Can a package holiday be cancelled free of charge?
In extraordinary circumstances, yes — and you do not have to accept a voucher. The organiser has no right to charge you where you withdraw from the contract because unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances at the destination or its immediate vicinity significantly affect the performance of the package or the carriage of passengers to the destination. Such circumstances include armed conflict, natural disaster and epidemic — events outside the control of the party relying on them whose consequences could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures. The money must be refunded within 14 days of the contract ending, and you may demand cash rather than a voucher.
📋 The rules
- Extraordinary circumstances — free withdrawal
- They must significantly affect the trip
- Refund within 14 days
- A voucher may be refused
- A voucher lasts at most 12 months
🔓 Exceptions
- A simple change of mind gives no right to withdraw free of charge
- The circumstances must be at the destination or its immediate vicinity
- An unused voucher's value must be refunded in money when it expires
⚠️ Penalties & fines
A voucher is an offer, not an obligation — and that is not always said out loud. The organiser may offer a voucher, but the customer is entitled to refuse it and demand the money back within 14 days. If a voucher is accepted, its validity cannot exceed 12 months, and where it is left partly or wholly unused, its value must be refunded in money on expiry. The second limit: free withdrawal requires unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances — a change of mind, illness or a work rota do not qualify, and then the contractual cancellation charges apply. And the circumstances must concern the destination or its immediate vicinity, not your home town.
📎 Official sources
- Consumer Protection Authority · Package travel →
- Riigi Teataja · Law of Obligations Act →
- EUR-Lex · Package Travel Directive →
❓ Frequently asked
When can I cancel for free?
Where unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances at the destination or its immediate vicinity significantly affect performance of the package or carriage of passengers to it.
What counts as an extraordinary circumstance?
Armed conflict, natural disaster or an epidemic, for example. It must be outside the control of the party relying on it and unavoidable even with all reasonable measures.
How quickly is the money refunded?
The full amount must be refunded within 14 days of the package travel contract ending. That deadline applies even where the organiser first offers a voucher instead.
Must I accept a voucher?
You need not. A voucher is an offer, not an obligation, and you may refuse it and demand cash. An unused voucher's value must be refunded in money when it expires.
Does a change of mind give the same right?
It does not. A change of mind, illness or an altered work rota is not an unavoidable and extraordinary circumstance, so the agreed cancellation charges apply.
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