Accessibility law for web shops
The Dutch Accessibility Law for Web Shops: What Do You Need to Arrange?
Since 28 June 2025, accessibility requirements apply in the Netherlands to web shops that sell to consumers. You will read which web shops fall under them, which parts of your shop matter most and how to improve step by step, so you also serve more customers.
What is the accessibility law for web shops?
'The accessibility law' usually refers to the Implementation Act on accessibility requirements for products and services (Implementatiewet toegankelijkheidseisen voor producten en diensten). With it, the Netherlands transposed the European Accessibility Act (EAA) into national rules. The law entered into force on 28 June 2025.
For e-commerce this means: consumers with a disability must be able to use your web shop, from searching and comparing to ordering and paying. The Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) supervises web shops.
Does your web shop fall under it?
In principle, the requirements apply to your web shop if both points are true:
- You sell products or services online to consumers.
- Your business is not a microenterprise. A microenterprise has fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of at most 2 million euros.
A web shop that sells only to business customers does not, in principle, fall under the e-commerce requirements. Even if you are exempt, accessibility pays off: your shop becomes easier to use for all customers, and you are prepared as your business grows.
These parts of your web shop matter most
A customer must be able to complete the whole customer journey. Pay particular attention to these parts:
Search and filters
The search field has a label, filters work with the keyboard and screen reader users hear how many results remain after filtering.
Product pages
Product photos have alt text with the details that matter for the choice. You choose size and colour with the keyboard, colour variants have a name next to the colour swatch and prices are real text on the page.
Shopping cart
Changing quantities and removing products works with the keyboard, and buttons have a clear name, such as 'Remove wool jumper' instead of just a cross.
Checkout and forms
Every field has a visible label and error messages explain what is wrong and how to fix it. Customers do not have to re-enter information they have already provided (3.3.7, new in WCAG 2.2).
Payment and login
The payment screen works with keyboard and screen reader. Logging in works without a puzzle or memory test, for example because pasting and password managers work (3.3.8, new in WCAG 2.2).
Tip: Ask your payment provider about the accessibility of their payment page. It is part of your ordering process.
Customer service and cookie banner
Contact forms and chat work with keyboard and screen reader. The cookie banner can be closed with the keyboard and does not trap the focus.
What else the law requires
Besides an accessible web shop, the law requires, among other things:
- Information about the accessibility of your service, for example in your terms and conditions or on a separate page.
- Accessible customer service and contact channels.
- That you fix reported problems and are reachable for questions or complaints from customers.
In practice, the requirements are assessed against the European standard EN 301 549, which is based on WCAG. Working towards WCAG 2.2 AA also covers WCAG 2.1 AA.
How to make your web shop accessible
Map your customer journey
Choose the pages and steps every customer goes through: the home page, search, a category page, a product page, the shopping cart, checkout and payment.
Scan your web shop
An automated scan with AI content analysis shows which problems recur on many pages, such as missing alt text, insufficient contrast or fields without a label.
Tip: Problems in your theme or template are fixed once for all pages at the same time.
Order using only the keyboard
Order a product without a mouse, using Tab, Enter, the space bar and the arrow keys. Where you get stuck, a customer gets stuck too.
Fix in order of impact
Start with what blocks an order, such as a payment button that does not work with the keyboard. Then come problems that make things harder, such as insufficient contrast.
Check every week
New products, banners and plugin updates bring new problems. With weekly scans you spot them in time and keep your web shop up to standard.
Accessibility earns your web shop more
A web shop that works for people with a disability works better for everyone. Clear forms, readable prices and a checkout that works with the keyboard make it easier for every customer to complete a purchase.
Accessibility also strengthens your SEO foundation: alt text, clear headings and good link texts help search engines understand your products too.
Please note: this is not legal advice
This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Whether and how the law applies to your web shop depends on your services and situation. If in doubt, consult a lawyer or the ACM.
Automatic tests and AI content analysis
AccessRadar combines automatic tests with AI content analysis. You see not only technical errors, but also which texts truly help your visitors.
The AI analysis reads the text of your pages and gives suggestions, for example for:
- Alternative text: does the text say something meaningful, or is it 'image', a file name or 'click here'?
- Link text: do the link text and the text around it make clear where a link leads?
- Headings and labels: do they describe the topic or the field, or are they empty words such as 'Info' or 'Field 1'?
- Page titles and forms: is it clear what a page is about and what a field expects?
You get concrete suggestions for better texts, which you pick up directly in your weekly improvement plan. This way your website moves closer to WCAG 2.2 AA suitability every week and reaches more customers.
Read how tests and AI analysis work together in the improvement plan
Read also
Practical explanations of WCAG and digital accessibility.
European Accessibility Act: What Does It Mean for Your Website or Web Shop?
What does the European Accessibility Act mean for your website or web shop? Read who falls under it, since when it applies and what to do now.
Accessibility Statement: What Goes In It and How to Write One
What is an accessibility statement, who needs one and what goes in it? Read how to write one step by step and keep it up to date.
Keyboard Accessibility: Make Your Website Work Without a Mouse
Does your website work without a mouse? Read which WCAG requirements apply to keyboard operation and focus, how to test yourself and how to fix common problems.
Check your website for WCAG for free
Request the free WCAG check from AccessRadar and receive the results of an automatic scan by email, as a starting point for your improvements.
Want to keep going every week afterwards? The WCAG improvement plan adds weekly scans and AI content analysis.
A WCAG scan supports your assessment. An automated WCAG scan cannot establish full WCAG 2.2 AA compliance. Combine regular WCAG scans with manual evaluation and feedback from people with disabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Accessibility Law for Web Shops
Since when does the accessibility law apply to web shops?
Since 28 June 2025. Service contracts concluded before that date may continue under the old terms, but until 28 June 2030 at the latest.
Does the law also apply to my small web shop?
Microenterprises, with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of at most 2 million euros, are exempt from the requirements for services. Check the exact definition in the legal text.
Who supervises web shops?
The Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM). It can take enforcement action if a web shop does not meet the requirements.
Is my web shop platform already accessible?
Your platform lays the foundation, but your theme, plugins, images and texts together determine how accessible your web shop is. A scan of your own web shop shows where you stand.
Which WCAG version applies to web shops?
The requirements are assessed against the European standard EN 301 549, which until now was based on WCAG 2.1 AA. A new version uses WCAG 2.2. Reaching WCAG 2.2 AA in practice also meets WCAG 2.1 AA.