Can my mobile operator make me pay out all the remaining months if I close the contract early?
It depends on why you are leaving — not on what the operator prefers. Walking away out of simple regret during the initial term may carry a fee, if the contract clearly provides for one. But where the law gives you an exit — an unfavourable change of terms, persistently poor service, or a contract that has been automatically renewed — you leave at no cost, on notice of no more than 1 month. The initial term cannot exceed 24 months, and the operator must also offer an option with a maximum 12-month term. Keep a subsidised handset after a cost-free exit and compensation is capped at the lower of two statutory figures. The myth: “after 24 months it renews for another 24 and I am locked in again”. You are not.
📋 The rules
- The initial term of a consumer contract cannot exceed 24 months, and the operator must also offer an option with a maximum term of 12 months.
- After automatic renewal, the subscriber can terminate at any time on notice of no more than 1 month, with no cost beyond the service used during that notice period.
- Where the operator proposes an unfavourable change, it must give at least 1 month's notice; the consumer may then exit at no cost within 1 month of that notice.
- A significant, continuous or repeated failure in the quality of the service can give a right to terminate at no cost.
- If the consumer keeps a subsidised handset after a cost-free exit, compensation cannot exceed the lower of the pro-rata value of the device and the remaining service charges.
🔓 Exceptions
- Leaving out of simple regret during the initial term may attract a fee, if the contract clearly provides for it; the new law does not make every exit free.
- Moving house or moving abroad is not in itself a statutory exemption — check whether the operator can still supply the service and what the contract says.
- Porting your number to another operator does not wipe out unpaid invoices or lawful handset instalments incurred before termination.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The most expensive mistake is simply to stop paying and wait. A contract does not close through silence: invoices keep being issued, the debt grows, and an undisputed liability can be pursued for collection. The safe route is a written request to terminate, plus a written breakdown of any cost the operator claims. If the operator refuses to apply a statutory exit right, you complain first to the operator itself and then to AKEP. Do not expect an AKEP complaint to shield you from a debt you never disputed in writing.
📎 Official sources
- AKEP · official site of the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (Law no. 54/2024) →
- Parliament e-Legislation · legislative files portal →
- QBZ · official legislation register →
❓ Frequently asked
Does the contract lock me in for another 24 months after renewal?
No. Once a fixed-term contract has been automatically renewed, you can terminate at any time on notice of no more than 1 month, paying only for the service used in that period.
The operator raised the price. Can I leave without a penalty?
Where an unfavourable change of terms is proposed, the operator must give at least one month's notice. Within one month of that notice you may exit the contract at no cost, even if the initial term has not expired.
I took the phone on instalments with the contract. What happens to it?
If you leave at no cost and keep the subsidised handset, compensation is capped at the lower of two figures: the pro-rata value of the device or the remaining service charges.
What if I port my number to another operator?
Porting your number to another operator does not erase obligations incurred before termination. Unpaid invoices and lawful handset instalments still have to be settled after the number has moved.
The signal has been bad for months. Is that a valid reason?
A significant, continuous or repeated failure of service quality can give a right to terminate at no cost. Document it with dated complaints and written reports, because recollection alone rarely persuades.
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