Shopping Abroad

You are protected under EU law when shopping in another EU country. This includes protection on the several stages of the purchase.

Contracts

Wherever you buy a product or service in the EU, the seller must provide you with clear, correct, and understandable information about the product or service before you make the purchase. Contracts must be written in plain and understandable language and cannot contain unfair contract terms.

For more information, please see the EU’s webpage on contract information.

Pricing

As an EU national you can’t be charged a higher price when buying products or services just because of your nationality or country of residence. Some price differences can be justified, if they are based on objective criteria other than nationality. When you buy goods or services in the EU, you must be clearly informed about the total price, including all taxes and additional charges. Sellers in the EU are not allowed to charge you extra for using your credit or debit card.

EU rules on pricing also apply when you buy travel tickets, such as flights or train tickets, either online or in person. This means that when you buy your tickets, all taxes, fees, and charges must be included and appear in the total price from the beginning of the booking process. This makes it easier for you to compare prices with other travel operators. Any optional supplements (such as travel insurance) must be clearly indicated as such and suggested only on an opt-in basis.

For more information, please see the EU’s webpage on pricing.

Returns

Under EU rules, a seller must repair, replace, reduce the price or give you a refund if goods you bought turn out to be faulty or do not look or work as advertised. If you bought a good or a service online or outside of a shop (by telephone, mail order, from a door-to-door salesperson), you also have the right to cancel and return your order within 14 days, for any reason and with no justification.

For more information, please see the EU’s webpage on contract information and the Directive 2011/83/EU of 25 October 2011 on consumer rights.