The withdrawal button is mandatory.
Since 19 June 2026, online shops selling to consumers have had to offer a two-step withdrawal button — in Germany, France and Italy from that day, in other member states once their national law is in force. The legal basis is EU Directive (EU) 2023/2673, which adds Article 11a to the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU). Here are the key points in under five minutes — and how WiderrufButton meets the legal requirement with a short code snippet you paste in once.
What is the withdrawal-button obligation?
Directive (EU) 2023/2673 modernises consumer protection in distance selling across the EU. It requires traders who offer goods or services to consumers through an online interface to provide a withdrawal function. Throughout the withdrawal period, that function must be continuously available, prominently placed and easily accessible — as a rule without logging in. It sits alongside the existing withdrawal instructions and the model withdrawal form. Each member state transposes it into national law — for example § 356a BGB in Germany, Article L221-21 of the Code de la consommation in France, the Codice del Consumo in Italy, article 6:230oa of the Civil Code in the Netherlands. In Spain the transposition is still pending.
When does the obligation apply?
The Directive applies from 19 June 2026, without a transition period. Germany, France and Italy have applied the obligation since that date, the Netherlands since 25 June 2026 and Austria since 1 October 2026; in Spain the transposition is still pending. It covers distance contracts that consumers conclude through an online interface — small traders, sole proprietors and hobby shops included. Outside its scope are, among others, purely B2B shops, custom-made goods, perishable goods and contracts that are not concluded online.
What exactly must the button do?
The law prescribes a two-step process. Step 1 is a clearly visible button labelled “Withdraw from contract” or an unambiguously equivalent wording. Throughout the withdrawal period it must be continuously available, prominently placed and easily accessible. There is no rule that it must be visible without scrolling: what counts is that customers can reach it from every page and that it stands out — a button in the footer works if it is clearly highlighted there. Step 2 is the actual withdrawal form. It must let the consumer state their name, details identifying the contract (an order number is just one way to do so) and the email address or other electronic means for the acknowledgement of receipt; a free-text field is optional. The confirmation button carries the statutory label “Confirm withdrawal”.
After submission, the shop must provide the consumer, without undue delay, with an acknowledgement of receipt on a durable medium, in practice by email. This confirmation must contain at least the content of the withdrawal declaration and the date and time of its receipt.
Who does it apply to?
The obligation covers every trader who offers distance contracts to consumers in the EU. That includes classic online shops as well as SaaS providers, course platforms, subscription services, streaming and digital downloads. The company's location is irrelevant; what matters is that the offer is directed at consumers in an EU member state. Non-EU shops that sell into the EU are also covered.
What penalties are at stake?
In Germany, a fine is provided for: Art. 246e § 1(2) no. 14a EGBGB expressly names a missing electronic withdrawal function under § 356a BGB as an administrative offence, with a framework of up to 50,000 euros, more for high-turnover businesses (Art. 246e § 2(2) and (3) EGBGB). Only the Federal Office of Justice may impose it, however (Art. 246e § 2(6) EGBGB), and solely within a coordinated European enforcement action under Art. 21 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 (Art. 246e § 2(5) EGBGB). For an individual shop, that is rarely the main risk in practice.
Two other consequences matter more in practice. First: competition-law warning letters from competitors or trade associations. In the cases documented so far under § 356a BGB (Wettbewerbszentrale, Verband Sozialer Wettbewerb), around 417 euros per warning letter were claimed; a competitor's warning letter sent through a lawyer is billed according to the amount in dispute and can cost more. Second: if you fail to inform consumers about the existence and placement of the withdrawal function, the withdrawal period does not start running — it then expires only twelve months and 14 days after its regular start: for goods, from receipt of the goods; for services and digital content, from conclusion of the contract (§ 356(2) to (4) BGB in conjunction with Art. 246a § 1(2) sentence 1 no. 1 EGBGB). For durable goods such as electronics or furniture, this is the more expensive of the two.
How do you implement it compliantly?
WiderrufButton is the tool that fixes the statutory confirmation wording, so the required label is used consistently. Every withdrawal is recorded with a timestamp and an independently verifiable proof, and the customer receives a tailored acknowledgement of receipt by email. Setup takes five minutes with a short code snippet, works with any shop system and is GDPR-compliant on servers in Germany (Frankfurt).
Are you affected? Take the obligation check.
In two minutes you'll know whether your shop falls under the withdrawal-button obligation and which steps you should take now.