Bill: Dutch citizens get extra time for door-to-door or street sales

This allows you to calmly read the sellers information about the product or service and compare it with other offers before an agreement can be made. Not happy afterwards? The existing legal reflection period of 14 days after the agreement has been made still applies. You can cancel without giving a reason.

The draft bill cooling-off period for door-to-door sales has gone into internet consultation today. This means that everyone can respond to the proposal until mid-October 2025.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs wants to tackle misleading practices towards Dutch citizens. This is to protect consumers, but also because well-meaning entrepreneurs face unfair competition from this. Almost everyone, not just vulnerable consumers like the elderly, is sensitive to a good offer. Making an offer at the door or on the street is fine in itself. But its wrong if its not based on accurate information or if the consumer is pressured to make an immediate decision. Especially when it comes to complicated and expensive matters like energy or internet contracts.

Unsolicited calls by companies and organizations to consumers will be further restricted from July 1, 2026. Calling someone who is or has been a customer will also no longer be allowed without prior consent. The House of Representatives has made an exception for charities, lotteries that contribute to them, and publishers of daily and weekly newspapers and magazines. A general or sectoral national ban on telemarketing, door-to-door or street sales is not allowed under European rules regarding the free movement of services.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs is also committed to EU policy that ensures consumers can cancel subscriptions online as easily as they can take them out. It is sometimes unnecessarily difficult for consumers to cancel a subscription. The Ministry of EZ is focusing on addressing this through the EU Digital Fairness Act, expected in 2026.