Since 28 June 2025, the requirements of Directive (EU) 2019/882 (the European Accessibility Act) apply to e-commerce services: an online store that sells to consumers must be usable by people with disabilities. Microenterprises providing services are exempt, but every other store needs to check its site and publish accessibility information.
What the EAA is and where the dates come from
The European Accessibility Act is Directive (EU) 2019/882 on accessibility requirements for products and services. A directive does not apply directly: each country turns it into national law. Countries had to start applying the requirements on 28 June 2025.
In Spain, the directive was transposed by Title I of Ley 11/2023 of 8 May, which entered into force on 28 June 2025. If you sell to other EU countries, look at the law of the customer's country and check local details, such as who supervises and what the penalties are.
Does it apply to your store
The rules cover "e-commerce services": services provided at a distance, through websites and mobile apps, by electronic means, at the individual request of a consumer, with a view to concluding a contract. An ordinary B2C WooCommerce store falls under this. Purely B2B sales do not.
The exception is microenterprises that provide services. By the legal definition, a microenterprise has fewer than 10 employees and either annual turnover of no more than €2 million or an annual balance sheet total of no more than €2 million. These companies are exempt from the accessibility requirements for services. Making your site accessible anyway is still worth it: more customers can buy, and fewer orders get abandoned.
The transition period: what it actually covers
You will often read that "you can do nothing until 2030". That is inaccurate. The transitional provisions say that service contracts concluded before 28 June 2025 may continue unchanged until they end, but no longer than five years from that date. Products that were lawfully used to provide services before that date may keep being used until 28 June 2030.
If your store keeps taking new orders through the site, the safer assumption is that the requirements for the site already apply. Ask a lawyer how the transitional rules apply to your case.
Which standard to use
The directive states the requirements in general terms: a service must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. In practice the benchmark is the European standard EN 301 549, which for web content builds on WCAG 2.1 level AA. If your site meets WCAG 2.1 AA, you cover most of the technical requirements.
What to check in your store
- The whole purchase path: search, catalog, product page, cart, checkout, payment, confirmation page, order confirmation email.
- Keyboard use: every button and field can be reached with Tab, and you can see where the focus is.
- Text alternatives: product photos have meaningful alt text, and icon buttons have labels.
- Contrast of text and buttons is at least WCAG AA.
- Forms: fields have labels, and errors are described in text, not just with a red border.
- Zoom to 200% without losing content, and a narrow-screen layout with no horizontal scrolling.
- Identification and payment methods must be accessible too, so check your payment widgets.
- Popups, cookie banners and chat widgets do not trap focus and can be closed with the keyboard.
Accessibility information
Besides the technical requirements there is an information duty: the service provider includes, in its terms and conditions or an equivalent document, a description of how the service meets the accessibility requirements. Many stores publish this as a separate "Accessibility statement" page, linked from the footer and from the terms of sale.
In the statement, describe which parts of the site were tested and against which standard, known issues and when you will fix them, and how to report a problem and get help.
Third-party blocks and plugins
The law excludes third-party content that the store does not fund, develop or control. But widgets you chose and embedded in the purchase path, such as a payment form, a chat or offer blocks, should be checked as part of your own site. Ask plugin vendors whether they have tested accessibility.
That includes the ThanklyClub gift block on your thank-you page: test it with a keyboard and a screen reader together with your theme, like any other widget.
What to test with
Automated tools catch part of the problems: missing alt text, low contrast, unlabeled fields. But many issues only show up in a manual check: a logical focus order, clear error messages, how popups behave. So combine an automated scan with a manual walk through the purchase using the keyboard and your system's built-in screen reader.
A one-month plan
- Week 1: automated scan of the key pages, plus a manual run through the purchase with a keyboard and a screen reader.
- Week 2: fix the critical issues in your theme: focus, form labels, contrast, alt text.
- Week 3: check the checkout, payment and popup plugins, and send questions to the vendors.
- Week 4: publish the accessibility statement and set up a way to receive complaints.
- After that: recheck accessibility with every theme update and every new plugin.
FAQ
When does the European Accessibility Act apply from?
EU countries must apply the requirements from 28 June 2025. In Spain, Title I of Ley 11/2023 entered into force the same day.
Does the EAA apply to a small online store?
Microenterprises providing services (fewer than 10 employees and turnover or balance sheet total of no more than €2 million) are exempt from the accessibility requirements for services. Other stores that sell to consumers are covered.
Which standard do I need to comply with the EAA?
The benchmark is EN 301 549, which for websites builds on WCAG 2.1 level AA.
Do stores have until 2030?
The transition period covers contracts concluded before 28 June 2025 and products already in use to provide services. For a site that takes new orders, it is safer to meet the requirements now and check the details with a lawyer.
Does the EAA cover the order confirmation page and emails?
Yes, the requirements apply to the whole purchase path, including order confirmation. Emails with order details should be accessible too: use real text, not images.
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