Free readiness checklist

Is your product ready for the European Accessibility Act?

A practical, jargon-free self-assessment for teams selling digital products or services into the EU — 30 checks across scope, deadlines, technical conformance, testing and documentation. Tick what is true today and see where you stand.

Read this first. The EAA is an EU directive, which means each member state writes it into its own national law. Scope, enforcement and penalties vary by country. This checklist is a practical starting point for scoping your risk — it is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified lawyer in the markets where you operate.

EAA readiness checklist
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01

Does it apply to you?

The EAA (Directive (EU) 2019/882) covers specific products and services sold to consumers in the EU. Where you are headquartered does not matter — where you sell does. Tick everything that is true.

02

The dates that actually matter

The most common misconception is that there is still runway. There is not — the main obligation is already live.

28 Jun 2025
Obligations appliedProducts placed on the market and services provided from this date must comply. This is not upcoming — it has already happened.
28 Jun 2030
Legacy service contractsService contracts agreed before June 2025 may continue unchanged until this date at the latest.
Up to 2045
Self-service terminalsTerminals already in use may continue for up to 20 years from first use. This does not extend to your website or app.
Watch: 2026
EN 301 549 v4.1.1The updated harmonised standard aligned to the EAA is expected to be cited in the Official Journal. Conformance with the cited version gives presumption of conformity.
03

Technical conformance

The practical baseline is EN 301 549, which for web and mobile content maps closely to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. These are the failures behind the overwhelming majority of real-world issues — start here.

04

How you tested it

Automated tooling reliably catches only a portion of real barriers — commonly estimated at around a third to a half. A green score is a starting point, not evidence of conformance.

05

Documentation and duties

Conformance is not only technical. The EAA imposes paperwork obligations, and this is where otherwise-compliant organisations get caught out.

Tick everything that is true for your product, then reveal where you stand.

Disclaimer. This checklist is provided for general information and does not constitute legal advice. The EAA is transposed into national law separately by each member state, and requirements, exemptions and enforcement vary. Verify your obligations with qualified legal counsel in the markets where you operate, and against the current cited version of EN 301 549.

Turn the gaps into a plan.

If this surfaced more red than you expected, the honest next step is a scoped audit rather than a scramble — knowing exactly where you stand is usually cheaper than guessing. UXellence runs WCAG 2.1 / 2.2 and EAA audits led by the author of the guide, with a prioritised, effort-ranked roadmap your team can act on.

Book an accessibility audit

Or get the ready-made EAA document toolkits →

FAQ

Questions about EAA & WCAG

Does the European Accessibility Act apply to my product?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) applies to a broad range of products and services sold to consumers in the EU — including e-commerce, banking, transport, e-books and most consumer-facing websites and mobile apps — regardless of where the company is based. Obligations have applied since 28 June 2025. Microenterprises providing services may be exempt, but the safest position is to assume you are in scope until confirmed.

Which WCAG version does the EAA require?

The EAA is implemented through the harmonised European standard EN 301 549, whose current version references WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the operative benchmark for web content. WCAG 2.2 is best practice and is expected to be incorporated in a future version of EN 301 549, so building to 2.2 now future-proofs your product.

Is this checklist a substitute for a full accessibility audit?

No. This is a readiness self-assessment that helps you gauge where you stand and prioritise. Legal conformance requires manual testing with assistive technologies, code-level review and a documented accessibility statement. UXellence provides full WCAG and EAA audits, remediation roadmaps and team training.

What happens if my product is not accessible?

Non-compliant products and services can face enforcement action by national market-surveillance authorities, including corrective orders, penalties and, in serious cases, restriction from the EU market — alongside the reputational and commercial cost of excluding users who cannot complete key tasks.

Τι ισχύει πραγματικά με τα πρόστιμα στην Ελλάδα: Πρόστιμα EAA στην Ελλάδα — τι λέει ο ν. 4994/2022