Withdrawing from a loan: 14 days — but from when exactly?

Withdrawal (Widerruf) needs no reason, and sending it in time is enough. What matters is not the length of the period but when it starts: without the contract document and complete mandatory information, it does not begin to run.

Period, form and sending

Under § 355 (2) of the German Civil Code (BGB), the withdrawal period is 14 days. You withdraw by making a declaration to the lender from which your decision must be clear; a reason is expressly not required. To meet the deadline, sending it in time is enough — it does not have to arrive in time. So keep a record of when you sent it, not just of what you wrote.

• 14 days under § 355 (2) BGB
• Your decision must be clear
• No reason required
• Sending it in time is enough

When the period starts is the real point

Under § 356b (1) BGB, the period does not begin before the lender has provided you with a contract document, your written application or a copy of it. The date of signing alone therefore does not set it running. If, for a general consumer loan, the mandatory information under § 492 (2) BGB is missing, the period only begins under § 356b (2) BGB once it has been supplied — and is then one month instead of 14 days. The absolute limit of twelve months and 14 days set out in the same subsection expressly concerns, under current law, the consumer property loan, not the instalment loan. This changes for new contracts: Germany has transposed the EU Consumer Credit Directive (EU) 2023/2225 by the Act of 12 May 2026 (Federal Law Gazette BGBl. 2026 I No. 139, promulgated on 18 May 2026). The main changes apply from 20 November 2026. For general consumer loans concluded on or after that date, the right of withdrawal will as a rule expire no later than twelve months and 14 days after conclusion of the contract, even if mandatory information is missing or incorrect. This does not apply if you were not properly informed about your right of withdrawal. For contracts concluded before 20 November 2026, the previous rules continue to apply as a rule. All changes from that date are summarised in the guide New consumer credit rules from 20 November 2026.

What withdrawal means in practice

After an effective withdrawal, neither side is bound by its contractual declaration any longer, and whatever has been received must be returned without undue delay. The money paid out therefore goes back to the lender. Whether, and how much, interest is payable for the time until repayment depends on the provisions on legal consequences for consumer loans and on the information in the contract. If this matters in your case, that is the point at which advice is worthwhile.