Contract withdrawal button: new e-shop obligation from June 19, 2026

From June 19, 2026, every e-shop that concludes distance consumer contracts via a website or app must have a visible button for withdrawing from the contract. This follows from the new Section 20a of Slovak Act No. 108/2024 Coll. on Consumer Protection, into which this obligation was added by an amendment effective from that date and which transposes European Directive 2023/2673. Customers must be able to withdraw from the contract online just as easily as they bought, through a feature labeled for example “withdraw from the contract here” and available throughout the entire statutory period. Below you will find what exactly the law requires and how to prepare your e-shop.

Updated: June 16, 2026. We are expanding this overview as interpretive guidance and enforcement practice on the obligation emerge.

If you run an e-shop on WordPress or another platform, this change concerns you directly. It is not just an update to your terms and conditions, but also an intervention in the user interface and in the process by which you handle returns. In the article WooCommerce vs Shoptet we compared how e-shop processes are managed on these platforms. The new obligation adds another feature that each of them must handle.

Contract withdrawal button: what exactly changes from June 19, 2026

An e-shop may no longer leave withdrawal from the contract to e-mail or a paper form only. It must offer a direct online feature through which the customer submits the withdrawal in a few clicks.

The principle is simple: if a customer concluded a contract through an online interface, they must be able to withdraw through the same or a similarly accessible interface. The aim of European Directive 2023/2673, which the Slovak amendment transposes, is to eliminate so-called dark patterns, that is, situations where buying takes just a few clicks, but cancelling an order or withdrawing from a contract is deliberately complicated, hidden, or available only by phone.

The statutory 14-day period for withdrawing from a distance-purchase contract is not changing; it has long applied in Slovakia. What changes is how the customer exercises it: from now on, a feature for this must be available directly in the e-shop.

How the contract withdrawal button must look and where it must be

The feature must be clearly legible, prominently displayed, and continuously available throughout the entire withdrawal period, not hidden among dozens of links in the footer.

The law requires the button or link to carry text that makes it unambiguous what will happen after it is used. A typical wording is “withdraw from the contract here” or another similarly unambiguous phrasing. The label must not be misleading or ambiguous.

When filling it out, the customer must be able to provide or confirm the data needed to identify the withdrawal:

• the consumer's first and last name,
• data to identify the contract or order (for example, the order number),
• an e-mail address or another online means of communication.

An important detail that is often forgotten during implementation: the feature must also be available to unregistered customers. You cannot make it conditional on logging into an account, because some people shop as guests. At the same time, the rule of “equal ease” applies: withdrawal must not be more complicated than the purchase itself.

A two-step process and confirmation on a durable medium

After filling out the form, the customer confirms the withdrawal with a second button, and the e-shop must promptly send them a confirmation of receipt on a durable medium, usually by e-mail.

The process has two steps. In the first, the customer fills out the withdrawal feature; in the second, they confirm their decision by activating a confirmation button, for example one labeled “confirm withdrawal from the contract.” This is what makes the withdrawal count as sent.

The e-shop is then obliged to promptly provide the consumer with confirmation of receipt of the withdrawal on a durable medium. The confirmation must contain the content of the withdrawal together with the date and time it was sent. In practice, this means an automatic e-mail sent immediately after the form is submitted. This is exactly where it pays off to connect automation: the confirmation e-mail, an internal notification for the team, and even creating a return record can all be handled by a single automated scenario, similar to the examples in the article automations for small businesses with n8n and Make.

Who the obligation applies to and what the exceptions are

The obligation falls on traders who conclude distance consumer contracts through an online interface, that is, the vast majority of ordinary e-shops selling to end customers.

It applies to the sale of goods, digital content, and online services to consumers where a right of withdrawal exists. Logically, it does not apply to situations where a right of withdrawal does not arise by law, for example with goods made to order according to the customer's specific requirements or under other statutory exceptions to the right of withdrawal. In purely B2B sales between businesses, consumer protection does not apply in the same way as in sales to end customers.

If you are not sure whether and to what extent the obligation applies to your particular range of products, it is wise to go through it with a lawyer and to factor these details in when choosing a web provider as well. We have written up what to ask about in 7 questions before choosing a web studio.

What this means for your website and how to prepare

By June 19, 2026, every affected e-shop should have a working button, a two-step process, automatic e-mail confirmation, and updated terms and conditions.

In practice, when managing e-shops, we see that most of the work is not in the button itself, but in the process behind it: where the request lands, who handles it, how the customer learns about its status, and how it connects to the payment refund. Here is a rough checklist of what to prepare.

Legal requirement	What it means in practice for an e-shop
Visible withdrawal feature	A button or link available from the website as well as from e-mails and the order detail, not hidden in the footer
Unambiguous labeling	Text such as “withdraw from the contract here”, without misleading phrasing
Availability throughout the period	The feature active for the whole statutory withdrawal period
Works for guests too	Without the condition of logging into an account
Two-step confirmation	A form plus a confirmation button
Confirmation on a durable medium	An automatic e-mail with the content, date, and time it was sent
Updated documents	Terms and conditions and the withdrawal notice aligned with the new feature

In practice, we recommend not leaving it to the last few days. Prepare the feature in a test environment and go through the entire scenario from the click to the delivery of the confirmation e-mail. Check that the e-mail actually goes out and that it contains both the date and time it was sent. Likewise, verify that a customer who bought as a guest can also find the link, and that the feature works on mobile. Only once the entire flow runs reliably should you deploy it to live operation. This will save you complaints and unnecessary stress right before the deadline.

On WordPress and WooCommerce, the feature can be added with an extension or by modifying the theme, but the key is for it to be fast, accessible, and not to burden the site with unnecessary code. Websites we build without click-based templates can carry such a feature with no impact on performance. If your site runs on a heavy template with lots of plugins, adding another feature can degrade speed even further, which is worth measuring first using our guide to measuring website speed.

Compliance with the Consumer Protection Act is supervised by the Slovak Trade Inspection. Traders may face penalties for breaching their obligations, so it does not pay to leave preparation to the last minute.

Conclusion

A contract withdrawal button is not a formality but a new legal obligation with a clear deadline of June 19, 2026. Preparing it involves a feature in the interface, a two-step process, automatic e-mail confirmation, and aligned terms and conditions. If you run an e-shop and want to be sure everything is set up correctly and without impact on website performance, take a look at what our e-shop creation and management covers, or our automations for confirmations and internal processes.

Need to add a contract withdrawal button to an existing e-shop? No-obligation consultation, and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

Sources and official documents: Act No. 108/2024 Coll. on Consumer Protection (Slov-Lex) and Directive (EU) 2023/2673 of the European Parliament and of the Council (EUR-Lex).

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

From when does the obligation to have a contract withdrawal button apply?

The obligation applies from June 19, 2026. It follows from Section 20a of Slovak Act No. 108/2024 Coll. on Consumer Protection, which transposes EU Directive 2023/2673. From that date, an affected e-shop must have the online withdrawal feature ready and available.

How must the contract withdrawal button be labeled?

It must be easily legible and unambiguously labeled, for example with the text “withdraw from the contract here” or a comparable phrasing. It must be clearly displayed and available throughout the entire statutory withdrawal period, not hidden among other links.

Must the button work for a customer who is not logged in?

Yes. The feature cannot be made conditional on logging into an account; it must also be available to customers who bought as guests. At the same time, withdrawal must not be more complicated than the purchase itself.

What must an e-shop do after a withdrawal is submitted?

The e-shop must promptly send the customer a confirmation of receipt of the withdrawal on a durable medium, usually by e-mail. The confirmation must contain the content of the withdrawal together with the date and time it was sent.

Who does the new obligation not apply to?

It does not apply to cases where a right of withdrawal does not arise by law, for example with goods made to order, and it likewise does not apply to purely B2B sales between businesses. If you have doubts about a specific product range, we recommend consulting a lawyer.