1. Applies to EU, UK & US merchants
If a US or UK e-commerce store, SaaS, or booking service targets consumers inside any EU member state (e.g. Germany’s BFSG, Spain’s Law 11/2023, France), full EAA compliance is legally mandatory.
EU Directive 2019/882 · European Accessibility Act
Check your website’s EU Accessibility Act (EAA) compliance & risk
Verify instantly whether your EU, UK, or US business falls under the EAA, scan real DOM barriers in headless Chrome (without trusting overlay widgets), and understand financial exposure.
Who is affected
Markets, obligations & enforcement under the EAA
Enforced across all 27 EU member states since June 28, 2025—applying equally to non-EU merchants selling B2C to European consumers.
2. Microenterprise exemption
Service providers with fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet ≤ €2M are exempt. Exceeding either threshold triggers mandatory WCAG 2.1 AA / EN 301 549 compliance.
3. Fines & market withdrawal
Member states impose national penalties ranging from €300 up to €100,000–€1,000,000 depending on jurisdiction and severity, plus the authority to restrict or withdraw non-compliant services from the EU market.
4. Why overlay widgets fail
Third-party floating toolbars do not repair inaccessible checkout flows, missing form labels, or keyboard traps in source code. Regulators expect native code compliance and an Accessibility Statement.
Clean semantic HTML (H1–H3 structure, alt text, and pre-JavaScript content) also strengthens search and AI crawler visibility. Check yours with the AuditaSite SEO & AI Auditor.
Common questions
European Accessibility Act FAQ
When did the European Accessibility Act become enforceable?
Enforcement began across all 27 EU member states on June 28, 2025 (e.g., Law 11/2023 in Spain, BFSG in Germany). While pre-existing service contracts have a transitional period until June 28, 2030, all new websites, storefronts, and updated user flows must comply immediately.
Does the EAA apply if my business is registered in the US or UK?
Yes. The Directive follows the EU consumer: any online store, travel platform, banking app, or B2C digital service selling into European member states must meet EAA accessibility requirements regardless of where the company is incorporated.
Are Shopify, WooCommerce, or Stripe checkouts compliant out of the box?
Legal liability rests with the merchant, not the CMS or theme vendor. Even on major e-commerce platforms, custom themes, mega-menus, cookie banners, discount popups, and unlabeled variant selectors regularly create critical keyboard and screen-reader blockers.
Does the EAA cover strictly B2B services or micro-businesses?
The EAA targets B2C consumer services. Purely B2B software with no consumer offering and microenterprises with < 10 staff and ≤ €2M annual turnover/balance sheet are exempt—though enterprise EU buyers and public tenders increasingly require WCAG 2.1 AA / EN 301 549 conformance anyway.
What must the Accessibility Statement contain?
Businesses must publish accessible information (typically linked from the footer or terms) declaring how their digital service meets EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA, listing any known exceptions, and offering a clear accessible feedback contact for users encountering barriers.
What penalties apply across Spain, Germany, France, and the EU?
Fines vary by member state—from €301 up to €1,000,000 in Spain, up to €100,000 under Germany’s BFSG, and comparable administrative fines plus market withdrawal powers across EU national authorities.
Does this automated check serve as legal certification?
No. Automated scanners catch ~30–50% of structural WCAG 2.1 AA / EN 301 549 barriers (language tags, alt text, form labels, zoom locks, focus suppression, statement link). Full legal compliance requires manual keyboard and screen-reader testing across login and checkout.