The Cancellation Button in Germany (§312k BGB)

Germany already requires a mandatory cancellation button (“Kundigungsbutton”) for certain online contracts. The obligation lives in section 312k of the German Civil Code (BGB) and has applied since 1 July 2022. It is the clearest existing precedent for the direction the EU is heading with a proposed EU-wide withdrawal button, so it is worth understanding in detail if you sell to German customers.

This guide explains what the German cancellation button requires, how it differs from the separate 14-day right of withdrawal, and how it previews the forthcoming EU proposal. For the wider picture, see the withdrawal button law hub and the Germany compliance hub.

Two different things: cancellation and withdrawal

It is easy to confuse two mechanisms that both let a consumer exit a contract. They are not the same, and merchants should keep them separate.

• The 14-day right of withdrawal comes from the EU Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU) and lets consumers unwind most distance-sales contracts within 14 days, usually without giving a reason. It applies across the EU.
• Germany’s cancellation button under section 312k BGB is a national requirement about ending continuing-obligation contracts, such as subscriptions, that were concluded online. It is about terminating an ongoing contract, not returning a one-off purchase.

What section 312k BGB requires

Where a business lets consumers conclude a continuing-obligation contract online, section 312k BGB requires it to provide an easy electronic way to terminate that contract. In practice this means a clearly labelled cancellation button that a consumer can reach directly, followed by a confirmation page where they enter the details needed to cancel, and a confirmation of the cancellation sent to them. The button must be permanently available, clearly legible and reachable without the consumer having to log in or hunt through the site.

The rule targets a real problem: businesses that made signing up a single click but made cancelling deliberately hard. By mandating a symmetrical, plainly labelled exit, section 312k BGB puts termination on the same footing as sign-up.

Who it applies to

The obligation is most relevant to any PrestaShop merchant selling subscriptions, memberships, service plans or other recurring arrangements to German consumers online. A store that only sells one-off physical goods, with no continuing-obligation contracts, is far less likely to be caught by the cancellation-button rule, though it still has to honour the 14-day withdrawal right. If any part of your offering is a recurring contract concluded online, review section 312k carefully.

Why Germany previews the EU withdrawal button

At EU level, a standardised withdrawal button that would let consumers exercise the 14-day withdrawal right with a single, harmonised control is proposed and forthcoming rather than in force. It is not yet a binding obligation across the EU, and merchants should not treat it as one until it is adopted and its details are settled.

Germany’s cancellation button is a concrete national precedent for the same design philosophy: a clearly labelled, easy-to-find control that lets consumers exit without friction. If the EU withdrawal button is adopted, businesses that have already built a compliant German cancellation flow will find the underlying pattern familiar, even though the two controls address different rights.

Practical steps for German sales

• If you sell any recurring contracts to German consumers online, provide a clearly labelled cancellation button that meets section 312k BGB.
• Make the button permanently visible and reachable without a login, with a confirmation page and confirmation message.
• Keep the 14-day withdrawal process separate and correctly documented for one-off purchases.
• Watch the EU withdrawal-button proposal, but do not treat it as binding until it is adopted.

Related and next steps

• The EU withdrawal button explained
• Germany compliance hub

This guide is a general explanation, not legal advice. The precise wording and case law around section 312k BGB, and the status of the EU withdrawal-button proposal, can change, so confirm the current position before you rely on it.