German documents

How to cancel any German contract

German contracts are not legally hard to cancel — the route is just buried. Here is the button every provider must show you by law, the notice you actually owe, and where each major company keeps its Kündigung page.

Start here: the button they must show you

Since 1 July 2022, § 312k BGB requires every company that lets you sign up online to display a clearly labelled cancellation button — normally „Verträge hier kündigen“. It has to be as easy to reach as the sign-up was, and it must work without logging in. Almost every German company puts it in the website footer.

This is the part worth remembering, because it is the same everywhere: scroll to the bottom of the page. Deep links into cancellation flows change constantly, but the footer button is required by law and does not move.

If the button is missing: under § 312k(6) BGB the contract becomes cancellable at any time without notice. Screenshot the page as evidence, send your cancellation in text form anyway, and keep the screenshot.

Where each provider keeps it

Mobile & internet

  • Telekom

    Telekom's cancellation help page; the button is also in the site footer.

    Notice:
    One month after the minimum term (contracts since March 2022).
    Watch out:
    You will be shown retention offers before the cancellation completes. Your notice still counts from the day you sent it — see our full Telekom guide.
    Cancellation page →

  • Vodafone

    Short URL that forwards to Vodafone's current cancellation landing page.

    Notice:
    One month after the minimum term.
    Watch out:
    Cable and mobile are separate contracts. Cancelling one does not touch the other, and people regularly cancel only half of what they meant to.
    Cancellation page →

  • o2 / Telefónica

    No stable deep link — scroll to the footer and use „Verträge hier kündigen“. It works without logging in.

    Notice:
    One month after the minimum term.
    Watch out:
    A prepaid card is not a contract: you end it by simply not topping it up, but request the number portation first if you want to keep the number.
    Cancellation page →

  • 1&1

    Forwards into the 1&1 Control-Center cancellation form.

    Notice:
    One month after the minimum term.
    Watch out:
    1&1 counts the contract from activation, not from the order date — check the actual start date before you calculate a deadline.
    Cancellation page →

Streaming & media

  • Netflix

    Opens the cancellation page directly; asks you to log in first.

    Notice:
    No minimum term — ends at the close of the current billing period.
    Watch out:
    If you subscribed through Apple, Google or a TV provider, you must cancel there instead; Netflix cannot do it for you.
    Cancellation page →

  • Spotify

    Opens the cancellation page directly; asks you to log in first.

    Notice:
    No minimum term — runs to the end of the paid month.
    Watch out:
    Cancelling turns the account into the free tier rather than deleting it, so your playlists survive if you come back.
    Cancellation page →

  • Amazon Prime

    Membership overview; log in, then „Mitgliedschaft beenden“.

    Notice:
    Monthly or annual — ends at the close of the paid period.
    Watch out:
    If you barely used it, Amazon often refunds an annual fee pro rata. Ask before you click through the final confirmation.
    Cancellation page →

  • Sky / WOW

    Sky's cancellation information page, with the online route.

    Notice:
    12 or 24 months, then one month's notice.
    Watch out:
    One of the strictest in Germany: miss the deadline on a 12-month Sky contract and you are typically in for another year.
    Cancellation page →

Gym & subscriptions

  • Gyms (McFit, FitX, Clever Fit …)

    Verbraucherzentrale's guide — the consumer-advice authority, not a gym. Each chain has its own button in its footer.

    Notice:
    Usually 12 or 24 months, then one month.
    Watch out:
    The category where people lose the most money. Illness or a move only ends the contract in narrow circumstances, and a doctor's note is normally required.
    Cancellation page →

Public & official

  • Rundfunkbeitrag (GEZ)

    The official deregistration form.

    Notice:
    Ends when the reason ends — there is no notice period.
    Watch out:
    This is not a contract and cannot be cancelled: it is a household levy you deregister from, and only with a reason such as leaving Germany or moving in with someone who already pays. Deregistering while still resident does not work.
    Cancellation page →

These are the providers' own pages; we earn nothing from the links in this table. Providers move their cancellation flows regularly — if a link has gone stale, the footer button described above always works.

Anzeige / advertisement

Cancelling a Telekom contract

Telekom is the provider people ask about most. Our full Telekom cancellation guide covers the letter, the § 60 TKG right when you move, and keeping your number. You can also go straight to Telekom.

Open Telekom's cancellation page

Affiliate link (Werbung): the provider pays us a commission. The guide and the templates work regardless and cost you nothing.

Letter templates, if you would rather write

A letter still works everywhere, and it is the safest option when the online flow refuses your case. Both templates come in German and English with every placeholder explained.

General Kündigung template →Telekom cancellation guide →Apartment notice (Wohnungskündigung) →

Frequently asked questions

Is there a legally required cancellation button in Germany?
Yes. Since 1 July 2022, § 312k BGB requires every company that lets consumers sign up online to show a clearly labelled cancellation button — usually „Verträge hier kündigen“ — that is as easy to reach as the sign-up was. It must work without logging in, and it must let you cancel without speaking to anyone. Look in the website footer first; that is where almost every German company puts it.
What happens if a company hides its cancellation button?
If the required button is missing or unusable, the contract becomes cancellable at any time without notice under § 312k(6) BGB. In practice: take a screenshot showing there is no button, send your cancellation in text form anyway, and keep the evidence. The company's failure works in your favour, not against you.
How much notice do I have to give in Germany?
For contracts signed since 1 March 2022, the initial term can be at most 24 months, and once it ends the contract continues indefinitely with one month's notice at any time. Contracts signed before that may still carry a three-month notice period and renew for a full year, which is why old contracts are the expensive ones to forget.
Does an email count as a valid cancellation?
Yes. Text form under § 126b BGB is enough for almost all consumer contracts: email, a web form or the cancellation button are all legally valid, and no signature, fax or registered letter is required. What matters is proof — always ask for written confirmation of the exact end date.
Can I cancel because I am moving or leaving Germany?
Only in specific cases. For telecoms, § 60 TKG lets you cancel with one month's notice if the provider cannot deliver the same service at your new address. Leaving Germany is not by itself a special right to cancel: most contracts still require the ordinary notice period, so cancel before you leave rather than after.
What is the difference between ordentliche and außerordentliche Kündigung?
Ordentliche Kündigung is ordinary notice — you end the contract at the next permitted date and need no reason. Außerordentliche Kündigung is termination for cause, used when something serious changes such as a price rise, a service the provider cannot deliver, or a move covered by § 60 TKG. Ordinary notice is what you want in almost every case, because it always works.

Orientation only — not legal advice. Paragraph references are to German law as it stood when this page was last reviewed (August 2026); check your own contract for the terms that apply to you.