Cancel a contract in Italy: phone, internet and gym

Quick answer

To end a phone, internet or pay-TV contract in Italy, send a withdrawal (recesso): you can leave at any time with at most 30 days’ notice, and exit costs must be justified and disclosed (art. 1, comma 3, D.L. 7/2007). The provider must accept the forms used to sign up and an online channel. For gyms and other services, send a notice of non-renewal (disdetta) by the contract’s deadline and channel. A contract concluded online, by phone or at your door can usually be withdrawn within 14 days. Ask for written confirmation of the end date.

This guide covers consumer subscriptions in Italy, such as phone, internet, pay TV, streaming and gyms. It is general information, not legal advice. For insurance and tenancies, see our guides to cancelling insurance and tenant letters. Ending a contract, withdrawing from a new one within 14 days and revoking a direct debit are three separate steps.

Disdetta or recesso: check the contract first

A disdetta stops a fixed-term contract from renewing when it expires; a recesso ends a contract in other cases, for example before the end date. Check the minimum term, renewal date and notice deadline. A gym or similar membership binds you for the agreed term (art. 1372 c.c.), so leaving early depends on the contract or a cause recognised by law. A tacit-renewal clause in standard terms has effect only if you approved it specifically in writing (art. 1341 c.c.). In consumer contracts, clauses requiring notice excessively early before the end date, or letting the provider change terms without a reason stated in the contract, are presumed unfair (art. 33, comma 2, lett. i and m, Codice del consumo); whether a clause is unfair depends on the case.

Phone, internet and pay TV

These operators must let you withdraw or switch at any time with no more than 30 days’ notice; exit costs must reflect the operator’s real costs and the value of the contract, and be disclosed in the offer and at signature (art. 1, comma 3, D.L. 7/2007). You can cancel in the forms available at sign-up, and online in any case (comma 3-bis). For phone and internet, once a fixed-term contract has renewed automatically, you can leave at any time with at most one month’s notice, paying only for the service during that month, without penalties or deactivation costs (art. 98-septiesdecies, comma 4, Codice delle comunicazioni elettroniche). If the operator changes the terms, it must give at least 30 days’ notice, and you can generally withdraw without penalty within 60 days (comma 5).

Equipment is separate: you may still owe for a phone or modem you keep (comma 7), and under AGCOM’s rules remaining instalments (rate) continue unless you ask to pay them in one go. If you switch provider, the old contract ends automatically once the transfer is complete (art. 98-octiesdecies, comma 6).

Withdraw from a new contract within 14 days

For a service contract concluded online, by phone or away from the provider’s premises, you generally have 14 days from its conclusion to withdraw without giving reasons, or 30 days if it was concluded during an unsolicited visit to your home (art. 52 Codice del consumo). Any clear statement works, such as “comunico il recesso ai sensi dell’art. 52 del Codice del consumo” (art. 54). Sending it in time is enough, but you must be able to prove it. If you asked for the service to start early, you pay for what was provided (art. 57); exceptions are in art. 59. For online contracts concluded from 19 June 2026, the trader must also offer a “recedere dal contratto qui” function for this withdrawal (art. 54-bis).

Prepare your cancellation letter

Include the contract number and the service you are ending. The example ends the contract at the earliest permitted date and claims no right to leave without notice or costs. Add both addresses and the date, and replace every placeholder.

Oggetto: Cessazione del contratto n. [Numero contratto] — codice cliente [Codice cliente]

Gentili Signori,

con la presente comunico la mia volontà di porre fine al contratto relativo a [servizio, ad esempio linea fissa e internet o abbonamento in palestra], intestato a [Nome e cognome] ([numero di linea o di tessera, se presente]).

La presente vale come disdetta e, ove ammesso, come recesso, con effetto dalla prima data consentita dal contratto e dalla legge.

Vi chiedo di confermarmi per iscritto il ricevimento della presente e la data di cessazione, nonché di indicarmi le modalità di restituzione di eventuali apparati in comodato d’uso e l’importo di eventuali rate residue.

Distinti saluti [Nome e cognome]

If there is no confirmation or billing continues

If no confirmation arrives or the provider names a later end date, ask for the basis; the follow-up below refers to your original letter and does not replace it. Phone and internet operators may not charge for services after the contract ends, and must reverse or refund such charges (art. 8, comma 2, AGCOM contracts regulation). Revoking the SDD direct debit mandate does not end the contract or cancel amounts due. If the dispute continues, send a formal complaint (reclamo); for phone and internet, a conciliation attempt, such as on AGCOM’s free ConciliaWeb platform, is required before court action (art. 1, comma 11, L. 249/1997). See our guides to formal complaints and payment demands.

Oggetto: Richiesta di conferma della cessazione — contratto n. [Numero contratto]

Gentili Signori,

in data [data] ho comunicato la cessazione del contratto n. [Numero contratto] tramite [canale utilizzato]. Allego la relativa prova: [prova di invio o di ricevimento].

Vi chiedo di confermarmi per iscritto la data di cessazione o, se ritenete applicabile una data diversa, di indicarmene il fondamento contrattuale o normativo. [Se pertinente: Vi chiedo inoltre di stornare o rimborsare gli importi addebitati per il periodo successivo alla cessazione.]

Resta ferma la mia comunicazione originaria.

Distinti saluti [Nome e cognome]

Post your letter and keep evidence

If you prefer post, upload your final PDF or write the letter in MaisonMail. Use the cancellation address given in the contract or on the provider’s website, not a general address you have not checked. The recipient address determines the destination; available services, estimated delivery and the final price appear before payment. Apart from the 14-day withdrawal, where sending in time is enough, a cancellation by post counts when it reaches the provider, not when you send it (art. 1334 c.c.), so allow time for printing and delivery. Where the contract or the law asks for a raccomandata A/R (registered letter with return receipt) or PEC (certified email), use one of those: a standard or tracked letter is not a raccomandata A/R. Keep a copy of the exact letter. Tracking or a delivery signature shows that an item arrived, not what the envelope contained.