Accessibility compliance guides · Europe & UK

EN 301 549 compliance

EN 301 549 is a standard, not a statute. It is the standard European accessibility law uses, and the one Canada and Australia have adopted for public sector digital procurement. If a contract says “EN 301 549,” this is the page that explains what we test.

Current widely used edition: EN 301 549 V3.2.1, incorporating WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web
Covers: Web, documents, software, and hardware with a user interface
Used by: EAA, EU Web Accessibility Directive, CAN/ASC - EN 301 549, AS EN 301 549

What it is

EN 301 549 is the harmonized European standard for accessibility requirements for ICT products and services. Version 3.2.1, published in 2021, incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content and adds requirements for non-web documents, software, and hardware. A revision that lines up with WCAG 2.2 is in progress.

Two EU laws rely on it. The Web Accessibility Directive requires public sector websites and apps to meet it, with an accessibility statement. The European Accessibility Act, in force for covered private-sector services since June 28, 2025, treats conformity with the harmonized standard as presumed conformity with the directive.

Outside Europe, Accessibility Standards Canada adopted it as CAN/ASC - EN 301 549 for federal digital accessibility. Australian government ICT procurement uses AS EN 301 549, the Australian adoption. One test program, mapped carefully, can serve all three.

Meeting WCAG 2.1 AA covers the web clauses. It does not automatically cover every software, document, or hardware clause. We identify which clauses apply to the product in front of us.

Who needs to comply

You run into EN 301 549 because a law or a contract names it.

EU public sector bodies. Under the Web Accessibility Directive: websites, apps, and an accessibility statement.
Businesses covered by the EAA. E-commerce, banking, transport, telecom, and other covered consumer services since June 28, 2025.
Canadian federal organizations and their vendors. CAN/ASC - EN 301 549 is the digital benchmark under the Accessible Canada Act.
Suppliers to Australian government. AS EN 301 549 shows up in ICT procurement alongside the Disability Discrimination Act.

Timeline

The standard is versioned. The legal dates belong to the laws that cite it.

V3.2.1 (2021). The edition most laws and contracts mean today. Web content is WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
Public sector EU. Web Accessibility Directive duties have applied since 2018–2021, depending on the site or app.
June 28, 2025. EAA applies the same standard family to covered private-sector services.
Next edition. A WCAG 2.2 alignment is underway. We test 2.2 AA now when the product will still be on the market when that edition is harmonized.

What the rule requires

Clause scope depends on whether you ship a website, a document, an app, or a device.

Web content at WCAG 2.1 AA. The requirement buyers mean when they say the site must meet EN 301 549. We test 2.2 success criteria as additional coverage.
Documents and non-web software. PDFs, Office files, and native software have their own clauses. A conformant website can still ship an inaccessible manual.
Hardware and biometrics where relevant. Kiosks, terminals, and identification methods are in the standard. We include them when they are part of the service.
An accessibility statement for public sector. EU public bodies publish one. We write it from the audit so the statement matches the site.

How we help

We test the clauses that apply to your product and report them in the language procurement teams expect.

A clause-scoped audit: web, documents, and software separated, so a website finding is not mixed up with a hardware clause you do not ship.
An Accessibility Conformance Report procurement officers can compare across vendors.
Manual testing with NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver, plus keyboard-only use and browser zoom. The failures these rules care about are often invisible to an automated scan.
Remediation in your production code by our developers, so the fix lives in the product and not only in a report.
An accessibility statement and, where a buyer or regulator expects one, a VPAT-based Accessibility Conformance Report grounded in the audit.
Training for the people who publish pages, documents, and campaigns after the audit.
A retest after major releases, so a later deploy does not quietly undo the work.

Web accessibility audit and remediation

Our process

Confirm what applies to you. We read the contract or the law that named EN 301 549 and list the clauses that apply to this product — web only, or documents and software as well.
Audit the live experience. We review the pages, flows, documents, and apps people actually use, with assistive technologies as well as automated checks, and map each finding to the standard this rule points to.
Fix the barriers that block access. Our developers remediate structure, keyboard access, forms, contrast, names, and media in your codebase, starting with the journeys that gate a service.
Document what was tested. You receive the findings, what we fixed, and the statement or conformance report your team, counsel, or procurement office needs on file.
Keep it from slipping. We train publishers and retest after significant releases so new content does not reopen the same gaps.

Longer background: How the European Accessibility Act uses EN 301 549.

Frequently asked questions

Is EN 301 549 the same as WCAG?

For web content, V3.2.1 incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The standard also covers documents, software, and hardware. WCAG alone does not answer those other clauses.

Which version should we cite?

Cite the edition the law or contract names. If it is silent, V3.2.1 is the edition in wide use. We note WCAG 2.2 gaps separately so a later harmonized edition is not a surprise.

Does a European audit satisfy Canada?

Canada’s CAN/ASC - EN 301 549 is an adoption of the European standard, not a different technical idea. We map one audit to both when you sell in both markets, and we flag any national difference that matters.

Do you certify us to EN 301 549?

We audit, remediate, and report conformance against the applicable clauses. We do not sell a badge that replaces that record. Presumed conformity under the EAA still depends on actually meeting the harmonized standard.

Related guides

This page is general information from Peradeo Technologies Inc., not legal advice.

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