From 1 September 2026, businesses selling goods or services online to consumers will be required to make withdrawing from a contract just as straightforward as entering into one.

The new rules, adopted by the Estonian Parliament on 13 May 2026, introduce a mandatory “Withdraw from Contract” function for online consumer sales. The reform reflects a simple principle of consumer law: if a purchase can be caompleted in a few clicks, cancelling it should be equally uncomplicated.

Rather than directing customers to an email address or requiring them to search through terms and conditions, traders will need to provide a clearly visible online withdrawal function.

How the withdrawal function must work

Traders must display a hyperlink labelled “I withdraw from the contract” within their online environment. Clicking it must take the consumer directly to a page where they can complete and submit their withdrawal statement.

The function must also meet the following requirements:

  1. it must remain easily accessible throughout the full 14-day withdrawal period — for example, through the customer’s account for the relevant order, or via a clearly visible, dedicated returns page;
  2. once activated, it must allow the consumer to enter their name and order details and specify which products they are returning;
  3. the system must automatically confirm to the consumer, immediately, that their withdrawal request has been received.

The obligation applies to all B2C online contracts, including standard e-commerce purchases, software and digital subscriptions, and financial services. Non-compliance may result in a coercive fine of up to €9,600, imposed by the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA). The use of misleading design practices (so-called “dark patterns”) carries fines of up to €400,000.

For example, online stores may not design their interfaces to mislead consumers or to make cancelling a service unreasonably difficult, and they may not pressure consumers into reversing a cancellation decision through repeated pop-ups.