§3.2.7 Duration and termination of the contract

Article 5(1)(f) and 6(1)(o) the duration of the contract, where applicable, or, if the contract is of indeterminate duration or is to be extended automatically, the conditions for terminating the contract; Article 6(1) (p) where applicable, the minimum duration of the consumer’s obligations under the contract; Information about the conditions for terminating a contract of indeterminate duration or a contract that is extended automatically (required for both on-premises and off-premises/distance contracts) should in particular include information about: — Applicable charges; — Termination procedures, in particular the prior notice period and the means by which the termination should be notified (e.g., email or postal address). For distance and off-premises contracts Article 6(1)(p) additionally requires information about the minimum duration of the consumer’s obligations, i.e., the minimum time period for which the consumer is expected to pay on the basis of the terms and conditions offered by the trader: — For example, a mobile telephony contract of 24 months may include a minimum duration of 6 months that must be paid for in case of early termination (91). Any such minimum period during which terminating the contract is not allowed, should also be treated as one of the major conditions for terminating the contract of indeterminate duration or an automatically extended contract in the sense of Article 5(1)(f). Therefore, information about the minimum duration should be provided also for contracts of indeterminate duration and automatically extended contracts, which are concluded on-premises and are subject to Article 5(1)(f). The Directive only sets out information requirements regarding the termination and extension of contracts. The assessment of the fairness of the respective contractual clauses is subject to the Unfair Contract Terms Directive 93/13/EEC (92). Specific rules on duration, prolongation and termination of contracts may be set in the relevant EU sector specific legislation (93).

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-07