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Subscriptions · Germany
Checked 2026-09-30

📶 How do I leave my phone or internet contract in Germany?

Short answer

A first contract term is at most 24 months. Once it is over and the contract runs on, you can leave with short notice. If the provider changes the price or terms, you can usually leave without a fee.

⏱ DeadlineAfter the first term: the short notice period in the rules below. After a change of terms: act within the period in the provider’s message.

📜 Your rights

EUThe EU rule

EU consumer law applies in every EU country. Your country writes it into its own law — the national rule is below.

  • The first commitment period of a consumer contract is at most 24 months; countries may set a shorter maximum (Art. 105(1) Directive (EU) 2018/1972).
  • If the contract is automatically extended after that period, you may end it at any time with at most one month’s notice, paying only for the service during the notice period (Art. 105(3)).
  • Before an automatic extension the provider must tell you, on a durable medium, that the commitment ends, how to end the contract and its best tariffs (Art. 105(3)).
  • If the provider changes the contract terms, you may end the contract without further costs, unless the change is only to your benefit, purely administrative with no negative effect, or required by law (Art. 105(4)).
  • The provider must tell you about such a change at least one month in advance; you can end the contract within one month of that notice (countries may extend this to three months) (Art. 105(4)).
Official source: publications.europa.eu · Checked 2026-09-30

The rules in Germany

The initial term of a consumer telecom contract may not exceed 24 months. After a tacit renewal you can cancel at any time with one month's notice (§ 56 TKG). Providers must also offer contracts of at most 12 months.

  • If the provider changes the contract terms unilaterally, you can cancel without notice and without cost within three months of being told, unless the change is purely beneficial, purely administrative or required by law (§ 57 TKG). (gesetze-im-internet.de)
  • The provider must inform you of such a change one to two months in advance on a durable medium, including your right to cancel (§ 57 (2) TKG). (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Law: §§ 56, 57 TKG
Official source: gesetze-im-internet.de · Checked 2026-09-30

🪜 Step by step

  1. Check your datesStart date, first term, and whether the contract now runs on automatically.
  2. Price or terms changed?Keep the provider’s message: it starts your period to leave without a fee.
  3. Send the noticeUse the letter below, with your customer number and phone number or line ID.
  4. Switching provider?The new provider can arrange number porting and the switch; the old one may not charge for porting.
  5. Disputed bill or fee?The telecom dispute body under “If the trader does not answer”.

✉️ Your letter

Information, not legal advice. FFCheck is independent and not affiliated with any authority, court or company. The letter is a template filled with your details: you check it and send it yourself.

Fill in your details. The letter appears on this page: copy it into an e-mail or the trader’s contact form, or print it. Nothing you type is stored.

Name of the shop or company
Why you are leaving required
Your full name
Optional, but a letter by post needs it.
Language of the letter

🧭 If the trader does not answer

Give the trader the time in your letter. Then, in this order:

An out-of-court dispute body (ADR) can settle it. The trader has to tell you which ADR body covers it (on its website, terms or in its reply).

Schlichtungsstelle Telekommunikation der BundesnetzagenturFree dispute resolution with your telecom provider, after you have tried to agree with them.🔗 bundesnetzagentur.de
Bundesnetzagentur – Verbraucherservice TelekommunikationFederal telecom regulator: information on switching, contracts, subscription traps and nuisance calls.🔗 bundesnetzagentur.de

Trader in another EU country? The European Consumer Centre helps for free.

Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland (EVZ)Free help with disputes with traders in other EU countries, Iceland or Norway.🔗 evz.de
Amtsgericht – Verfahren nach billigem Ermessen (§ 495a ZPO)Up to €1,000 the local court may run a simplified procedure; oral hearing on request.🔗 gesetze-im-internet.de

European Small Claims Procedure: for cross-border claims up to €5,000, a written procedure without a lawyer. e-justice.europa.eu

The EU’s online dispute resolution platform (ODR) closed on 20 July 2025. Use the bodies on this page instead.

📇 Every office for this in Germany →

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can the provider charge the rest of the term when I leave after a price rise?

Not when the law gives you the right to leave without further costs because of a change of terms (see the rules below). A discounted phone you are still paying off may have to be paid.

What counts as a change of terms?

A price rise, fewer services or a slower speed are changes. A change that is only to your benefit or required by law is not.

Can I cancel a new contract taken online?

Yes, within 14 days of the contract, without a reason.

📎 Sources

Checked: 2026-09-30

🔎 What people search

  • “cancel phone contract Germany”
  • “leave internet contract price rise”
  • “mobile contract after 24 months notice”
  • “provider raised price can I cancel”
  • “termination letter broadband”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related

❔How do I cancel my phone or online contract? · Your right in one line→🔁Cancel a subscription→📲Digital content not working→💳Unauthorised payment→↩️Return an online order→📇Every office for this in Germany→

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