Since 19 June 2026, every online shop selling to consumers in Romania has to offer a withdrawal function directly in the website or the app. A PDF form or an e-mail address in the terms and conditions is no longer enough. This article is a compliance guide: what the law requires, what has to exist in the shop, and what to check before you say you are covered. It is not legal advice; for your specific situation, talk to a lawyer.
What changed
OUG 18/2026 (a Romanian government emergency ordinance) transposes Directive (EU) 2023/2673, which amends the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, and adds a new article 11¹ to OUG 34/2014, the base law for distance contracts (source: legislatie.just.ro, OUG 18/2026; trusted.ro). Article 11¹ applies from 19 June 2026 (source: legislatie.just.ro, art. IV). Because the change comes from an EU directive, the same “withdrawal button” obligation is arriving in other member states too, with local wording and dates.
In short: if you conclude distance contracts through an online interface (website, app, platform), you must give the consumer a withdrawal function. The right of withdrawal itself is not new: the consumer has 14 days to cancel the contract without giving a reason (source: OUG 34/2014, art. 9). What is new is how they must be able to exercise it.
The four things that must exist
From the text of article 11¹ (source: legislatie.just.ro, OUG 18/2026):
1. A withdrawal function, clearly labelled. The law requires the function to be labelled “retrageți-vă din contract aici” (“withdraw from the contract here”) or similar unambiguous wording. It must be displayed prominently, be easy to read, easy to reach, and available continuously throughout the withdrawal period. In practice: a link in the footer or the menu, plus a button next to each eligible order in the customer account (source: trusted.ro).
2. An online form with a minimum of data. The consumer’s name, the details identifying the contract (the order number) and an electronic contact where the confirmation is sent. If the customer is already signed in, you cannot ask again for data you already have (source: trusted.ro). The form must also work for customers who ordered without an account.
3. A separate confirmation button. The withdrawal statement is submitted through a button labelled “confirmați retragerea” (“confirm the withdrawal”) or similar, legible and easy to see. It is a distinct step, not a pre-ticked box and not a consent bundled with another action (source: legislatie.just.ro; trusted.ro).
4. A confirmation on a durable medium. After submission, the trader acknowledges receipt without undue delay on a durable medium (e-mail is the usual one), including the content of the statement and the date and time it was sent (source: legislatie.just.ro). The confirmation is the proof, for both sides, that the withdrawal was made in time.
What happens after the withdrawal
Not much changed here, but the process has to be connected to the new function:
- Refund of all amounts received, including standard delivery, within 14 days of being told about the withdrawal. You may hold the refund until you get the goods back or proof that they were sent (source: legislatie.just.ro, OUG 34/2014, art. 13).
- Return of the goods by the customer within 14 days of telling you about the withdrawal. The direct cost of return is theirs, unless you agreed to cover it or did not inform them about it before the order (source: legislatie.just.ro, OUG 34/2014, art. 14).
- The exceptions stay as they were: personalised goods, digital content delivered immediately with the consumer’s express consent, and the other categories in the law (source: OUG 34/2014, art. 16; trusted.ro). The withdrawal function needs to know what is eligible and what is not, otherwise you receive requests for products that cannot be returned.
Where it applies
The obligation is the same whether you sell through your own website, a mobile app or a third-party platform (source: trusted.ro). One useful detail: the consumer cannot be forced to download an app in order to withdraw, if the contract was not concluded through that app (same source). If you sell both on the website and in the app, the function has to exist in both.
What to update in your information
The pre-contractual information must state that the withdrawal function exists and where it is (source: legislatie.just.ro, art. 8(2) OUG 34/2014, as amended). Concretely, in the terms and conditions and the returns policy:
- the 14-day period and the fact that no reason is needed;
- where the withdrawal function is found on the website and in the app;
- that using the online form is one option, not the only one: the customer can still withdraw by e-mail, post or the standard form in the annex to the law (source: trusted.ro);
- the refund and return deadlines, and who pays for shipping.
Penalties
Failure to comply with article 11¹ is punishable by a fine of 5,000 to 15,000 lei, according to the text of the ordinance (source: legislatie.just.ro, OUG 18/2026, art. II point 19, checked on 16 September 2026). The enforcing authority is ANPC, the national consumer protection authority. The amount is the one in force on the publication date; before relying on it, check the consolidated text of OUG 34/2014.
The checklist
Go through it on your own shop, signed in and signed out:
- There is a link “Retrageți-vă din contract aici” (or equivalent) visible in the footer or menu, on every page.
- From the customer account, every order within 14 days of delivery has a withdrawal button.
- The form asks only for name, order identification and electronic contact; for signed-in customers the fields are pre-filled.
- The last step is a “Confirmați retragerea” button, with no pre-ticked boxes.
- The customer immediately receives an e-mail with the content of the statement, date and time.
- You receive the request somewhere you can track it: status, products, amount to refund, deadline.
- Ineligible products (personalised, delivered digital content) are marked as such and the form does not accept them.
- You keep a log of requests and refunds, so you can prove the deadlines during an inspection.
- The terms and conditions, the returns policy and the pre-contractual information page mention the function and where it is.
- You have tested the flow end to end with a real order, on a phone, as a customer would.
How to implement it
The large platforms have dedicated modules; for WooCommerce, we built under our Plugstera brand the plugin “Retur – Retragere din contract, OUG 18/2026”, which adds the button, the two-step form, per-product eligibility checks, the refund workflow, the confirmation e-mails and the audit log, points 1–8 above. You will find it below the article. A plugin covers the technical side; the wording in your terms and the decision about what is eligible remain yours. The flow also has to be kept working after installation: updates, and a test after every change of theme or payment plugin, the kind of work that belongs in maintenance and support. The rules that keep a shop working beyond the law are collected in Best practices for successful website development.
Questions. Short answers.
What does OUG 18/2026 require from an online shop?
A withdrawal function in the website or the app: a clearly labelled button, a form with a minimum of data, a separate confirmation step and a confirmation sent to the customer on a durable medium, with date and time. It applies from 19 June 2026.
Can customers still withdraw by e-mail or post?
Yes. The online function is an additional route, not the only one: the customer can still withdraw by e-mail, post or the standard form in the annex to the law. The terms and conditions must say that the function exists and where it is.
What is the fine for not having the withdrawal function?
The text of the ordinance sets a fine of 5,000 to 15,000 lei for failing to comply with article 11¹ (source: legislatie.just.ro, OUG 18/2026, art. II point 19). Inspections are carried out by ANPC.
Does OUG 18/2026 also apply to sales through an app or a third-party platform?
Yes. The obligation is the same whether you sell through your own website, a mobile app or a third-party platform. If you sell both on the website and in the app, the function must exist in both, and the customer cannot be forced to download an app in order to withdraw.
If your shop runs on something else or has a particular order flow, the Websites and online shops page describes how we approach a compliance audit and what we deliver at the end.