Accessibility requirements for services and products
If you are a service provider, or a manufacturer, importer, or distributor of products, you should familiarise yourself with EU accessibility rules. These rules are intended to make it possible for people with disabilities and others with physical limitations (including the elderly, pregnant women, and people with luggage) to use your product or service.
Examples of products and services subject to accessibility rules
- Computers and operating systems
- Communication devices like smartphones, tablets, and e-books
- Digital TV equipment
- ATMs, card payment terminals, and check-in machines
- Online shops, ticketing platforms, and banking services.
To see the full list of products and services that are subject to the accessibility rules, as well as the specific requirements that apply consult the relevant legislation.
Warning
Some EU countries have chosen to follow EU rules on the accessibility of buildings and the built environment. If your country has done so, you will have to take into account the ease of access to outdoor areas, entrances, toilets etc.General accessibility rules
The specific accessibility rules that apply in your case will depend on your product or service. However, products and services (and any accompanying customer support tools or instruction manuals) should
- be suitable for use by people with cognitive disabilities
- be interoperable with assistive technologies, such as voice control and screen readers
- provide different input and output options (keyboard, voice, touch etc.)
- be easy to navigate with a consistent layout and logical navigation
- provide enough time to complete tasks
- avoid seizure-inducing visuals (e.g., flashing content)
Exceptions
These requirements apply to products and services placed on the market after June 28, 2025. However, exceptions are made for
- products and services that entered the market during the transition period to the new rules
- self-service terminals that were in use before 28 June 2025 (this exception is valid for maximum 20 years after its first entry into use)
- service-based business with fewer than 10 employees and under €2 million in turnover.
However, all businesses are entitled to claim that the obligations are a disproportionate burden. To make this claim, you must provide evidence, reviewed every 5 years, that the cost or effort to comply is excessive.
Conformity assessment
You are required to provide the authorities with a declaration confirming that your products conform to EU accessibility requirements. You will also need to describe your product or service, explaining how it meets the requirements, as well as the technical and design procedures used at the manufacturing/production stage.
Sample story
Booking a ticket for a concert
Your are the owner of a large ticketing website. Simon, who is dyslexic, visits your site to book tickets for a concert. Your graphic designers have made sure to design the platform in a way that makes the elements on the page stand out very clearly. The site also includes a visual that shows the layout of the different venues, and the seats are colour-coded according to their availability. Simon clicks on his desired seats. He also notices that your site provides an audio option, but the text is accessible enough that he doesn't need to use it.
See also