- Price
- €7.95incl. VAT, 2 pages included
- Delivery time
- Next business dayusually, after handover to the post
- Proof
- Delivery recordinto the letterbox, + tracking
- Handed to the post
- Upload by 12:00Central European Time on a business day, posted the same day
- Counts as
- Domestic registered mailprinted and posted in Germany
Is an email enough to cancel?
It depends on the contract. Contract terms may ask for text form at most: a readable statement with your name, on paper or by email. For a flat and a job, the law asks for an original with your handwritten signature instead.
| Contract | Form required | Email valid? |
|---|---|---|
| Phone, internet, streaming, magazine | Text form at most | Yes |
| Gym, club with standard terms | Text form at most | Yes |
| Insurance | Text form at most | Yes |
| Contract signed on a website | Text form, plus a cancellation button | Yes, or by button |
| Residential lease | Written form with handwritten signature | No |
| Employment contract | Written form, electronic form excluded | No |
Why send registered mail at all?
A cancellation only takes effect when it reaches the provider. If they deny receiving an email, for example because it landed in spam, you have to prove it arrived. Hardly any provider sends a read receipt.
With Einschreiben Einwurf, Deutsche Post records the day the letter was put in the provider's letterbox. The contract cannot force registered mail on you either: special delivery routes in standard terms are void. You choose.
What do you do for a flat or a job?
Print the notice and sign it in ink. A scanned or printed signature does not count. Hand over the original in person against a signed receipt on a copy, or have a messenger who knows the contents drop it in the letterbox.
How do you cancel with proof?
- Check the dateYour contract or customer account shows when you can cancel.
- Write the cancellationUse the German sample below. No handwritten signature is needed.
- Send it registeredUpload the PDF; by 12:00 CET it is posted the same business day.
- Wait for confirmationIf none comes, show the delivery record.
Sample text for email and letter, in German
The same text works as an email and as a letter. Send both and you have two records.
Betreff: Kündigung, Kundennummer [Nummer]
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
hiermit kündige ich meinen Vertrag mit der Kundennummer [Nummer] zum [Datum], hilfsweise zum nächstmöglichen Termin.
Bitte bestätigen Sie mir den Eingang dieser Kündigung und das Vertragsende in Textform.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
[Vorname Nachname]
[Anschrift]
Frequently asked questions
Is cancellation by email valid in Germany?
Yes, where the contract accepts text form. That covers phone, internet, gym, subscriptions and insurance, because standard terms may not ask for more.
Can the provider insist on registered mail?
No. Standard terms may not require a special delivery route for a cancellation. Registered mail is your choice, as proof.
Is there an online cancellation?
For a contract signed on a website, the provider must offer a cancellation button. Save the confirmation that follows.
Can I end my flat by email?
No. Ending a residential lease needs an original with your handwritten signature. Hand it over in person against a signed receipt.
And my job?
No. Electronic form is expressly excluded for ending employment. You need an original signed by hand.
What does the registered letter prove?
That and when the letter was put in the provider's letterbox. Your proof PDF contains the letter itself, so you can show what you sent.