Template for the acknowledgement of receipt
In this article
Directive (EU) 2023/2673 requires an acknowledgement that documents receipt of the withdrawal declaration – and only that. This template carries the statutory core – the content of the declaration, date and time – plus two protective formulations the law does not require; it avoids the sentence that turns a receipt into an admission.
The template
Replace what is in square brackets. The time of day belongs in it: whether the deadline was met depends on that exact moment, and a date alone does not establish it.
Subject: Acknowledgement of your withdrawal – order [order number]
Dear [name],
we confirm that we received your declaration of withdrawal on [DD Month YYYY] at [HH:MM].
Your declaration as submitted: [verbatim content of the declaration, including the goods or services concerned]
This message confirms only that your declaration reached us. It makes no statement as to whether the withdrawal is valid. We will examine that separately and come back to you.
If you have any questions, you can reach us at [e-mail address] or [phone number].
Kind regards
[company name, address, authorised representative]
What the template covers
| Element | Where it sits |
|---|---|
| Date and time of receipt | “on [DD Month YYYY] at [HH:MM]” |
| Content of the declaration submitted | “Your declaration as submitted: …” |
| Statement that only receipt is confirmed (recommended, not required) | The paragraph “This message confirms only …” |
| A way to reply and an identifiable sender (recommended) | The last two paragraphs |
Two further requirements do not show in the text but in how it is sent: without undue delay – in practice, automatically – and on a durable medium. An e-mail satisfies that; a confirmation page that appears once in the browser does not.
The one sentence that matters
This message confirms only that your declaration reached us. It makes no statement as to whether the withdrawal is valid.
Stays a receipt. Whether the deadline was met, or whether the goods are exempt from the right of withdrawal at all, remains open – and therefore still arguable.
Your withdrawal has been accepted. We have already arranged the return.
Becomes an admission. If the deadline had long passed, or the goods were exempt, the trader may be held to that promise – a mandatory notice turns into a voluntary return.
The sound version costs nothing in friendliness. It simply does not promise what nobody has examined yet. In depth, with further comparisons: Drafting the acknowledgement.
National wording
The directive is the common ground; the provision you cite depends on where you sell. Germany spells the requirement out in § 356a (4) BGB, France in art. L221-21 and D221-5 C. consom., the Netherlands in art. 6:230oa BW. The four elements above are the same in each; only the citation changes.
When the withdrawal looks late
Acknowledge receipt anyway – the duty applies regardless of whether the withdrawal is valid. The acknowledgement stays word for word the same; the assessment follows in a second message. Mixing both into one e-mail loses exactly the separation that protects you.
Not legal advice. This template was developed carefully from the wording of the law and covers the ordinary case. It does not replace review by a lawyer – particularly not if your range includes special cases such as digital content with early performance or goods made to customer specification.