Right of Withdrawal in the Netherlands: 14-Day Bedenktijd for Online Purchases

The right of withdrawal (bedenktijd, formally het recht van ontbinding) is the rule that lets a consumer change their mind after an online purchase. For most distance and off-premises contracts the consumer can cancel within 14 days, without giving any reason and without a penalty.

The right exists because a distance buyer cannot inspect the goods before ordering. It is set out in artikel 6:230o van het Burgerlijk Wetboek (BW) and applies to nearly all online shopping, subject to a defined list of exceptions.

This page explains when the 14 days start, what happens if the seller never mentioned the right, which purchases are excluded, and how quickly a refund must follow.

Information last verified on 22 July 2026. This page provides general legal information about Netherlands law and does not constitute legal advice in an individual case.

What the right of withdrawal covers

The right applies to two kinds of contract. A distance contract (overeenkomst op afstand) is one where buyer and seller never meet, which covers almost all online and telephone orders. An off-premises contract (overeenkomst buiten de verkoopruimte) is one made away from the trader's shop, such as a doorstep or sales-event purchase.

An ordinary purchase in a physical shop is not covered, because the buyer could inspect the goods first. Within the two covered categories the right is broad: artikel 6:230o lid 1 BW lets the consumer cancel (ontbinden) without giving any reason before the 14-day period has passed.

For most online and other distance purchases, a consumer may cancel the contract within 14 days without giving a reason (artikel 6:230o BW). For a purchase of goods the 14 days run from the day the consumer receives the item; if the trader did not inform the consumer of this right, the period extends by up to 12 months.

When the 14 days start

The starting point depends on what was bought. For a service the clock runs from the day the contract is concluded. For goods it runs from the day the consumer, or someone they nominate, receives the item, which is usually later than the order date.

Special rules cover deliveries that arrive in parts. Where an order is delivered in several shipments, the period runs from the last item received; for a regular subscription delivery it runs from the first. The effect is that the consumer always has a full 14 days once the goods are actually in hand.

A worked example makes the difference concrete. A consumer orders a coat online on 1 March and it is delivered on 5 March. The 14-day period runs from 5 March, so the last day to cancel is 19 March, not 15 March. Cancellation is done by an unambiguous statement to the trader, after which the consumer returns the goods and the trader refunds.

If the seller never mentioned the right

A trader must inform the consumer of the withdrawal right before the contract is made (artikel 6:230m BW). When that duty is not met, the consumer is not confined to only 14 days.

Artikel 6:230o lid 2 BW extends the period by the time that passes without the information being given, up to a maximum of 12 months on top of the original 14 days. So the outer limit is 12 months and 14 days from receipt. If the trader supplies the missing information during that window, a fresh 14-day period runs from the moment the consumer receives it.

Purchases that cannot be withdrawn

Artikel 6:230p BW lists the contracts with no right of withdrawal. Three of them account for most disputes.

Custom or personalised goods are excluded. Items made to the consumer's specifications, or clearly intended for one specific person, cannot be returned under this right, which covers a made-to-measure product or an engraved gift.

Sealed goods that cannot be returned for reasons of health protection or hygiene are excluded once the seal is broken. The right survives while the item is still sealed and lapses only when the consumer opens it.

Digital content not supplied on a physical medium is excluded where performance has begun with the consumer's express prior consent, the consumer has acknowledged losing the withdrawal right, and the trader has confirmed the agreement on a durable medium. All three conditions must be met. A streamed or downloaded file the consumer chose to start falls into this category.

Other exclusions in artikel 6:230p BW include public auctions, urgent repairs the consumer asked for, perishable goods, sealed audio, video or software once unsealed, and dated leisure, travel, car-hire or catering services.

How a refund works

A valid withdrawal creates a duty on the trader, not only on the consumer. Under artikel 6:230r BW the trader must refund all payments received, including the standard delivery cost, without delay and at the latest within 14 days of receiving the cancellation.

The trader may hold the refund until the goods are returned, or until the consumer proves they have been sent, whichever comes first. The consumer generally bears the direct cost of returning the goods, unless the trader agreed to cover it or failed to state that the consumer would pay.

Withdrawal is not the same as a guarantee

Withdrawal is separate from the statutory guarantee on faulty goods (wettelijke garantie): the first lets a consumer return a sound item within 14 days for any reason, while the second applies when a product does not conform to the contract and has no fixed cut-off (artikel 7:17 BW). A faulty product bought online can engage both, and the conformity rules are covered on warranty rights in the Netherlands.

If a trader refuses a valid cancellation, the dispute is a consumer-contract matter. Artikel 93 Rv sends a case about a consumer purchase to the kantonrechter regardless of the amount at stake, so the general EUR 25,000 threshold for that court does not limit a consumer here.

Related pages

For faulty rather than simply unwanted goods, see warranty rights in the Netherlands. The wider structure of Dutch law is set out on Netherlands law.