Directive (EU) 2019/882
For digital and content teams selling in the EU working out which products and services the European Accessibility Act covers. This page covers what you need to know and ways to avoid running into issues.
What we've seen reported
The European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882, sets common accessibility requirements for listed products and services, including computers, ATMs, e-commerce and consumer banking, with national rules applying from June 28, 2025.1,2
Last updated October 2026 · General information only, not legal advice. Sources.
What the rules cover
These are the kinds of requirements the European Accessibility Act describes, according to the Directive's text, and who or what each one falls on.1
| Requirement | Where it applies |
|---|---|
| Products placed on the market after June 28, 2025 | Covered products: computers and operating systems, self-service terminals, phones and other consumer devices, and e-readers. |
| E-commerce and consumer banking services | Covered alongside electronic communications, e-books, access to audiovisual media and parts of passenger transport. |
| Websites and mobile apps that deliver a service | Service providers: made perceivable, operable and understandable, in a consistent way, under Annex I. |
| Information on how a service meets the requirements | Service providers: prepared under Annex V and made public in written and oral formats, including accessible ones. |
| Product instructions and information | Manufacturers: information on use, including instructions and labeling, provided in accessible ways. |
| Conformity of products | Manufacturers: an EU declaration of conformity and the CE marking, after the conformity assessment in Annex IV. |
| Microenterprises providing services | Exempt from the service accessibility requirements, according to Article 4(5). |
| Services using products already in use | A transitional period to June 28, 2030; self-service terminals may run up to 20 years where member states allow. |
Where it goes wrong
One approved set of product information ends up in many channels, markets and languages. Along the way it gets shortened, translated and reworded, and some versions end up without the warnings or details these rules require.
Heldan Pay accessibility information for the app and online checkout
How Arbitr helps
Read every version by hand? Or use AI to check what you publish against what you've already approved.
FAQ
Wherever a covered service describes itself. Article 13 of the European Accessibility Act asks service providers to explain how their services meet the accessibility requirements and make that information public,1 and we usually find it in:
Give it an owner and a version, like any approved content. The Directive's text describes procedures so that changes to the service, the requirements or the standards are taken into account,1 and old wording tends to survive in app stores and translated help pages. Arbitr checks that wording against what you approved, not design choices such as color contrast or font size. Our content checks page shows how.
More than product and engineering. Content, e-commerce, legal, customer service and localization teams all publish what customers read about a service, in every market. A short briefing for each helps. Related rules are on our accessibility hub, including ADA website accessibility for teams also selling in the US.
Keep one record per service and market: the approved wording, the service version and standards it refers to, who approved it, and every place and language it's published. When a market surveillance authority asks for information, as Article 13 describes, you can show each version and where it ran.
How it applies to a specific page is a question for your legal adviser. Where that page appears across your markets and languages is a question Arbitr answers.
According to Article 4(5), microenterprises providing services are exempt from the service accessibility requirements. The Directive describes a microenterprise as one with fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet of no more than EUR 2 million.1
They're separate EU directives. The Web Accessibility Directive, Directive (EU) 2016/2102, covers public sector websites and apps, while the European Accessibility Act covers the products and services it lists, according to its text.1
You update the approved version once. Arbitr checks what's already live against it and shows you every version still using the old wording.
