§ 22. When you do NOT have a right of withdrawal
Even if the Right of Withdrawal Act (angrerettloven) applies to your purchase, you do not have a right of withdrawal (angrerett) in 14 specific cases. The most important ones: custom-made goods, food and perishable goods, opened hygiene products, opened CDs/software, hotels/transport/car hire/catering for a specific date, and digital content (digitalt innhold) you have agreed to download immediately.
Machine-translated from Norwegian. The Norwegian text is the one that applies. Read the original in Norwegian.Norsk English العربية Polski Українська
The text of the law (unofficial translation)
The right of withdrawal does not apply to contracts for: a. the supply of goods which, by their nature, are mixed with other goods after delivery in such a way that they cannot be separated from one another, b. the supply of goods which deteriorate or quickly pass their expiry date, c. a service that has been fully performed, if the contract obliges the consumer (forbruker) to pay, performance has begun with the consumer's express prior consent, and the consumer has acknowledged that the right of withdrawal will be lost once the trader (næringsdrivende) has fulfilled all of its obligations under the contract, d. the supply of goods or services for which the price depends on fluctuations in the financial market which may occur within the withdrawal period (angrefrist) and which cannot be controlled by the trader, e. the supply of goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised, f. the supply of medicinal products, cf. the Medicinal Products Act (legemiddelloven) § 2, and medical devices, cf. the Medical Devices Act (lov om medisinsk utstyr) § 3, g. the supply of sealed goods which are not suitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons, and where the seal (forsegling) has been broken after delivery, h. the supply of alcoholic beverages at a price agreed at the time the contract was concluded, where delivery can only take place after 30 days, and where the actual value depends on fluctuations in the market which cannot be controlled by the trader, i. repairs or services that are urgent where the consumer expressly asks the trader to visit the consumer. Additional services or additional goods provided at the same time that are not covered by the first sentence are not covered by the exception from the right of withdrawal, j. the supply of sealed audio or video recordings or sealed software on which the consumer has broken the seal, k. the supply of a newspaper, a periodical or a magazine, with the exception of subscription (abonnement) contracts for the supply of such publications, l. goods or services concluded at a public auction (offentlig auksjon), m. the supply of accommodation for purposes other than residential purposes, transport of goods, car hire services, catering and services related to leisure activities where the contract provides for a specific date or period of performance of such services, n. the supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium, if the supply has begun and the following conditions are met: 1. the contract obliges the consumer to pay 2. the consumer has given express prior consent to the supply beginning before the withdrawal period expires 3. the consumer has acknowledged that the right of withdrawal is thereby lost, and 4. the trader has provided confirmation under the Right of Withdrawal Act § 11 or § 18.
The exceptions from the right of withdrawal in the first paragraph, letters c and e, do not apply in the case of unsolicited doorstep selling (dørsalg).
What does this mean?
§ 22 is where many consumers get a surprise. Even if your purchase is in principle covered by the Act, there are 14 exceptions where the right of withdrawal does not apply. We group them logically:
Goods that cannot be returned because of their nature (a, b, e)
- a) Goods that are mixed with others after delivery — for example a concrete delivery poured into a foundation, or paint mixed on site
- b) Perishable goods — milk, meat, fish, fruit, ready meals
- e) Custom-made or personalised goods — made-to-measure curtains, engraved jewellery, a T-shirt with your own design
Services and digital content that have been delivered (c, n)
- c) A service that has been fully performed — but only if you agreed in advance that it should start, and confirmed that you understand the right of withdrawal will be lost (see § 12 and § 19)
- n) Digital content that has been delivered — Netflix films you have watched, an e-book you have downloaded, software that has been installed. Requires your express consent (uttrykkelig samtykke) to starting, acknowledgement that the right of withdrawal is lost, and confirmation from the seller
Market-dependent prices (d, h)
- d) The price depends on the financial market — shares, funds, currency trading
- h) Alcohol ordered now, delivered in 30+ days, with a market-dependent value — typically wine investment or wine bought as futures
Health, hygiene and seals (f, g, j)
- f) Medicinal products and medical devices — applies to all non-prescription and prescription medicine
- g) Hygiene products where the seal has been broken — contact lenses, perfumes, cosmetics, underwear. Unbroken seal = you still have a right of withdrawal. Broken seal = no right of withdrawal
- j) Audio and video recordings and software with a broken seal — CDs, DVDs, physical games in plastic wrap
Urgent services (i)
- i) Urgent repairs at your home that you asked for — a plumber who comes to fix a water leak. Additional goods or services that were not urgent are NOT exempt
Special forms of sale (k, l)
- k) A single issue of a newspaper, periodical or magazine — but not subscriptions! A magazine subscription has the normal right of withdrawal
- l) Public auction — a traditional auction with an auctioneer (auksjonarius) (Blomqvist, art). Online auctions are not considered a "public auction"
Services for a specific date (m)
- m) Hotels (not housing), transport of goods, car hire, catering, leisure activities — when a specific date or period has been agreed. If you book a hotel for next Saturday or a restaurant table for a particular evening: no right of withdrawal
Special rule on doorstep selling
If the seller came to your door uninvited, exceptions c and e no longer apply. This means that custom-made goods or a completed service still give you a right of withdrawal in unsolicited doorstep selling. The law gives extra protection against pushy sales at the door.
Examples
Sara orders a T-shirt with her own design and the initials "S.M." printed on it. She changes her mind the next day and wants to withdraw. The seller can refuse. Under § 22 letter e, clearly personalised goods are exempt from the right of withdrawal. Sara has no right to return it.
Petter books a hotel room in Bergen for a specific date — Friday 14 March. Two days later he changes his mind. The hotel can refuse. Under § 22 letter m, hotel services for a specific date are exempt from the right of withdrawal. He is bound by the booking (unless the hotel has its own, more favourable cancellation rules).
Tom buys a perfume online for NOK 800. When it arrives, he breaks the seal to test it. He does not like the scent and wants to return it. The seller can refuse. Under § 22 letter g, hygiene products with a broken seal are exempt. Had Tom left the seal alone, he would still have had a right of withdrawal. Lesson: smell the bottle first if you are taking a chance, but do not open it.
Anne signs up for a Netflix subscription and ticks "Start the service immediately, I understand that the right of withdrawal is lost once I have used the service". She watches three films. After a week she wants to cancel and get her money back for the first month. She can cancel, but she cannot demand a full refund. Her immediate use and consent trigger the exception in letter n for the digital content she has already consumed.
Common mistakes
- You think "custom-made" means "specially ordered". It does not. An item must be made to your specifications or be clearly personalised. A standard red jacket in size M is not "custom-made" just because you ordered it.
- You think a seal means "wrapped". It means an actual seal — a plastic seal, a security closure, plastic wrap that must be broken. A cardboard lid or a box flap is rarely a "seal" in the legal sense.
- You think digital content = no right of withdrawal. Not automatically. You must have consented to an immediate start AND acknowledged that the right of withdrawal is lost AND the seller must have given confirmation. If any of these is missing, you still have a right of withdrawal.
- You think a magazine subscription is exempt. It is not. Letter k exempts single issues, not subscriptions.
What should you do?
Before you buy something online:
- Consider whether the item is custom-made, personalised, or has a seal that must be broken
- If you are not sure you want to keep it, do not open sealed hygiene products or software until you have decided
- For hotels, car hire or catering on a specific date: check the cancellation terms before you book
- For digital content: read carefully what you are consenting to. "Start immediately" can cost you your right of withdrawal
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no right of withdrawal on printed T-shirts?
Can I withdraw from Spotify Premium?
What about "tailored" recommendations or packages?
Can a seller just write "no right of withdrawal" on everything?
- § 1Which purchases the Act applies to
- § 2When the Act does not apply at all
- § 19Consent to immediate start of a service
- § 21The 14-day withdrawal period