Am I allowed to cancel a subscription in Denmark?
Yes — you are well protected under the Consumer Contracts Act. Purchases and contracts made online, at a distance or off-premises have a 14-day right of withdrawal with no reason needed. A running subscription can be cancelled with at most 1 month's notice to the end of a month once 5 months have passed — so you are effectively bound for at most about half a year. A notice period longer than 1 month cannot be agreed; only large contracts over 20,000 kr a year can bind you longer, namely for 11 months. Cancelling must be as easy as signing up; if you signed up online, you must be able to cancel online. If the seller did not inform you of the withdrawal right, it is extended by up to 12 months.
📋 The rules
- Distance and doorstep sales: 14-day right of withdrawal
- Subscription: cancel with at most 1 month's notice after 5 months
- A longer notice than 1 month cannot be agreed
- Cancelling must be as easy as signing up
- No information given: the withdrawal right is extended up to 12 months
🔓 Exceptions
- Custom-made goods and opened sealed hygiene items have no withdrawal right
- Large contracts over 20,000 kr a year can only be cancelled after 11 months
- Digital content started with your express consent loses the withdrawal right
⚠️ Penalties & fines
A trader who hides a binding period or refuses a valid withdrawal right can be fined — a dating site was fined 50,000 kr for precisely that. But the fine is not the main consequence: the clause simply does not work. A notice period longer than 1 month cannot be agreed, so it does not help the seller to write it into the terms and get you to click yes. If the seller never informed you of the withdrawal right, it is extended by up to 12 months, and you can walk away from a deal you thought was closed long ago.
📎 Official sources
- Consumer Contracts Act · Retsinformation →
- Consumer Ombudsman · Cancellation →
- Forbrug.dk · Right of withdrawal →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I cancel a subscription?
Yes. A running subscription can be cancelled with at most 1 month's notice to the end of a month once 5 months have passed. A notice period longer than 1 month cannot be agreed, whatever the terms happen to say.
How long is the online withdrawal right?
14 days with no reason for distance sales and contracts made off-premises. Custom-made goods, opened sealed hygiene items and digital content you expressly consented to start are excluded from it.
How long can I be bound to a subscription?
Effectively at most about half a year — 5 months plus 1 month's notice. Only large contracts over 20,000 kr a year can bind you longer, namely until 11 months have passed, so an ordinary subscription cannot lock you in for a year.
Must cancelling be easy?
Yes. Cancelling must be as easy as signing up, so if you signed up online you must be able to cancel online. If the company deliberately makes it awkward, that is a breach of the Consumer Contracts Act in itself.
What if the seller did not inform me of the withdrawal right?
Then the withdrawal right is extended by up to 12 months. You can walk away from a deal you thought was closed long ago, and a trader who hides the terms can be fined on top of that.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “can I cancel a subscription denmark”
- “right of withdrawal 14 days”
- “cancel subscription 5 months”
- “cancelling as easy as signing up”
- “binding period subscription”
- “distance sale withdrawal”