From 19 June 2026, national laws implementing the EU Directive 2023/2673 require many businesses selling online to EU consumers to provide an electronic “withdrawal button” allowing customers to exercise their statutory cancellation rights directly through a website or app. The requirement applies to online contracts that benefit from a statutory right of withdrawal and does not extend to goods or services that fall within one of the recognised exemptions to that right.
Although the UK is not implementing the Directive as a matter of domestic law , UK businesses should not assume they can ignore it. Any business targeting consumers in EU Member States may need to comply with the relevant national implementing legislation, regardless of where the business itself is established.
What is the “withdrawal button”?
EU consumers have long enjoyed a right to withdraw from many online purchases within 14 days without giving a reason. The new rules are designed to ensure that withdrawing from a contract is as easy as entering into one. Businesses now must provide a clear and easily accessible electronic withdrawal function on their website. In practice, this is commonly being referred to as the “withdrawal button”.
The withdrawal function must remain available throughout the withdrawal period and be clearly labelled, for example with wording such as “Withdraw from contract here” or another equally unambiguous alternative.
How does it work?
The Directive requires a two-step withdrawal process. First, the consumer submits an online withdrawal request, confirming information such as their identity and the contract they wish to cancel. Secondly, they complete the process through a dedicated confirmation step, which must be clearly labelled (for example, “Confirm withdrawal”). Once submitted, the trader must promptly provide an acknowledgement of receipt on a durable medium, such as email.
Businesses should therefore review not only the visibility of their cancellation journey but also the back-end processes required to generate and retain withdrawal confirmations.
Does this apply to UK businesses?
The UK is under no obligation to implement the EU Directive and there is currently no equivalent UK-wide withdrawal button requirement. UK consumer law instead continues to be governed principally by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and sector-specific rules such as those issued by the FCA. While the UK is not adopting the withdrawal button, the direction of travel is familiar; the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 contains reforms aimed at increasing transparency and making it easier for consumers to cancel certain arrangements, particularly subscription contracts.
Where a UK business markets or sells goods or services to consumers in the EU, it may be caught by the implementing laws of the relevant Member State. This is particularly relevant for online retailers, subscription services and other organisations operating distance-selling models across multiple jurisdictions.
What should businesses do now?
Any UK business selling to EU consumers should review its online customer journey to determine whether the new rules apply and, if so, whether website and app functionality needs to be updated. If updates to the withdrawal function are required, businesses should think carefully about the wording, ensuring any new button is clearly labelled. Businesses should also assess their cancellation procedures, customer communications and record-keeping processes to ensure they can generate the acknowledgements required under the new regime.
For organisations trading across both the UK and EU, now is an opportune time to review consumer-facing terms and cancellation mechanisms to ensure that they remain compliant in all target markets.
