Is your online shop breaking EU law?
The EAA for shops at a glance
- In force
- 28 June 2025
- Standard
- WCAG 2.1 AA (EN 301 549)
- Law
- European Accessibility Act — Directive (EU) 2019/882
- Fines
- vary by country — up to €1,000,000 (Spain)
- Mandatory
- a public accessibility statement
- Exemption
- microenterprises (under 10 staff AND under €2M turnover)
What must an accessible online shop meet?
Your shop must meet WCAG 2.1 AA — around 50 testable criteria. In practice: full keyboard operability with a visible focus, sufficient colour contrast, alt text for images, correctly labelled form fields, and a screen-reader-usable navigation. The checkout and payment flow are the most critical — that's where a customer with a disability either completes the purchase or can't.
What does a breach cost?
Penalties are set by each member state and range from administrative fines to, in Ireland, criminal liability. Spain's ceiling is €1,000,000; Germany's is €100,000; France's ARCOM can fine €50,000 per service. A dated evidence trail that predates any complaint is the best protection.
Does it apply to small shops?
Only true microenterprises are exempt — under 10 staff and under €2M turnover. Both must be true, so most commercial shops are covered.
How do you make your shop provably accessible?
Test your checkout against WCAG 2.1 AA, fix the violations, publish your accessibility statement, and keep a dated record proving conformity. keepcite audits, fixes and documents. Start with the free scan below.
Is your shop compliant?
FreeYour store, scanned against the law’s standard.
FAQ
Is an accessible theme enough?
No. A theme is a good base, but your content, plugins, customisations and — above all — the checkout decide real conformity. What's audited is the code you actually ship, not the theme alone.
What about the checkout?
The checkout and payment flow are the highest-risk pages and the first thing an audit drives with a keyboard and screen reader. A shop can look fine and still be impossible to buy from.
Do I need an accessibility statement?
Yes, a public accessibility statement is mandatory. It must state your conformance status, known limitations and a way to report barriers — and match reality.
How fast must I act?
The obligation has applied since 28 June 2025. A dated record that begins before any complaint is the strongest protection — the sooner you start, the better.