The button obligation, in plain English.
No legalese.
Six sections. Each answers a question shop operators have asked us again and again since EU Directive (EU) 2023/2673 was passed. If anything is still unclear after reading: write to me, I answer personally.
Deadline: 19 June 2026
From this date the right of withdrawal button is mandatory for every B2C online shop in the EU.
What changes on 19 June 2026
From this date every B2C shop in the EU needs a two-step right of withdrawal button. Legal basis: EU Directive (EU) 2023/2673, which adds Article 11a to the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU) and is transposed into national law by each member state. There is no grace period after the cut-off date — either the button is live, or it is not.
Step 1 and step 2 — the verbatim labels
Step 1: a button labelled “Withdraw from contract” or an equivalent, unambiguous wording. Step 2: after entering name and contact details, a second button labelled “Confirm withdrawal”. Both wordings are the statutory reference labels for the function. We strongly recommend using them verbatim — every creative variant is an extra warning-letter risk.
What the form must contain
Mandatory: name plus one means of contact — email or phone number is enough. Optional: order reference and a free-text field. Forbidden: a forced login. The consumer must not first have to find their account in order to exercise their statutory right of withdrawal.
Acknowledgement of receipt — without delay, durable medium
After submission an acknowledgement of receipt must follow. The law says “without undue delay”, in practice: seconds, not hours. It must contain the full wording of the withdrawal declaration, plus date and time. The format must be a “durable medium” — an email satisfies that, a toast banner in the browser does not.
Placement — reachable without scrolling
The step-1 button must be visible without scrolling, in the navigation or the footer. It must remain available throughout the entire withdrawal period — at least fourteen days from receipt of the goods, and longer for some product groups.
If the button is missing — the two mechanisms
First mechanism: competition associations and consumer-protection bodies scan from day one. A warning letter typically costs between €500 and €2,000 in legal fees. Second mechanism: the withdrawal period is automatically extended to twelve months and fourteen days. You can receive returns for a whole year that nobody had budgeted for.
Summary of the requirements
- Two-step button: “Withdraw from contract” → form → “Confirm withdrawal”
- Mandatory fields: name + means of contact (email or phone)
- No login required
- Acknowledgement of receipt by email without delay
- Button reachable without scrolling (navigation or footer)
- Available throughout the entire withdrawal period
Every requirement met with one script tag
WiderrufButton implements every legal requirement — installed in 5 minutes, free to start.
Start free now14 days free • No credit card required