The European Accessibility Act, for people who sell online.
Directive (EU) 2019/882 has applied across the EU since June 28, 2025. If you sell to consumers in the EU, here is whether it covers you, what it asks for, and where to start.
Last reviewed October 26, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
At a glance
- Law
- Directive (EU) 2019/882
- Applies since
- June 28, 2025
- Enforced by
- Each EU member state
- Technical standard
- EN 301 549, pointing to WCAG 2.1 AA
- Exempt
- Microenterprises providing services
- The EAA is an EU directive from 2019. Each member state turned it into national law, and those laws have applied since June 28, 2025.
- It covers products and services sold to consumers, including online shops, consumer banking, e-books, ticketing and telecoms.
- Microenterprises that provide services (fewer than 10 staff and no more than EUR 2 million turnover or balance sheet) are exempt from the service requirements.
- In practice, accessible means meeting the European standard EN 301 549. The version in force points to WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content; the September 2026 update moves to WCAG 2.2.
The European Accessibility Act is Directive (EU) 2019/882. The EU adopted it in April 2019, member states had until June 2022 to write it into national law, and those national laws apply to products and services placed on the market or provided from June 28, 2025. Unlike the earlier public sector directive, the EAA is aimed at private companies.
It covers a fixed list of products and services. On the product side: computers and operating systems, smartphones, payment terminals, ticketing and check-in machines, e-readers. On the service side: e-commerce, consumer banking, electronic communications, access to audiovisual media, parts of passenger transport, and e-books. If you sell to consumers through a website or an app, “e-commerce services” is the line that covers you. The directive text is on EUR-Lex.
The EAA is enforced country by country, under national laws that differ in detail. This page is general information. For your own situation, check the law in the countries you sell to or talk to a lawyer there.
Who is covered, who is exempt
The service obligations apply to anyone who provides a covered service to consumers in the EU, wherever the company is based. A shop in the UK, the US or Switzerland that sells to customers in Germany is providing an e-commerce service in Germany.
Microenterprises that provide services are exempt from the service requirements. A microenterprise employs fewer than 10 people and has an annual turnover or an annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million. The exemption covers services only; a microenterprise that makes or imports a covered product still has to meet the product requirements. Member states are also asked to give microenterprises guidance and tools, so check what your national authority offers.
There are transition arrangements. Service contracts agreed before June 28, 2025 can run unchanged until they end, for at most five years, and services may keep using products that were lawfully in use before that date until June 28, 2030. Self-service terminals in use before the date may stay until the end of their economic life, up to 20 years.
Each member state names its own market surveillance authorities and sets its own penalties. The directive only requires that penalties are “effective, proportionate and dissuasive”. The European Commission keeps an overview page for the Act.
What “accessible” means
The directive itself describes accessibility requirements in functional terms, in its Annex I. The practical measure is the European standard EN 301 549, “Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services”. Once the EU cites a version in its Official Journal, meeting it gives a presumption of conformity with the directive. For web content, the version in force, 3.2.1 from ETSI, points to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Version 4.1.1, published in September 2026 and written with the EAA in mind, moves to WCAG 2.2 Level AA. It is expected to be cited around the end of 2026. Our WCAG guide covers what Level AA asks for. Building to WCAG 2.2 AA today covers both versions.
What an online shop has to do
Translated into the parts of a shop, the requirements look like this. The last column says which part of Accessora helps and where the work is yours.
| Part of the shop | What is asked | How Accessora helps |
|---|---|---|
| Product pages | Images described, prices and options readable by a screen reader, text that reflows when zoomed. | AuditAI alt textAutomated fixWidget |
| Checkout | Every field labeled, errors explained, the whole flow possible with a keyboard and without a time limit that cannot be extended. | AuditAutomated fixNeeds you |
| Forms and account | Login, contact and returns forms with clear labels, instructions and error messages. | AuditAutomated fix |
| PDFs and documents | Invoices, manuals and terms readable with assistive technology, or offered as HTML. | Needs you |
| Support channels | At least one way to reach you that does not depend on a single sense, for example email or chat as well as phone. | Needs you |
| Accessibility information | A public description of how the service meets the requirements, in your terms or an equivalent place. | Needs you |
Audits flag the issues a scan can detect, with their WCAG criterion. On Enterprise, automated fixes repair the common forms of missing labels and names when the page loads. On Growth and Enterprise, AI alt text writes English image descriptions that you can edit in the dashboard. The widget gives visitors adjustments such as larger text and higher contrast. Documents, support channels and your public accessibility information are things only you can provide. If your shop runs on Shopify, the Shopify app puts the same tools in your Shopify admin. The EAA tools page goes through each part of a shop and what covers it.
Country notes
The directive is applied through a national law in each member state. The names below are for the markets we are asked about most often. Where we have not confirmed the name of the law, the row points to the national transposition list on EUR-Lex, which is the authoritative source for all 27 countries.
National laws by country
| Country | National law |
|---|---|
| Germany | Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) |
| France | See the national transposition list |
| Netherlands | See the national transposition list |
| Ireland | European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023 |
| Spain | See the national transposition list |
| Italy | See the national transposition list |
| Sweden | See the national transposition list |
| Poland | Act of April 26, 2024 on ensuring the accessibility of certain products and services |
Where to start
- Audit the shop. Add the home page, a product page, the cart and the checkout, and run a scan. Errors first.
- Fix what the scan finds. On Enterprise, turn on automated fixes where they apply. Pass the rest to your theme developer, then re-scan to confirm.
- Publish your accessibility information. A statement with the standard, the status, known gaps and a contact route. The statement generator writes it for you.
- Give visitors the widget. It is a visitor aid, not a substitute for the fixes above, and for many customers it is what makes the shop comfortable to use.
- Re-audit on a schedule. Weekly suits most shops. Keep a dated note of what each scan found and what you fixed.
Illustration of the audit results screen: a page scored 84 out of 100 with five errors, four warnings and one notice, each listed with its WCAG criterion.
I am outside the EU but sell to EU customers. Does it apply?
Yes, if you provide a covered service to consumers in the EU. What counts is where your customers are, wherever the company is registered. Enforcement happens through the member state where the consumer is.
Is my shop a microenterprise?
A microenterprise employs fewer than 10 people and has an annual turnover or an annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million. If that describes you, the service obligations do not apply. Keep evidence of your size in case an authority asks.
Is WCAG 2.1 AA or 2.2 required?
The version of EN 301 549 in force today references WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Version 4.1.1, published in September 2026, moves to WCAG 2.2 Level AA and takes effect once the EU cites it in its Official Journal, expected around the end of 2026. Building to WCAG 2.2 AA now covers both.
Do I need an accessibility statement?
The EAA asks service providers to publish information on how their service meets the requirements, in their terms and conditions or an equivalent place. A clear accessibility statement with a contact route is the usual way to do that.
What about my app?
A mobile app that is part of a covered service, such as a shop or banking app, is covered in the same way as the website. EN 301 549 has its own requirements for software, including apps.
Start with an audit.
Scan your shop against WCAG 2.1 AA, fix what you find, and publish an honest statement. 7-day free trial on every plan.