Does the European Accessibility Act apply to me?
It applies if you place certain products on the EU market or provide certain services to consumers in the EU after 28 June 2025, including e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books, electronic communications and parts of passenger transport. Microenterprises providing services, meaning fewer than 10 staff and annual turnover or balance sheet of EUR 2 million or less, are exempt.
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Check whether your service is on the list
Article 2(2) of Directive (EU) 2019/882 covers these services when provided to consumers:
- 1E-commerce services: selling products or services online to consumers.
- 2Consumer banking services.
- 3E-books and dedicated software.
- 4Electronic communications services and access to audiovisual media services.
- 5Websites, mobile apps, e-tickets and travel information for air, bus, rail and waterborne passenger transport.
Who is exempt, and the transition rules
Microenterprises that provide services are exempt from the accessibility requirements. A microenterprise employs fewer than 10 people and has annual turnover or a balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million. Microenterprises that sell covered products are not exempt.
Other companies can claim a disproportionate burden or a fundamental alteration for a specific requirement, but must document the assessment. Service contracts agreed before 28 June 2025 may continue unchanged until they expire, for no longer than five years from that date.
Where your company is based does not decide it: the rules attach to covered products placed on the EU market and covered services provided to consumers there.
What it means for the software
The Directive sets functional requirements, and products or services that meet the harmonised standards are presumed to conform. In practice, teams build and test web and mobile interfaces against the success criteria in WCAG, publish accessibility information about the service, and keep it accessible as features change.
Read the official text.
- Directive (EU) 2019/882, the European Accessibility Act (Official Journal)checked 2026-10-25
- W3C, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2checked 2026-10-25
Common follow-up questions.
Is a B2B SaaS product covered?
The services list is about services to consumers. A purely B2B tool is usually outside it, but check whether any part of your product is used by consumers, for example a checkout you power for retailers.
Does it apply to content published before June 2025?
Article 2(4) excludes some older website and app content, such as pre-recorded video and office files published before 28 June 2025. New content and the service itself still need to meet the requirements.
Who enforces it?
Each EU country, through its own national law and market surveillance authorities, so penalties and procedures vary by country.
