Who Pays Return Costs for Withdrawals in Portugal?

In short: when a consumer in Portugal withdraws from an online order, the consumer normally bears the direct cost of returning the goods — but only if you told them so clearly beforehand. If you did not, that cost falls on you as the seller. This follows the EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, transposed in Portugal through Decreto-Lei 24/2014. The disclosure condition The rule turns on disclosure. To place the return cost on the consumer, you must state clearly, before the contract is concluded, that they will pay to send the goods back. Leave this out of your pre-contract information and you become liable for those return costs yourself. It is a small point that has a real financial effect. What sellers still owe Return costs are separate from your refund duty. When a consumer withdraws, you must reimburse all payments received, including the standard cost of the original delivery, within 14 days. You may withhold that refund until the goods come back, or until the consumer proves they have sent them. Practical steps State clearly, before purchase, that the consumer pays return costs if you want that to apply. Provide this in Portuguese alongside the model withdrawal form. Refund the original standard delivery cost within 14 days of a valid withdrawal. Enforcement in Portugal involves the DGC and ASAE. National specifics can change, so treat this as a qualitative guide and confirm the current position with the relevant Portuguese authority before relying on it. This article is educational, not legal advice.

What Is the FAGG Withdrawal Right in Austria?

In short: the FAGG withdrawal right is Austria's version of the EU right of withdrawal. The Fern- und Auswärtsgeschäfte-Gesetz (FAGG) is the Austrian law that transposes the EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, giving consumers a cooling-off right on most distance (online) and off-premises contracts. The core of the right Under the FAGG, a consumer in Austria generally has 14 days to withdraw from the contract without giving a reason. For a sale of goods, that period runs from the day the consumer takes physical possession of the goods — from delivery rather than from the order. If you fail to inform the consumer about the right, the period can be extended by up to 12 months, following the directive. What it means for sellers Tell consumers clearly about the 14-day right before they order. Make the model withdrawal form available in German. Refund all payments, including standard delivery, within 14 days of a valid withdrawal. Remember the exceptions, such as personalised, perishable or unsealed hygiene goods. The FAGG applies the same EU standard as other member states, expressed in Austrian law and in German. National specifics can change, so treat this as a qualitative guide and confirm the current position with the relevant Austrian authority before relying on it. This article is educational, not legal advice.

Must Polish Shops Provide a Withdrawal Form?

In short: yes. Online shops selling to consumers in Poland must make a model withdrawal form available. This flows from the EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, which Poland has transposed into its Consumer Rights Act (Ustawa o prawach konsumenta). Provide the form, but don't require it The directive supplies a standard model withdrawal form, and you are expected to make it available to consumers. Importantly, the consumer is not obliged to use it: they can withdraw by any clear statement of their decision. So the duty is to offer the form, not to insist on it as the only route. Language matters For Polish customers, provide the withdrawal form and your accompanying information in Polish so it is genuinely accessible. This sits alongside your wider duty to tell consumers clearly about the 14-day withdrawal right before they order. What sellers should do Include a model withdrawal form with your pre-contract information, in Polish. Accept any clear statement of withdrawal, not only the form. Refund within 14 days, including standard delivery, once the consumer withdraws. Enforcement in Poland sits with UOKiK, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. National specifics can change, so treat this as a qualitative guide and confirm the current position with UOKiK before relying on it. This article is educational, not legal advice.

How Long to Withdraw From an Online Order in Belgium?

In short: for most online orders, a consumer in Belgium has 14 days to withdraw from the contract without giving any reason. This cooling-off right comes from the EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, which Belgium has transposed into its Code de droit économique (the WER). When the 14 days start For a sale of goods, the 14-day period generally runs from the day the consumer takes physical possession of the goods — in practice, from delivery rather than from the order date. If an order is delivered in several instalments, the period usually starts from receipt of the last item. When it can be longer The 14 days assume you told the consumer clearly about their withdrawal right. If you did not provide that information, the period is extended by up to 12 months. Supplying the information later starts the standard 14 days from that point, so clear up-front disclosure keeps the window short. What this means for sellers State the 14-day withdrawal right clearly before the customer orders. Make the model withdrawal form available, in a language your customers understand. Refund within 14 days, including standard delivery, once a consumer withdraws. Enforcement in Belgium sits with the FPS Economy. National specifics can change, so treat this as a qualitative guide and confirm the current position with the relevant Belgian authority when it matters. This article is educational, not legal advice.

Who Pays Return Shipping for Withdrawals in the Netherlands?

It depends on what you told the customer. Under the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU), transposed into the Dutch Civil Code (the Burgerlijk Wetboek), the consumer may be made to bear the direct cost of returning the goods after a withdrawal — but only if you informed them beforehand that they would carry that cost. If you did not, you as the seller must bear it. Two separate costs It helps to keep two different amounts apart: The original outbound delivery — when a consumer withdraws, your refund must include the standard cost of the original delivery. You are not obliged to refund the extra cost of a premium delivery option the customer chose over your cheapest standard one. The return shipping — this is the separate cost of sending the goods back to you, and it is the one that can fall on the customer, provided you told them clearly in advance. What this means for a Dutch-market store The practical rule is simple: if you want the customer to pay return postage, say so clearly before they order — ideally in Dutch, and on a durable medium such as the confirmation email. Stay silent and the cost is yours by default. Either way, reimburse the price and the standard outbound delivery within 14 days of a valid withdrawal. For the broader rules and enforcement context — the ACM oversees consumer protection in the Netherlands — see our complete withdrawal button guide and the withdrawal-button law page. This answer is educational and does not constitute legal advice.

Guide

The Right of Withdrawal in the Netherlands: Rules for Online Sellers

By Compliance Editorial Team Updated July 5, 2026 4 min read

EU Withdrawal Button

The right of withdrawal is one of the cornerstones of European consumer protection. It comes from the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU), which gives most consumers who buy at a distance — typically online — a 14-day period in which they can change their mind and return the goods for a refund, without giving a reason. If your PrestaShop store sells to consumers in the Netherlands, this right applies to your sales regardless of where your business is established.

This guide explains, in practical terms, how the withdrawal right works for a merchant selling into the Dutch market. It is a starting point rather than a definitive statement of the law, so treat the national specifics as prompts to check with the relevant authority rather than as guarantees. For the wider framework, see our withdrawal-button law page and the complete withdrawal button guide.

The EU baseline that applies in the Netherlands

Because the Directive sets a common standard across the Union, the essentials are the same whether your customer is in Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Utrecht. A consumer buying goods at a distance generally has 14 days to withdraw, and that period runs from the day the consumer takes physical possession of the goods — from delivery, not from the order date.

Within the withdrawal window the consumer does not need to justify the decision. Once they have withdrawn, you must reimburse all payments received, including the standard cost of delivery, within 14 days. You may hold the refund until you have received the goods back or have proof that they have been dispatched.

The model withdrawal form

The Directive requires traders to make a model withdrawal form available so consumers have a clear, ready-made way to exercise the right. Consumers may also withdraw by any other unambiguous statement, but the form must be provided. In the Dutch market you should expect consumer-facing information, including the model form, to be available in Dutch.

How the Netherlands implements the right

The Netherlands transposes the Directive through its Civil Code, the Burgerlijk Wetboek. This means the core rules a Dutch consumer relies on — the 14-day period, the reimbursement duty, the information obligations — sit within Dutch statute law and are read and applied in that national context rather than directly from the EU text.

Enforcement in the Netherlands is a national matter. The authority most closely associated with consumer protection is the ACM (the Autoriteit Consument & Markt). It is the ACM, rather than any EU-level body, that supervises traders and acts on consumer-protection concerns in the Dutch market, so the practical texture of enforcement is domestic even though the underlying right is European.

The information duty and the 12-month extension

The most important consequence to remember is what happens if you fail to inform the consumer about the right of withdrawal. Where the required information is missing, the withdrawal period is extended by up to 12 months. A customer could return goods and reclaim the price long after you assumed the sale was final, so a small omission in your Dutch-language checkout can turn a 14-day window into a year-long liability across every affected order.

An omitted withdrawal notice does not simply risk a fine — it silently extends your refund exposure by up to a year on every order it touches.

Exceptions to keep in mind

Not every sale carries a withdrawal right. The Directive lists categories where it does not normally apply, and these carry across into Dutch law. Common examples include:

Goods made to the consumer’s specifications or clearly personalised.
Perishable goods, such as food that can deteriorate quickly.
Sealed goods unsuitable for return once unsealed for health or hygiene reasons.

Where an exception applies, tell the consumer clearly, before they order, that the withdrawal right will not be available for that item.

Putting it into practice

For a store selling into the Netherlands, the practical checklist is the same as elsewhere in the Union: present the 14-day right and its conditions clearly at checkout, provide the model withdrawal form in Dutch, reimburse within 14 days including standard delivery, and confirm the information on a durable medium. If you would like a structured review, our PrestaShop compliance audit maps each requirement against your live checkout.

This article is educational and does not constitute legal advice.

The EU baseline that applies in the Netherlands

The model withdrawal form

How the Netherlands implements the right

The information duty and the 12-month extension

Exceptions to keep in mind

Putting it into practice

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