Right of withdrawal for courses:
what's true and what isn't?

Every training provider gets the question at some point. Someone registers, changes their mind two days later and wants their money back. Is that allowed? And if it's a company signing up five employees, does the same apply? The answer hinges on one thing: is a consumer buying at a distance, or not.

The core: a 14-day cooling-off period for consumers

Anyone who buys something as a private individual over the internet, by phone or at the door has a legal cooling-off period of 14 days. This is the right of withdrawal (herroepingsrecht), and it comes from the distance-selling rules in the Dutch Civil Code. Within those two weeks the consumer may cancel the agreement without giving a reason and gets their money back. A course that someone books through your website or by phone simply falls under it.

The stubborn misconception: “a course is a leisure activity”

There is an exception to the right of withdrawal for leisure activities on a fixed date. Think of a concert ticket, a hotel night or a table at a restaurant: you reserve a moment, and if you change your mind the provider often can't resell that spot. For those services the cooling-off period doesn't apply.

Some training providers assume their course falls under this too, simply because a course takes place on a date. It doesn't. Professional training such as BHV (Dutch in-house emergency response), VCA (the Dutch SCC safety certificate) or a healthcare course is not a leisure activity. The exception is meant for recreation, not for education. In practice, and in the legal commentary (in Dutch), the working assumption is that an ordinary course keeps the right of withdrawal. So don't lean on it.

Companies: no right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal exists for consumers only. When a company or a client company books on behalf of employees, it's a business agreement and the cooling-off period doesn't apply. For those bookings you set your own cancellation terms. That matters in practice: a large share of a training provider's bookings is business.

You can't write it away in your terms

What you can't do: switch off the consumer's right of withdrawal with a line in your terms and conditions. A legal right can't be written away. There is one proper way to complete a course within the cooling-off period: the course falls within those 14 days and the participant explicitly states in advance that you may start straight away and that they give up their cooling-off period by doing so. Once the course has then been delivered in full, the right lapses. Without that explicit consent, a consumer can still withdraw free of charge right up to the start.

New from 19 June 2026: the withdrawal button

The right itself doesn't change this year, but the way it works does. From 19 June 2026, withdrawing online has to be as easy as booking online. If you sell to consumers at a distance, your environment needs a clear, always visible withdrawal button (article in Dutch) that lets someone cancel their booking in a few clicks. Get it wrong and the cooling-off period can stretch to twelve months, and the Dutch consumer authority ACM enforces it. So it isn't just good manners, it can cost you money.

How Trainiq handles this

This is built into Trainiq. When a private participant books and is still within their 14-day cooling-off period, they see on cancelling that they have a right of withdrawal and get the full amount back, regardless of your normal cancellation policy. Business bookings follow your terms. That keeps you on the right side of the law without having to think about it yourself.