The European Accessibility Act for online stores: a plain-English guide
The European Accessibility Act (EAA), Directive (EU) 2019/882, requires many products and services sold to consumers in the EU to be accessible to people with disabilities. For online shops, the key date has already passed: the rules have applied since 28 June 2025.
Does it apply to my store?
E-commerce services offered to consumers in the EU are covered. Where your business is registered does not decide it on its own: a store based in India, the US or the UK that sells online to EU consumers should check its position.
There is one main exception for services. A microenterprise is a business that employs fewer than 10 people and has an annual turnover or annual balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million. Microenterprises providing services are exempt from the service requirements. Both conditions must be met, and the exemption covers services, not products.
How does your store measure up?
Run a free automated check against WCAG 2.1 AA in under a minute.
What does "accessible" mean in practice?
The EAA sets out functional requirements in Annex I. In practice, websites are usually measured against the harmonised European standard EN 301 549, which builds on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AA. Typical problems in online stores include:
- Product images without text alternatives
- Text with too little colour contrast
- Form fields, such as checkout and search, without labels
- Menus, filters or pop-ups that cannot be used with a keyboard
- Buttons and links with no readable name, such as an icon-only basket button
Do I need an accessibility statement?
Yes, for covered services. Under Article 13 and Annex V, service providers must publish information explaining how the service meets the accessibility requirements, usually in the general terms and conditions or an equivalent public document, and keep it available for as long as the service runs. See our accessibility statement guide and template.
Who enforces it?
Each EU country has its own market surveillance authority and its own penalties, set in national law. Many cases start with a complaint from a consumer. Penalties and procedures therefore differ from country to country.
What should I do first?
- Check whether the microenterprise exemption applies to you.
- Run an automated scan of your key pages: home, a product page, basket and checkout.
- Fix the high-priority issues first. Automated tools find many common problems, but not all of them.
- Ask someone to test the checkout with a keyboard only and with a screen reader.
- Publish an accessibility statement and keep checking regularly, because new products and theme updates can introduce new problems.
For a binding view of your obligations, speak to a qualified adviser in the countries you sell to.
How does your store measure up?
Run a free automated check against WCAG 2.1 AA in under a minute.