Guide
Website accessibility and the European Accessibility Act
Who the European Accessibility Act applies to, the microenterprise exemption, the standard it points to (EN 301 549 and WCAG), what UK businesses need to know, and a practical accessibility checklist.
VAULT 33|27 · Updated 12 November 2026 · Reviewed 12 November 2026 · 3 min read
Last checked: 12 November 2026. Plain-language guidance, not legal advice. The Act is applied through each EU country's national law, so details and enforcement differ by country.
The short version
The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) has applied since 28 June 2025. It requires certain consumer-facing products and services sold in the EU, including e-commerce services, to be accessible to people with disabilities. It reaches businesses outside the EU that sell to EU consumers. Very small service businesses can be exempt.
Am I in scope?
| Question | If yes |
|---|---|
| Do you sell to consumers in the EU? | Keep going |
| Can consumers buy, book or pay for products or services through your website or app? | Likely an e-commerce service in scope. Check carefully |
| Do you also provide banking, transport ticketing, e-books or electronic communications? | Specific rules apply to those sectors |
| Are you a microenterprise providing services: fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than €2 million? | The Act provides an exemption for microenterprises providing services |
A brochure website that only takes enquiries is generally a weaker case for scope than a site where consumers complete purchases or bookings. Even when you are out of scope, accessibility is good business: more people can use your site, and it often improves conversion and search quality too.
What standard does it point to?
The Act sets functional requirements rather than naming a single web standard. In practice, compliance is shown through the European standard EN 301 549, which incorporates the WCAG guidelines at Level AA. The version in common use references WCAG 2.1 AA, and a newer version moving to WCAG 2.2 has been published. Building to WCAG 2.2 AA is the safest target for a new website.
Timeline
| Date | What applies |
|---|---|
| 28 June 2025 | Requirements apply to new products and services in scope |
| 28 June 2030 | End of transition for service contracts agreed before 28 June 2025 |
What about the UK?
The European Accessibility Act is EU law and does not apply to UK-only businesses. A UK business selling to EU consumers can still be in scope for that EU activity. In the UK, service providers already have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which in practice includes accessible websites.
A practical accessibility checklist
| Area | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Text | Enough colour contrast, resizable text, no information conveyed by colour alone |
| Images | Meaningful images have alt text; decorative images are hidden from screen readers |
| Keyboard | Everything works with a keyboard, with a clearly visible focus indicator |
| Structure | One H1, logical headings, landmarks, a skip-to-content link |
| Forms | Visible labels, clear error messages, no time limits, accessible spam protection |
| Media | Captions for video, transcripts for audio, no auto-playing sound |
| Motion | Respects the "reduce motion" setting; nothing flashes |
| Documents | PDFs and downloads accessible, or an accessible alternative provided |
| Chat and widgets | Third-party tools such as chat, booking and cookie banners are accessible too |
| Statement | An accessibility statement explaining your standard and how to report problems |
How to check your own site
- Try using your key pages and forms with only a keyboard.
- Turn on your phone's screen reader and try to complete an enquiry.
- Run an automated checker on key pages. Automated tools catch only part of the issues, so treat them as a start.
- Fix the enquiry and booking journey first: it matters most to people and to the law.
Every website we build targets WCAG 2.2 AA. See website design and development.
Sources
- Directive (EU) 2019/882 (European Accessibility Act), EUR-Lex
- W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
- CookieYes: European Accessibility Act explained (microenterprise definition)
- e-include: The European Accessibility Act, who it applies to and what it asks for
- Level Access: European Accessibility Act timeline and EN 301 549
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