The EU Withdrawal Button in the Netherlands

The right to cancel in the Netherlands

If you sell online to people in the Netherlands, your Dutch customers have the right to cancel many orders. This is normal. It is part of doing business across the European Union. The good news is that the rules are clear once you know them. This guide walks you through it in plain words.

The Dutch word for the right to cancel is herroepingsrecht. That just means the right of withdrawal. It is the customer's right to change their mind and send the item back. You will also see the Dutch word bedenktijd. That means the cooling off period. It is the time the customer gets to think it over after they buy.

Dutch consumer rules sit in the Dutch Civil Code. A body called the Authority for Consumers and Markets, known as the ACM, keeps an eye on shops and makes sure they treat customers fairly. So it pays to get this right.

The 14 day rule explained simply

Here is the heart of it. A Dutch customer can cancel most online orders within 14 days. They do not need to give a reason. They can simply say they changed their mind.

When does the clock start? It depends on what you sell.

• For goods, the 14 days usually start the day after the customer receives the item.
• For a service, the 14 days usually start the day after the order is made.
• If one order arrives in several parcels, the clock usually starts the day after the last parcel arrives.

After the customer tells you they want to cancel, they then have another 14 days to send the goods back to you. Some products are exempt from the right to cancel. Examples are made to order items, sealed health products once opened, and fresh food. Always tell the customer up front if an item cannot be returned.

What changes in 2026: the new EU withdrawal button

There is a new rule on the way. It comes from Directive (EU) 2023/2673. A directive is an EU law that each country writes into its own national law.

Here are the key dates and facts. Countries had to put this into their national law by 19 December 2025. The rule applies from 19 June 2026. The big idea is simple. Cancelling online must be as easy as buying. So shops need a clear withdrawal button. When a customer clicks it, they get a short confirm step. Then they get a confirmation they can save and keep.

One point to be clear about. The mandatory withdrawal button in Directive 2023/2673 starts with distance financial services. That means things like loans, insurance, and other money products sold online. The broader 14 day right of withdrawal already covers most online sales of goods and services. That comes from the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU. So do not assume the button is legally required for every single product you sell today. Even so, an easy cancel path is the direction things are heading, and it builds trust.

Use Dutch for your messages

Your customers in the Netherlands read Dutch. So your withdrawal button, your messages, and your cancellation information should be in Dutch. If a customer cannot understand the steps, the process is not really easy for them.

This is not just polite. Clear information in the customer's own language helps you meet the rules and avoid confusion. Write your return steps, your refund terms, and your button labels in plain Dutch.

What Dutch shoppers expect

Dutch shoppers are used to good online service. They expect a few things, and you should plan for all of them.

• Clear information before they buy. Price, delivery time, return terms, and how to cancel.
• An easy way to cancel. No hidden forms. No long waits on the phone.
• Fast refunds once they return an item or cancel in time.

Many Dutch shoppers know trust marks like Thuiswinkel Waarborg. A trust mark is a label that shows a shop follows fair rules. You do not have to join one. But it shows how much Dutch buyers care about trust and clear terms. If your shop feels open and fair, you will win more orders.

Steps to get your shop ready

Here is a simple, ordered list of things to do. Work through them one by one.

• Write your cancellation policy in clear Dutch. State the 14 day period in plain words.
• Show the cancel terms before checkout, not hidden in a long page after the sale.
• Add an easy way to cancel. A simple form or a clear button works well.
• Send a confirmation the customer can save when they cancel.
• Set up your refund process so money goes back fast and to the same payment method.
• List any items that cannot be returned, and say so before the customer buys.
• If you sell financial products at a distance, get ready for the withdrawal button by 19 June 2026.
• Train your support team so they handle cancel requests the same way every time.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few simple errors cause most of the trouble. Watch out for these.

• Hiding the cancel terms or making them hard to find.
• Asking the customer why they want to cancel as if they must explain. They do not.
• Making the customer pay a fee just to cancel within the cooling off period.
• Refunding slowly, or only as store credit when the customer wants their money back.
• Refunding to a different method than the one the customer paid with.
• Forgetting to tell the customer up front which items cannot be returned.
• Writing your cancel steps only in English when your buyers read Dutch.

Refunds in the Netherlands

Refunds are where many disputes start, so handle them well. When a Dutch customer cancels in time, you must give their money back. Here is how to do it right.

• Refund using the same payment method the customer used to pay. If they paid by iDEAL or card, refund the same way.
• Refund without undue delay. That means as soon as you reasonably can, not weeks later.
• Refund within 14 days once the conditions are met.

You can often wait to refund until you get the goods back, or until the customer shows proof they sent them. The refund usually covers the price and the standard delivery cost. Give the money back in full when the rules are met, and keep the process smooth.

Keep records and proof

Good records protect you. If a customer says they cancelled and you say they did not, your records settle it.

Keep proof of each request. Save the date the customer asked to cancel. Save the confirmation you sent. Save the date you got the goods back and the date you paid the refund. Store these in one place so you can find them fast. If the ACM or a customer ever asks, you have your answer ready.

Selling into the Netherlands from another country

Maybe your shop is based somewhere else. That is fine. But here is the key point. If you target Dutch consumers, Dutch and EU rules generally apply to those sales.

Targeting means things like showing prices in euros, offering delivery to the Netherlands, or writing your site in Dutch. If you do that, you cannot ignore the Dutch cooling off period or the refund rules. So treat your Dutch buyers the same way a local Dutch shop would. It keeps you safe and it builds trust.

A short recap

Let us pull it together in a few lines.

• Dutch customers can cancel most online orders within 14 days, no reason needed.
• The Dutch word for this right is herroepingsrecht, and bedenktijd is the cooling off time.
• From 19 June 2026, the new EU withdrawal button makes cancelling as easy as buying, starting with distance financial services.
• Write your cancel steps and button in Dutch.
• Refund to the same payment method, without undue delay, within 14 days once conditions are met.
• Keep proof of every request.
• If you sell to Dutch consumers from abroad, these rules still apply to you.

Get these basics right and you give your Dutch customers a shop they can trust.

The EU Withdrawal Button and PrestaShop in the Netherlands

The EU Withdrawal Button is the clear, on site way for your customers to use their right of withdrawal, known in the Netherlands as herroepingsrecht. The same EU Consumer Rights apply whichever platform you sell on, so the goal is the same everywhere: make cancelling as easy as buying.

If you run a PrestaShop store that sells to the Netherlands, you can meet these rules with a PrestaShop withdrawal button. A withdrawal button module for PrestaShop adds the button, the two step confirm, the saved receipt and the records you need for PrestaShop EU compliance. Read our PrestaShop withdrawal button guide for the steps, then use the compliance checklist to confirm you have covered everything for the Netherlands.