Is an accessible website mandatory?
It is often written that since the summer of 2025 every website has to be accessible. That is half true, and the difference matters here.
- Written by
- Kristóf Karner — independent developer, Budapest
- Updated
- 13 August 2026
It is often written that since the summer of 2025 every website has to be accessible. That is half true, and the difference matters here: the obligation exists, but it does not apply to everyone — and those it does apply to do not all have to comply immediately.
This page works through what the law says, who it applies to, who it does not, and what is worth doing regardless of the obligation. It is not legal advice: if your case sits on the line, that needs a lawyer.
What the rule is
The European Union's Directive 2019/882 — commonly the European Accessibility Act, EAA — covers the accessibility of products and services. Each member state transposes it into its own law; in Hungary this is Act XVII of 2022, with the detail in Government Decree 605/2022. It applies from 28 June 2025.
The measure for websites is WCAG 2.1 AA — an international standard with concrete, checkable conditions: an interface navigable by keyboard, sufficient contrast, text descriptions for images, a structure a screen reader can make sense of.
Who it applies to
The law is not about every website, but about specified services. These include:
- E-commerce — where the visitor buys a product or service on the site.
- Banking and financial services for consumers.
- Electronic communications — phone and internet services.
- Transport — passenger information, ticketing.
- E-books and their reading software.
- Audiovisual media services and their access interfaces.
Who it does not
A site that only introduces you. If the site presents the business, lists the services and gives contact details — without providing a consumer digital service through it — it falls outside the scope. Most small-business websites are like this.
Microenterprises providing services. A microenterprise employs fewer than ten people and has annual turnover or a balance sheet total of no more than two million euros. The law exempts them for services. For products the exemption does not apply.
Services already running, for a while. The requirement covers services started after 28 June 2025; anything lawfully running before then has until 28 June 2030 to comply.
- 1 · WHAT KIND OF SERVICE
- E-commerce, banking, transport, telecoms? if no: does not apply to you.
- 2 · HOW LARGE IS THE BUSINESS
- Over ten people or over €2 M turnover? if no: exempt as a microenterprise.
- 3 · WHEN DID IT START
- After 28 June 2025? if earlier: time until June 2030.
- AFTER THREE YESES
- WCAG 2.1 AA — the measure that applies to websites.
Why it is worth it anyway
The obligation and the benefit are two separate questions. An accessible site is not only good for people using a screen reader:
In bright sunlight everyone has low vision. The contrast the standard prescribes simply means legibility on a phone outdoors.
Keyboard navigability matters to machines too. The same clean structure a screen reader can read out is what a search engine and a language model can interpret. That is what the AI visibility page is about.
Text descriptions make images findable. It is the same work search optimisation asks for.
And it simply reaches more people. Impairments of sight, hearing or movement are not rare, and they become more common with age.
What it means in practice
WCAG 2.1 AA is a long list, but for most sites it comes down to a few things:
- Contrast — enough difference between text and background, in dark mode as well.
- Keyboard — every button and menu reachable without a mouse, and the focus visible.
- Images — a meaningful text description, not the file name.
- Structure — real headings and lists, not styled paragraphs.
- Forms — every field labelled, and error messages that say what to fix.
- Zoom — the layout holds at double text size.
I do not eyeball this: I run it. Every one of this site's hundred-plus pages is measured after each change — contrast in both colour schemes, keyboard navigation, screen reader structure. There is a separate piece in the Workshop on what is worth handing to a machine.
If you are unsure whether your site is in scope, the cheapest step is to see where it stands: most of the six points above are measurable, not a matter of taste. On a new site they are part of the work by default — write a few sentences and we can look at where things are.
Questions on this topic
Does every website have to be accessible since 2025?
No. The European Accessibility Act covers specified services: e-commerce, banking and financial services, electronic communications, transport, e-books and audiovisual media services. A purely introductory website — one that presents the business, lists services and gives contact details — falls outside its scope.
Does it apply to a microenterprise?
Not for services: the law exempts businesses with fewer than ten employees and annual turnover or a balance sheet total of no more than two million euros. For products the exemption does not apply. Accessibility is still an advantage for a microenterprise regardless.
What is the deadline if the rule applies?
The requirement covers services started after 28 June 2025. Anything lawfully running before then has until 28 June 2030 to comply. The measure for websites is WCAG 2.1 AA.
What does WCAG 2.1 AA mean in practice?
For most sites it comes down to six things: sufficient contrast between text and background; every button and menu reachable by keyboard with a visible focus; meaningful text descriptions for images; real headings and lists; labelled form fields with clear error messages; and a layout that holds at double text size. These are measurable, not matters of taste.