Guide · European Accessibility Act
The European Accessibility Act for small online shops
Since 28 June 2025, most online shops that sell to people in the EU must be usable by disabled customers. Here's who the law covers, what "accessible" means in practice, and what to do this month, in plain language.
By Kevin McCalley · Published 25 October 2026
Does it apply to you?
It covers e-commerce: selling goods or services online to consumers in the EU. That includes your own shop on Shopify, WooCommerce or any other platform, booking sites, and shops based outside the EU that sell to EU customers. It's EU Directive 2019/882; each country turned it into national law (in Portugal, Decreto-Lei 82/2022).
Microenterprises are exempt for services. You qualify if you have fewer than 10 staff and either your annual turnover or your balance sheet total is no more than €2 million. Count the whole company, not one shop or brand. The exemption covers services such as your online shop; physical products you make still have their own (lighter) duties.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fines are set by each country, so check with your national authority if you're unsure.
What "accessible" means in practice
The law points to the European standard EN 301 549, which for websites means WCAG 2.1 level AA. In everyday terms, a disabled customer should be able to find, choose and pay for something on their own. For a shop, that comes down to these:
Keyboard only
Every link, menu, filter, size picker, basket button and checkout field can be reached and used with the Tab and Enter keys, with a visible focus outline.
Screen readers
Buttons and links say what they do ("Add to cart", not just an icon), images of products have descriptions, and form fields have real labels.
Readable
Text contrast of at least 4.5:1, text that can be enlarged to 200% without breaking the page, and nothing that relies on colour alone.
Clear errors
When a form goes wrong, the message says what's wrong and how to fix it, in words, next to the field.
No time traps
Basket and checkout timeouts can be extended, and nothing moves or flashes that can't be paused.
A statement
You publish information about how your shop meets the requirements, usually as an accessibility statement page, including how customers can report a problem.
What to do this month
Check whether you're exempt
Count staff across the whole business and check turnover. If you're a microenterprise, accessibility is still good business, but the deadline isn't your problem.
Run a free automated check
Lighthouse in Chrome or a free scan catches the obvious problems: missing labels, low contrast, images without descriptions. It finds only part of them, so don't stop there.
Buy something with the keyboard
Put the mouse away and try to buy a product from your home page to the payment step. Where you get stuck, a disabled customer gets stuck too.
Fix the checkout first
Problems that block a purchase matter most, then search and product pages, then everything else. Most fixes are in the theme, so one change fixes every page.
Publish an honest statement
Say what you tested, when, what still needs work and how to contact you. "Partially conformant" is fine while you fix things; claiming full compliance you haven't tested isn't.
Skip the overlay widgets
Accessibility toolbars sit on top of the site and leave the real problems in place. They don't make a site meet WCAG, and some disabled users find them harder to use.
See what this looks like on a real checkout: the Crumbwell teardown takes a sample bakery shop from 30 WCAG issues to 0, with a 3-minute video.
If you'd rather have it checked for you
Your key pages and checkout tested by hand with a keyboard and a screen reader against WCAG 2.2 AA (which includes 2.1 AA), a plain-language fix list ranked by impact, a draft accessibility statement and a re-check after the fixes. Start with a free automated scan if you'd like to see where you stand.
Questions
Does the European Accessibility Act apply if my business is outside the EU?
Yes, if you sell to consumers in the EU. The law is about where your customers are, not where your company is registered.
Does it apply to business-to-business shops?
The e-commerce rules are about services for consumers. A shop that only sells to businesses is generally outside them, but many shops sell to both, and then the consumer side is covered.
Is my Shopify or WooCommerce theme already compliant?
Not automatically. Some themes are a good start, but your content, product images, apps and customisations all affect the result, so the shop as customers see it needs testing.
What happens if I don't comply?
Each country's authority enforces the law and sets the penalties, which can include orders to fix the site and fines. Amounts vary by country. Customers can also complain to the authority.
Will an accessibility overlay or widget make me compliant?
No. Overlays add a toolbar on top of the site but leave the underlying problems in place. The fixes have to go into the site itself.
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