E-commerce, mainly
If you sell products or services online to consumers in the EU, e-commerce is explicitly named as a covered sector. That's the sector most GotAlt users care about, and it's about as clear-cut as EAA coverage gets.
The European Accessibility Act: what it means for your website (2026 guide)
The EAA has applied since June 28, 2025, and it covers far more websites than most teams realize, including ones run from outside the EU. Here's who it actually covers, what the technical standard is, and a practical path to get ready. No compliance guarantees, no legal advice: just the plain version.
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What the EAA actually is
The European Accessibility Act, formally Directive (EU) 2019/882, is EU law requiring a wide range of products and services to meet accessibility requirements. It has been legally applicable since June 28, 2025. The obligation isn't limited to companies headquartered in the EU: if you place covered products or services on the EU market, the EAA applies regardless of where your business is based.
There's some breathing room for things that were already live: services already on the market before the deadline get a transition period running until June 28, 2030 before they need to be brought into line. New products and services don't get that grace period. They needed to comply from day one.
Who it covers
Wherever you're based
Location doesn't exempt you. A US or UK company selling to EU shoppers is covered the same way an EU-based one is. What matters is the market you're selling into, not your mailing address.
Plus several other sectors
E-commerce sits alongside banking and payment services, electronic communications, audiovisual media, transport ticketing and travel info, e-books, and consumer hardware like computers, phones, and self-service terminals.
Sectors named in the EAA
- E-commerce platforms
- Online banking & payment services
- Consumer credit services
- Electronic communications
- Audiovisual media services
- Transport ticketing
- Real-time travel information
- E-books and e-readers
- Computers & operating systems
- Smartphones & tablets
- Self-service terminals (ATMs, ticketing kiosks)
If your business touches any of these and sells to EU consumers, it's worth assuming the EAA applies to you until you've confirmed otherwise.
The microenterprise exemption
There is one real carve-out, and it's narrow: microenterprises providing services (fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet total under €2 million) are exempt from most EAA obligations. Both conditions have to be true; it's not an either/or.
A few details that are easy to miss:
- The exemption applies to services only
- Product manufacturers of any size still must comply
- Exempt microenterprises must still document facts if authorities ask
- Both the headcount and turnover thresholds must be met together
Outgrew 10 employees or €2M in turnover? The exemption goes with it. And even if you do qualify, accessibility can still matter for you: customer reach, SEO, and exposure under other countries' laws (like the US ADA) don't come with a headcount exemption.
What enforcement looks like so far
The EAA has been in force since June 28, 2025. Under the directive, each EU member state is responsible for appointing its own market surveillance authorities and setting its own penalty structure. That machinery is still being stood up differently in different countries, and enforcement activity is still early and unevenly reported.
We're deliberately not citing specific fine amounts or headline court cases here. Enforcement details are moving fast, inconsistently documented across sources, and easy to get wrong or overstate, and a guide that overstates them isn't doing you any favors. What's settled is simpler and more useful: the law applies now, obligations started immediately for new products and services, and the safest position is to treat compliance as underway rather than wait for a fine to make it feel real.
This isn't legal advice
This page is a practical, plain-language starting point, not a legal opinion on whether the EAA applies to your specific business, or what "compliant" means for you. If EAA exposure is a real question for your company, talk to a lawyer who covers EU accessibility law.
The technical standard: WCAG via EN 301 549
The EAA doesn't invent its own checklist of accessibility rules. It points to a harmonized European standard, EN 301 549, which currently incorporates the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA in full (that's standard version 3.2.1). A newer version, EN 301 549 v4.1.1, aligned with the more recent WCAG 2.2, is expected to be referenced in the EU's Official Journal around October 2026.
In practice: build to WCAG 2.1 AA today, and treat WCAG 2.2 as the direction things are heading rather than a separate requirement to worry about yet.
Alt text, the thing GotAlt's free tool exists to fix, is one of the most foundational and most commonly-missed WCAG requirements. Every image that conveys meaning needs a text alternative; purely decorative images need an explicit empty alt="" so screen readers skip over them instead of announcing noise. It's usually the single fastest fix on an accessibility audit. Try the free alt text generator if that's where you're starting.
A practical 5-step path
You don't need a six-month project plan to start. Here's a realistic order of operations.
1. Audit
Start with an automated scan to see what's actually broken today. It won't catch everything (colour contrast and keyboard flows still need a human look), but it's a fast starting point. Scan your site free.
2. Prioritize
Automated scans tend to report dozens of instances of a handful of root causes. A broken nav component used sitewide isn't 200 errors; it's one fix. Group by cause and start with what blocks the most visitors.
3. Fix
Missing alt text is usually the most common issue and the fastest to resolve. Drop your images into the free alt text generator and get WCAG-friendly text back in seconds.
4. Monitor
Sites regress. A new template or a redesigned component can silently reintroduce issues you already fixed. Re-scan on a schedule instead of treating the audit as a one-time event.
5. Document
Keep a record of what you audited, what you fixed, and when, plus a published accessibility statement describing your current conformance status and how visitors can report problems. That paper trail is what regulators and customers actually look for, not a badge claiming "100% compliant."
FAQ
Does the EAA apply to my business?
Broadly: if you sell products or services online to consumers in the EU, it likely applies, wherever your company is based. The one notable carve-out is the microenterprise exemption for services (fewer than 10 employees and under €2M turnover, both conditions required). If you're unsure which side of that line you're on, the safer assumption is that it applies, and to start fixing issues either way: customer reach and SEO don't come with a headcount exemption.
What's the microenterprise exemption, exactly?
Fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet total under €2 million. Both have to be true, and it only applies to services, not products. Product manufacturers of any size still have to comply, and even exempt microenterprises must be able to document the relevant facts if a regulator asks.
What standard do I actually need to meet?
WCAG, via a harmonized EU standard called EN 301 549. The current version incorporates WCAG 2.1 at Level AA. A future version aligned with WCAG 2.2 is expected around October 2026. If you build to WCAG 2.1 AA now, you're on the right track for both.
Has anyone actually been fined under the EAA yet?
Enforcement mechanisms are still being set up separately by each EU member state, and reporting on specific cases is early and inconsistent, and we're not going to cite numbers we can't stand behind. What's not in question is that the law has applied since June 28, 2025, and that's the date that matters for your own planning, regardless of how enforcement plays out case by case.
Does a passing accessibility scan mean I'm EAA-compliant?
No. Be wary of any tool that tells you otherwise. Automated scans cover a meaningful slice of WCAG, but full conformance also needs human review of things like colour contrast, keyboard flows, and reading order. Treat a scan as a starting point and a way to track progress, not a compliance certificate.
Does this apply to my Shopify or WordPress store specifically?
The EAA doesn't care what platform you're built on. E-commerce is named as a covered sector regardless of whether you're running Shopify, WordPress, a custom build, or anything else. The platform doesn't exempt you; what you sell and who you sell it to does.
Is this page legal advice?
No. It's a plain-language practical guide, not a legal opinion about your specific business. If EAA exposure is a real question for you, talk to a lawyer who covers EU accessibility law.
Find out where you actually stand
Reading about the EAA is step zero. The real starting point is knowing what's actually broken on your site today: missing alt text, unlabeled forms, broken headings, and more, with a plain-English fix plan.
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