Which products and services does the EAA cover?

The European Accessibility Act covers a defined list: computers and operating systems, payment terminals and ATMs, ticketing and check-in machines, smartphones, TV equipment for digital TV, e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books and dedicated e-readers, and electronic communications services, plus elements of passenger transport services.

When did the EAA start to apply?

The Act has applied from 28 June 2025 for products placed on the market and services provided after that date. Some service contracts and self-service terminals already in use benefit from transitional periods running for several more years, but new products and services must comply from the application date.

Is there an exemption for small businesses?

Microenterprises (fewer than 10 staff and annual turnover or balance-sheet total not exceeding 2 million euro) that provide services are exempt from the service obligations. Microenterprises that manufacture, import, or distribute products are not fully exempt but face lighter documentation duties. Size does not exempt covered products entirely.

What does compliance actually require?

Covered products and services must meet the accessibility requirements in the Act's annexes, generally demonstrated by conforming to the harmonised standard EN 301 549. That means perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust digital interfaces, accessible documentation, and support, with conformity assessment and CE-style declarations for products.

Does this tool give a binding determination?

No. It is a triage aid based on the public scope and exemptions of Directive 2019/882 and its national transpositions. Member-state implementing laws differ in detail, so confirm your exact obligations and deadlines with legal counsel in each market you serve.

What is the EU Accessibility Act (EAA) Applicability Checker?

Answer questions about product type (e-commerce, banking, transport, e-books, telecoms, e-readers) and company size to determine your obligations under the European Accessibility Act, Directive 2019/882. Outputs an applicability verdict and key deadlines for product and accessibility leads. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

EU Accessibility Act (EAA) Applicability Checker

Name: EU Accessibility Act (EAA) Applicability Checker
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The European Accessibility Act (EAA, Directive 2019/882) sets common accessibility requirements for a defined set of products and services placed on the EU market. This checker triages whether the Act applies to you, whether a relief is available, and which deadline governs.

Who the EAA targets — and who it does not

The EAA covers a specific, closed list of product and service categories. It is not a general web accessibility law applying to every website or app (the EU Web Accessibility Directive, 2016/2102, covers public-sector websites separately). The EAA applies to private-sector businesses placing certain products or services on the EU market:

Products in scope: computers and operating systems, payment terminals (ATMs, kiosks, ticket machines), smartphones and tablets, TV equipment for digital broadcasting, e-readers and dedicated e-book devices.

Services in scope: e-commerce (online retail of any kind), consumer banking services (opening accounts, payments, credit), passenger transport (websites, apps, ticketing) for air, bus, rail, and water, electronic communications services (voice calls, SMS, internet access), and audiovisual media services.

Not in scope: B2B software used only internally (not customer-facing), physical products with no digital interface, services provided solely in person without a digital channel, and microenterprise services (fewer than 10 staff, turnover or balance sheet under €2 million).

How it works

The Act covers a closed list of products and services. Applicability turns on three things:

1. Is your offering in the covered list (e-commerce, banking, e-books,
   transport, terminals, smartphones, telecoms, etc.)?   → in scope
2. Is it a SERVICE provided by a microenterprise
   (<10 staff AND ≤ €2m turnover/balance sheet)?          → service exemption
3. Otherwise the EAA applies; products also need
   conformity assessment + EN 301 549 alignment.

The microenterprise relief only frees service providers from the service obligations; it does not exempt covered products, and it does not apply to larger firms. Distributors and importers carry verification duties even when they did not build the product.

What compliance requires in practice

For digital interfaces (websites, apps, kiosks) the technical standard is EN 301 549, which references WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content. In practice this means:

Text alternatives for all non-text content
Captions and transcripts for time-based media
Full keyboard accessibility (no mouse-only interactions)
Sufficient colour contrast (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large)
Resizable text without loss of functionality
Consistent navigation and clearly labelled form fields
No content that flashes more than three times per second

For products (hardware with displays and interfaces), the requirements extend to hardware design: tactile controls, audio output options, and compatibility with assistive technologies.

Conformity for products typically requires a conformity assessment, a declaration of conformity, and CE marking. For services, demonstrating conformity against EN 301 549 through an accessibility statement and regular testing is the standard path.

Notes and deadlines

The EAA has applied since 28 June 2025 for new products and services, with multi-year transition windows for some pre-existing service contracts and self-service terminals. Demonstrate conformity against EN 301 549, which maps closely to WCAG for the digital interface parts. Because each member state transposes the Directive into its own law, verify the precise obligations and enforcement deadlines in every market you operate in. This tool is a triage aid, not legal advice.