Do you need a registered letter to end contracts when you move abroad?
Mostly no. Phone, internet, energy, gym and broadcasting fees can usually be ended online or by email. A few letters have a set form: a lease in the Netherlands or Wallonia names the registered letter, and a lease in Germany or Switzerland needs a hand-signed original.
A registered letter is for proof. Notice periods run from the day your letter arrives, and once you have left, it is hard to argue about a date. We print your letter in the country it goes to and hand it to the local post as registered mail: Einschreiben in Germany, recommandé in France and Belgium, carta certificada in Spain, aangetekend in the Netherlands. You get a tracking number and a delivery record wherever you live now.
- Dutch Civil Code, article 7:271 notice on a lease (Dutch)
- Swiss Code of Obligations, art. 266l form of notice
Which guide fits your move?
Each guide gives the notice periods, the form the law asks for and the official sources.
| Country you leave | What needs the most care | Registered letter |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Lease and job need a hand-signed original; the broadcasting fee stops only from the month your notice arrives | Optional, for proof |
| Netherlands | Lease: the law names a registered letter or a bailiff; health insurance ends by law | Named for the lease |
| France | Lease and some contracts by registered letter or online | Often used |
| Spain | Lease: 30 days' notice after six months | Optional, for proof |
| Belgium | Lease: three months' notice, registered letter required in Wallonia | Required in Wallonia for the lease |
| Switzerland | Lease needs a hand-signed notice; health insurance ends when you leave | For the signed original |
| United Kingdom | Tenancy in England: two months' notice in writing | Optional, for proof |
| United States | Lease notice as the lease says; written forwarding address for the deposit | Often named in the lease |
Leaving Germany
Most contracts accept text form. Deregister the broadcasting fee in the month you move, and tell your health fund or insurer with your deregistration certificate.
Leaving the Netherlands
Energy, internet and the gym have at most a month's notice. The lease has a form set by law, and health insurance ends by itself once you report it.
Leaving France, Spain, Belgium or Switzerland
Each country has its own rules for the lease and the deposit. These guides cover them, and what you can end online.
Leaving the United Kingdom or the United States
In England, notice by email counts. In the US, the lease decides, and the forwarding address you give decides where the deposit goes.
How does it work from abroad?
You do not need a printer or a post office.
- Write the letter and save it as a PDF, with the recipient's address in the window area.
- Upload it from wherever you are and choose the country it goes to.
- We print it there and hand it to the local post as registered mail.
- You get the tracking number and, later, the delivery record.
The price is shown before you pay.
Prices. Up to 2 pages, printed double-sided in black and white. Incl. VAT.
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel contracts after I have moved abroad?
Yes. Most contracts accept notice online or by email. For letters, we print in the destination country, so the letter travels as domestic registered mail.
Is a registered letter required?
Rarely. It is named for some leases, such as in the Netherlands and Wallonia. Elsewhere it is a way to prove when your notice arrived.
What if the law asks for a handwritten signature?
Then the signed original on paper counts, as for a lease in Germany or Switzerland. Post that original yourself before you leave. Our printed letters suit the other notices.
Does it matter where I live now?
No. You upload the PDF from anywhere. The price depends on the destination country and is shown before you pay.
Does registered mail prove the contents?
No. It records posting and delivery. The SHA-256 of your uploaded file and the SHA-256 of the file sent to print identify those files. They do not prove what was inside the envelope.