What Accessibility Standard Must Spanish Shops Meet?
Accessibility (EAA)The practical answer is EN 301 549, which incorporates the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AA. The European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882, has applied since 28 June 2025 and points to this harmonised standard as the benchmark for accessible digital services. Spain transposes the EAA into national law, and its enforcement can involve regional bodies as well as national authorities.
What WCAG 2.1 AA means for your store
For a typical online shop, meeting the standard comes down to a consistent set of practical measures:
- Contrast — text should meet a ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background.
- Keyboard access — every function, including checkout, must work without a mouse and show a visible focus indicator.
- Labelled forms — checkout fields need programmatic labels, and errors must be described in text.
- Alt text — product and informative images need meaningful text alternatives.
- Accessible components — menus, sliders and cart widgets must expose their role and state to assistive technology.
Bear in mind the microenterprise exemption: a service provider with fewer than 10 employees and turnover or a balance-sheet total of no more than €2 million is exempt from the service obligations. Even so, WCAG 2.1 AA is the sensible design target, because the exemption falls away as you grow and accessible design widens your customer base regardless.
For more, see our complete accessibility guide and the accessibility law page.
This answer is educational and does not constitute legal advice.