Accessibility is no longer a favour — it is an obligation
For a long time, digital accessibility was mainly a moral question: it ought to be done, but it did not have to be. That has changed. With the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882), accessibility has become a legal requirement for a broad range of online consumer services. The rules apply from 28 June 2025 and have been implemented in national legislation across the EU member states.
E-commerce and consumer services — and online ticket sales fall squarely within that scope — must be accessible to people with a visual, auditory, motor or cognitive impairment.
Updated on 6 July 2026: added that an exemption applies to microenterprises offering services, and that WCAG 2.2 will soon succeed the current 2.1 standard.
Does the obligation apply to every organiser?
Almost, but not quite. The EAA includes an exemption for microenterprises that provide services: businesses with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance-sheet total of no more than € 2 million. If you sell tickets yourself as a very small organiser, you may fall under that exemption — though you must be able to demonstrate it on request. Note that the exemption applies only to providing a service, not to making or trading products. The platform that delivers the ticketing service (such as MijnEvent) sits well above that threshold and is therefore fully bound by the accessibility rules — so anyone selling through such a platform is covered either way. The exemption is not a licence to build inaccessibly, but a reassurance for the smallest organisers that the law is proportionate.
What does "accessible" mean in practice?
The practical standard behind the law is WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), level AA. WCAG 2.1 AA is currently the binding reference (via the harmonised standard EN 301 549); its successor WCAG 2.2 AA — a light extension — is expected to become the new reference during 2026. Build to 2.2 now and you avoid rework later. In practice, WCAG AA means, among other things:
- Sufficient colour contrast between text and background, so that people with low vision can read everything.
- Full keyboard operability for those who cannot use a mouse — including a visible focus indicator.
- Correct labels and error messages on form fields, so screen readers can read out the ticket form and explain what went wrong.
- Semantic structure with logical headings, buttons that are real buttons, and descriptive alt texts.
The ticket form and the checkout are especially critical: that is the moment someone actually makes a purchase. An inaccessible payment step literally locks people out.
Why this is commercially smart too
Beyond the legal obligation there is a simple argument: roughly one in five people has some form of impairment. An inaccessible ticket shop loses those visitors — and the people they would have brought along. Building accessibly grows your audience and shrinks your legal risk.
At MijnEvent, accessibility is part of the foundation
Many ticketing platforms treat accessibility as a coat of paint applied afterwards. At MijnEvent it is a design principle. Every ticket form, every checkout step and every management screen is built to WCAG AA:
- guaranteed contrast ratios across the entire colour palette;
- full keyboard operation with visible focus;
- forms with explicit labels and inline error messages that screen readers announce;
- status messages that are read aloud for those who cannot watch the screen.
That way you do not just comply with the EAA — you give every visitor a pleasant experience, however they use your site.
In short
Since mid-2025, accessible online ticket sales have been a legal requirement for many organisers, with WCAG AA as the practical standard. By choosing a platform that has accessibility built into its foundation, you are compliant in one move — and you reach more people.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Want certainty about your obligations under the EAA? Consult a specialist.
