Set Up the EU Withdrawal Rule

Overview

Use the EU Withdrawal Function rule template to show a withdrawal request form for EU orders after the normal editing window has expired. The template targets EU destination countries, enables the contact form after expiry, adds a required withdrawal checkbox, and can hold orders while your team reviews the request.

ℹ️ Legal review recommended: The template helps route withdrawal requests. It does not determine whether a request is legally valid, whether an exemption applies, or whether your full customer journey is compliant.

Before you begin

You should already have:

- Order Editing installed on your Thank You Page and Order Status Page.

- Your normal editing window configured.

- Order Cancellations configured if you want customers to self-serve cancel before fulfillment.

- A support email or support workflow ready for staff review.

Create the rule from the template

1. In Order Editing, go to Settings > Editing Rules.

2. Find the EU Withdrawal Function template.

3. Click the template to create a new rule.

4. Review the pre-filled destination countries and settings.

5. Save the rule when it matches your policy.

The template targets shipping destinations in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

Review the customer message

The template includes a rule-specific customer message that appears at the top of the Order Editing experience. Use it to explain that EU customers can edit eligible orders during the editing period or use the withdrawal form for cancellation, refund, or return help.

Set the availability window

The template makes the contact form available after the editing window expires. By default, it stays available for 30 days from when the order is closed or ships.

This 30-day setting is an operational buffer. It is not a statement of the legal withdrawal period. The EU's general consumer guidance describes a 14-day cooling-off period for many distance purchases, usually counted from delivery for goods. Your store should decide the right operational window based on your usual delivery time, products, countries, and legal advice.

💡 Example: If your EU delivery time is usually 6-10 days, a 30-day window from shipping gives your team room to receive requests after delivery while still keeping the request path time-bound.

Review the form fields

The template pre-fills the withdrawal form with these important settings:

Use the Translate button in the form preview to update customer-facing labels and support topics. Despite the name, this button is also where you customize the text customers see. You can also swap the language in the top right hand corner to other active languages. Check that everything is correct.

If you only want to have one support topic reason, enter a blank space “ “ into all other support topic reasons to hide them.

Enable staff review holds

The template is designed to hold orders when a withdrawal support ticket is created, so your team can review the request before fulfillment continues. Confirm the hold behavior matches your fulfillment workflow and that your team knows how to release or resolve held orders.

If your warehouse or 3PL processes orders quickly, test this behavior carefully before enabling the rule for live traffic.

Hide the withdrawal form for non-EU orders

The EU Withdrawal Function rule targets EU destinations. If you also need to hide cancellation and contact options for non-EU orders, create a second rule that uses Destination Exclusion for the EU country list and disables Order Cancellation and Contact Support.

Place the more specific rule above broader rules so the right experience appears for each destination.

Enable the Support Tickets app block

The rule controls when the withdrawal form should appear, but the form itself depends on the Support Tickets contact form block.

1. Go to your Shopify checkout editor.

2. Open the Thank You Page and Order Status Page where Order Editing is installed. Save your checkout editor changes.

3. Go back to Order Editing. In App Blocks, make sure the Support Tickets app block is enabled.

4. Save.

Test the setup

1. Place or find a test order shipping to an EU country.

2. Open the Order Status Page after the editing window has expired or adjust your test rule timing temporarily.

3. Confirm the withdrawal form appears.

4. Submit a test request using the checkbox and message field.

5. Confirm the Shopify order is tagged with orderediting:message.

6. Confirm the order hold and internal notification behave as expected.

7. Confirm the customer receives the right confirmation email.