The letterConsumer · Withdrawal letter
Doorstep selling in France: 7 days without payment, 14 days to withdraw, and the letter that cancels the contract
For an off-premises consumer contract, no payment is allowed for 7 days in principle, on pain of nullity (L221-10, L242-1). Strictly necessary urgent repairs you requested are exempt. Outside withdrawal exceptions, you have 14 days without reason, from signature for services or receipt for goods. Missing withdrawal information extends the period by 12 months; receiving it during that extension opens 14 days (L221-20).
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General legal information with official references and dated checks. It is not personalised advice: for a decision that commits you, have your situation checked by a qualified professional.
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Give the signature date, what you bought, whether you paid on the day and whether you were given a form.
Example questions
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Until when can you withdraw, and could the seller take payment?
Give the signature date, whether it is goods or a service, the delivery date, whether withdrawal information and the form were provided, including later during the extension, whether you paid within 7 days and whether linked credit funds the purchase: confirm the ordinary regime with no withdrawal exception: the letter dates the end of the period and drafts the withdrawal, in French, for the French trader. The example: goods ordered at home on 1 September 2026, delivered on 9 September, a cheque handed over on the day of the visit.
Fictional example · the withdrawal to the seller
Withdrawal possible up to and including 23 September 2026. The payment taken within 7 days also makes the contract void.
- No payment before
- 8 September 2026
- Withdrawal until
- 23 September 2026
- Refund
- 14 days after informing the trader; goods may require return or proof; started services may involve costs to check
Lettre recommandée avec avis de réception
[Vos nom et prénom][Votre adresse]
[Nom de l’entreprise][Adresse indiquée sur le contrat]
À [ville], le [date]
ObjetRétractation du contrat conclu le 1er septembre 2026 hors établissement
Madame, Monsieur,
Le 1er septembre 2026, j’ai signé hors de vos locaux un contrat portant sur [le bien ou la prestation] (référence [numéro du bon de commande]).
Je vous notifie ma décision de me rétracter de ce contrat, conformément à l’article L221-18 du Code de la consommation.
Vous avez reçu [le chèque, l’acompte ou le paiement] avant l’expiration du délai de sept jours suivant la conclusion du contrat, ce que l’article L221-10 interdit à peine de nullité du contrat (article L242-1).
Je vous demande le remboursement prévu par l’article L221-24 dans les quatorze jours suivant votre information de ma rétractation, frais de livraison standard compris ; pour un bien, sauf collecte proposée par vous, le remboursement peut être différé jusqu’à sa récupération ou la preuve de son expédition, au premier de ces événements.
Je vous renverrai le bien dans les quatorze jours suivant cette lettre, sauf si vous proposez de le récupérer vous-même (article L221-23).
Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.[Signature]
Pièces jointes : la copie du contrat ou du bon de commande
Indicative result: the period ends at midnight on the last day, moved to the next working day if it falls on a Saturday, Sunday or national public holiday; a local non-working day is not taken into account. Send the letter within the applicable period: generating it does not reopen an expired deadline. The letter is in French because the French trader works in French.
What does article L221-10 of the French Consumer Code say?
The text that generally forbids a doorstep seller from getting paid straight away.
Le professionnel ne peut recevoir aucun paiement ou aucune contrepartie, sous quelque forme que ce soit, de la part du consommateur avant l’expiration d’un délai de sept jours à compter de la conclusion du contrat hors établissement.
In English, briefly (our summary, not an official translation): The trader may not receive any payment or consideration, in any form, from the consumer before seven days have passed from the conclusion of the off-premises contract. Our note: the rest of the article exempts, among others, urgent maintenance or repair work the consumer asked for, limited to what is strictly necessary. The rule applies on pain of nullity of the contract (article L242-1), and breaking it is punishable by two years’ imprisonment and a €150,000 fine (article L242-7).
When is a contract signed off the trader’s premises?
When it is signed with the seller present in a place where they do not usually do business, your home for instance, even if you invited them; or in their premises straight after they approached you personally elsewhere; or during an excursion they organise to sell (French Consumer Code, article L221-1).
The seller must give you a dated, signed copy of the contract, with all the required information and the standard withdrawal form (article L221-9), on pain of nullity (article L242-1).
Sources: C. conso. L221-1 · C. conso. L221-9 · C. conso. L242-1
How many days do you have to withdraw, and from when?
Fourteen days, with no need to give a reason: from signature for a service, from delivery for goods. For an off-premises contract, you can withdraw from signature, without waiting for delivery (article L221-18).
The day of signature or delivery does not count; the period ends at midnight on the last day, and if that is a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday it moves to the next working day (article L221-19).
Sources: C. conso. L221-18 · C. conso. L221-19
What if you were not given the withdrawal form?
The withdrawal period is extended by twelve months from the end of the initial period. If the seller gives you the information during that extension, you then have fourteen days from receiving it (article L221-20).
A contract without the standard form also risks being void (articles L221-9 and L242-1).
Sources: C. conso. L221-20 · C. conso. L221-9 · C. conso. L242-1
What if the work has started, or a credit funds the purchase?
For a service started before the period ends, the seller must have your express request on paper or a durable medium; if you were also informed about these costs, you owe the share of the service provided up to your withdrawal, and nothing if the express request or cost information is missing (article L221-25).
Withdrawing ends any ancillary contracts (article L221-27), and the linked credit funding the purchase is cancelled automatically, with no costs or penalty, except possible credit-file opening costs (article L312-54).
Sources: C. conso. L221-25 · C. conso. L221-27 · C. conso. L312-54
What changes on 20 November 2026 for purchases on credit?
The consumer credit reform affects the credit funding a doorstep purchase, not the withdrawal period for the sale.
The 14-day period to withdraw from the credit runs from acceptance of the offer, or from receipt of the information if that comes later (article L312-19). The linked credit is still cancelled automatically when you withdraw from the sale (article L312-54, new version).
Sources: C. conso. L312-19 (2026) · C. conso. L312-54 (2026)
Which deadlines count after doorstep selling?
Each deadline has its own starting point; the starting day does not count.
| Step | Period | Starting point | Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| No payment or consideration, outside statutory exceptions | 7 days | Signature of the contract | Article L221-10 |
| Withdrawal from a service | 14 days | Signature of the contract | Article L221-18 |
| Withdrawal from goods | 14 days | Delivery of the goods, possible from signature | Article L221-18 |
| Form not given | 12 more months | End of the initial period | Article L221-20 |
| Refund by the seller | 14 days at most | The day they learn of your withdrawal | Article L221-24 |
| Returning the goods | 14 days at most | Sending your withdrawal | Article L221-23 |
Unless the seller offers to collect the goods, they may delay the refund until they are collected or proof of dispatch is given (article L221-24).
Sources: C. conso. L221-10 · C. conso. L221-18 · C. conso. L221-20 · C. conso. L221-24 · C. conso. L221-23
What do people who signed at home in France ask?
Must I give a reason to withdraw?
No: the withdrawal needs no reason (Consumer Code, article L221-18).
How do I withdraw?
By sending, before the period ends, the withdrawal form or any unambiguous statement (article L221-21); registered post keeps proof of it.
Can an urgent repair I asked for at home be cancelled?
No for the work strictly needed for the emergency, which you expressly asked for (article L221-28, 8°).
An elderly relative signed under pressure: what can be done?
Abusing a person’s weakness to get them to sign during a home visit is prohibited (article L121-8), and the contract is void (article L132-13).
Who pays to send the goods back?
You, for the direct cost of return, unless you were not told or the seller pays them; if goods delivered at signature cannot go by post, the seller collects them at their own cost (article L221-23).
Which texts is withdrawal after doorstep selling based on?
- Consumer Code, article L221-1 (off-premises contract)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-5 (pre-contract information)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-9 (copy of the contract and form)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-10 (no payment for 7 days)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-18 (14 days to withdraw)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-19 (counting the period)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-20 (12-month extension)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-21 (form or statement)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-23 (returning goods)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-24 (refund within 14 days)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-25 (service already started)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-28 (exceptions)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L242-1 (nullity)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L242-7 (criminal penalty)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L121-8 (abuse of weakness)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L132-13 (contract void)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L312-54 (linked credit cancelled)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L312-54 (version of 20 November 2026)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L312-19 (version of 20 November 2026)Légifrance
- Consumer Code, article L221-27 (ancillary contracts)Légifrance
Texts cited last checked: 27 September 2026