the decision to use the right of withdrawal | Same payment method, unless expressly agreed otherwise; no fee for the refund | Yes, until the goods are received or documentation of return is given |
| Sweden | Without undue delay, at most 14 days | Day the trader received the consumer's notice of withdrawal | Same payment method, unless the consumer expressly agrees otherwise at no cost | Yes, until the trader has the goods or the consumer shows they were sent back |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Fern- und Auswärtsgeschäfte-Gesetz § 14(1) and (3)
- Covers distance contracts and contracts concluded away from business premises (§ 11).
- Does not apply where the trader offered to collect the goods himself.
unverzüglich, spätestens jedoch binnen 14 Tagen ab Zugang der Rücktrittserklärung zu erstattenEr hat für die Rückzahlung dasselbe Zahlungsmittel zu verwenden, dessen sich der Verbraucher für die Abwicklung seiner Zahlung bedient hatkann der Unternehmer die Rückzahlung verweigern, bis er entweder die Ware wieder zurückerhalten oder ihm der Verbraucher einen Nachweis über die Rücksendung der Ware erbracht hat Australia
- Rule
- Australian Consumer Law ss 82 and 84
- Applies only to unsolicited consumer agreements (doorstep and telephone sales) terminated within the termination period of section 82; the ingested text sets no refund deadline for ordinary online purchases.
- The statute says return or refund of "any consideration" and does not name a payment method or a right to wait for goods, so those columns are left blank.
the supplier under the agreement must, immediately upon being notified of the termination, return or refund to the consumer under the agreement any consideration Spain
- Rule
- Ley General para la Defensa de los Consumidores y Usuarios art. 107(1) and (3)
- The extra cost of a delivery method dearer than the cheapest standard one is not refunded (art. 107(2)).
- The seller may not hold the refund if it offered to collect the goods itself.
sin demoras indebidas y, en cualquier caso, antes de que hayan transcurrido 14 días naturales desde la fecha en que haya sido informado de la decisión de desistimientoutilizando el mismo medio de pago empleado por el consumidor para la transacción inicialel empresario podrá retener el reembolso hasta haber recibido los bienes, o hasta que el consumidor y usuario haya presentado una prueba de la devolución de los bienes France
- Rule
- Code de la consommation art. L221-24
- The refund covers all sums paid, including delivery costs, but not the extra cost of a dearer delivery mode the consumer chose.
- The trader may not delay if it proposed to collect the goods itself.
sans retard injustifié et au plus tard dans les quatorze jours à compter de la date à laquelle il est informé de la décision du consommateur de se rétracteren utilisant le même moyen de paiement que celui utilisé par le consommateur pour la transaction initialele professionnel peut différer le remboursement jusqu'à récupération des biens ou jusqu'à ce que le consommateur ait fourni une preuve de l'expédition de ces biens Norway
- Rule
- Angrerettloven § 24
- The extra cost of a delivery type the consumer chose over the standard one is not refunded.
- The trader may not hold the refund if it offered to collect the goods itself.
Tilbakebetaling skal skje uten unødig opphold, og senest 14 dager fra da den næringsdrivende fikk melding om forbrukerens beslutning om å benytte angrerettenskal tilbakebetalingen skje ved bruk av samme betalingsmiddel som forbrukeren benyttetDen næringsdrivende kan holde tilbakebetalingen tilbake til varene er mottatt, eller til forbrukeren har lagt frem dokumentasjon på at varene er sendt tilbake Sweden
- Rule
- Distansavtalslagen 2 kap. 14 §
- Covers distance contracts and contracts away from business premises.
- The wait for the goods does not apply where the trader must collect them at its own cost.
Återbetalning ska göras utan onödigt dröjsmål och senast inom 14 dagar från den dag då näringsidkaren tog emot konsumentens meddelande om att avtalet frånträttsNäringsidkaren ska använda samma betalningssätt som konsumenten, om inte konsumenten uttryckligen går med på något annatbehöver återbetalning dock inte göras förrän näringsidkaren tagit emot varan från konsumenten eller konsumenten visat att varan sänts tillbaka Countries not in this table yet
Germany is missing because its withdrawal-consequences rules (BGB § 357) are not among the ingested sections, and Japan, the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada have no ingested section that states a refund deadline after withdrawal.
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.
Use this data
The table and the CSV are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit LawAsked and link to this page. Quoted statute text stays under the terms of its official source.
How to cite this page
LawAsked, “Deadline for a refund after cancelling”, https://lawasked.com/guides/refund-deadline (reviewed October 25, 2026).
Important Legal Disclaimer
General legal information, not formal legal advice. The information provided on LawAsked does not constitute formal legal advice and creates no attorney-client relationship. If you require legal assistance, please consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.