Gym Membership Cancellation in the Netherlands (2026)

How does cancelling a gym membership work in the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands, once the first contract term of a gym membership has ended, the contract may only continue for an indefinite period and the member can cancel at any time with at most one month's notice (Wet Van Dam, in force since 1 December 2011). If the member signed up online, the gym must also let them cancel online, and confirm the cancellation in writing, according to the ACM.

That covers the two questions members search most: "sportschool abonnement opzeggen per mail" and "tussentijds opzeggen". This guide sets out the rules for gym owners, with a checklist to compare against your own terms. It is general information, not legal advice; have your terms checked by a lawyer or the ACM's consumer pages.

The rules at a glance

Six rules shape almost every Dutch gym contract.

Sources: Rijksoverheid on tacit renewal; Kennedy Van der Laan on the Wet Van Dam (law firm summary); ACM, twelve gym chains change their terms (2015).

Monthly cancellation after the first year: the Wet Van Dam

The Wet Van Dam means a gym can sell a fixed first term, often a year, but after it the member is free to leave with one month's notice.

The law changed articles 6:236 and 6:237 of the Dutch Civil Code. A consumer subscription may only be tacitly renewed for an indefinite period after the initial term, and that indefinite contract can be cancelled at any time with a notice period of at most one month. A clause that silently rolls a member into a second 12-month term does not hold up.

In practice this means three things for your terms:

• State the length of the first term clearly, and what happens after it ("then continues per month").
• Set the notice period after the first term at one month or less.
• Do not tie the end date to a fixed calendar date that makes the real notice longer than a month.

The ACM tested these rules on the sector. In May 2015, twelve gym chains with 330 locations and more than 500,000 consumers changed their terms and websites after ACM intervened. Two points it singled out: a 2-month notice period is not allowed, and prices must include fixed components such as registration fees.

Tussentijds opzeggen: cancelling during the first term

The Wet Van Dam rules start after the initial term, so whether a member can cancel early during the first term depends on what your contract says.

Members search for "tussentijds opzeggen" when they move, get injured or simply stop going. Gyms can deal with this by writing clear early-exit rules into the terms, for example for a move or a medical reason with proof. Whatever you choose, write it down in plain words before someone asks at the desk. Vague rules lead to arguments, and arguments lead to complaints.

A common mistake is staff deciding case by case. One member gets out free after a move, the next is told no. Put the rule in the terms and apply it to everyone.

Sportschool abonnement opzeggen per mail and online

If a member took out the membership online, the ACM's position is clear: they must be able to cancel it online as well.

The ACM says that a subscription concluded online must also be cancellable online. That rules out phone-only cancellation and cancellation pages that are hard to find, and the cancellation must be confirmed in writing. An email address, an online form or a link in the member account are all online routes; the point of the ACM rule is that the member can find and use it as easily as the sign-up page.

Good practice for gyms:

• Put a "Cancel membership" link in the website footer and the member area, not only in the terms.
• Accept cancellation by email to a published address, and reply with a written confirmation that states the end date.
• Do not require a reason, a desk visit or a letter by post.
• Keep a record of the date the cancellation arrived, because the notice period runs from there.

The 14-day cooling-off period and the EU withdrawal button

For online sign-ups, members in many cases get a 14-day cooling-off period, and from 19 June 2026 online traders must also offer an electronic withdrawal function.

The Rijksoverheid page on buying at a distance says "in many cases you get a cooling-off period of 14 days". The ACM's 2015 action also named the 14-day withdrawal right for online gym sign-ups. Consumentenbond (updated 29 June 2026) says that by law there is no cooling-off period when a contract is signed on the premises, although some gyms offer one anyway, and that a member who already trained during the 14 days can still withdraw while the gym may charge for the visits used.

New since 19 June 2026: Article 11a of the EU Consumer Rights Directive, added by Directive (EU) 2023/2673, requires every trader that sells online to offer an electronic withdrawal function, in effect a withdrawal button, during the 14-day withdrawal period. If members can sign up on your website, that applies to you.

Checklist for gym owners

Run your terms and website against these points once a year, and every time you change your sign-up flow.

1. The first term length is stated, and so is "after that, monthly".
2. Notice after the first term is one month or less.
3. The advertised price includes the registration fee and other fixed costs.
4. Members who sign up online can cancel online, from a link they can find.
5. Every cancellation gets a written confirmation with the end date.
6. Online sign-up shows the 14-day withdrawal right and offers the withdrawal function.
7. Any charge for training during the 14 days is agreed in advance.
8. Early-exit rules for the first term (moving, injury) are written down.
9. Direct debits stop after the end date; check your incasso run.

The last point is easy to miss: the cancellation is confirmed, but the bank or payment provider still collects the next month. If you are also changing payment flows because of iDEAL moving to Wero, the sibling guide on gym payments, iDEAL and Wero covers that side. Gyms with Belgian members should also read about the new Belgian subscription law for 2027, and for comparison, Germany's rules are in our post on gym contract cancellation in Germany.

Where Trainera fits

Trainera does not provide a cancellation button or withdrawal function; the gym implements the cancellation route on its own website and in its own process.

• Members cannot cancel a gym membership in the Trainera app. Your cancellation link or email address lives on your website and in your terms.
• No automatic monthly charging. An online package purchase in Trainera is a one-off card payment through your own Stripe account, with 0% Trainera platform fee. Trainera does not run incasso; if you collect monthly by direct debit, that runs through your bank or provider, and stopping it after a cancellation is done there.
• What helps: membership packages and payments recorded per member, payments taken at the desk recorded too, a Leads CRM with follow-up reminders, and a gym website builder where you can publish your terms and cancellation page.
• Messages: Automations (included in Studio, an add-on on Core and White Label) send member messages; our renewal reminder playbook shows a set-up.

Prices from trainera.fit/pricing for the Netherlands. For more on the admin side, see gym membership administration in the Netherlands.

Three changes to make this month

1. Read your terms for the notice period after the first term; if it says two months, change it to one.
2. Add a visible "cancel membership" link and a published email address, and send a written confirmation every time.
3. Check that your online sign-up shows the 14-day withdrawal right and the withdrawal function required since 19 June 2026.

Run memberships, check-ins and leads in one place: see Trainera for gyms.