# The European Accessibility Act: your ticket shop must be accessible [Home](https://mijnevent.nl/en) / [Blog](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog) / The European Accessibility Act: your ticket shop must be accessible accessibility legislation wcag # The European Accessibility Act: your ticket shop must be accessible Since 2025, digital accessibility has been a legal requirement for many online services. What does that mean for your ticket sales? [Jasper Koers](https://mijnevent.nl/en/author/jasper-koers) · 19 January 2026 · 6 min read ![](https://regify-mijnevent.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/blog/covers/european-accessibility-act-accessible-ticketing.webp) Photo: [Troy T](https://unsplash.com/@ttcollect?utm_source=MijnEvent&utm_medium=referral) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=MijnEvent&utm_medium=referral) In short - Since 28 June 2025 the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) makes accessible online ticket sales a legal requirement for many organisers. - No harmonised standard has yet been cited in the EU Official Journal under the EAA, so you demonstrate conformity directly against Annex I of the directive. New since September 2026: EN 301 549 v4.1.1 has been adopted and published, built on WCAG 2.2 AA and, for the first time, carrying an annex that maps onto the EAA. Until the Commission cites it in the Official Journal it still grants no presumption of conformity. - Microenterprises providing a service — fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance-sheet total of no more than 2 million euro — are fully exempt under Article 4(5); online ticket sales is such a service. - A platform like MijnEvent sits above the exemption threshold and builds every ticket form, checkout step and management screen to WCAG AA, so selling through it keeps you compliant. Not legal advice This article explains the rules as we read them, on the date of publication. It is general information, not legal advice — your situation may differ. # 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 7 September 2026: EN 301 549 **v4.1.1** was adopted and published in September 2026 — the successor carrying WCAG 2.2 AA now exists, and for the first time it covers the EAA as well. It has not been cited in the EU Official Journal, so the presumption of conformity still does not operate. Earlier addition (24 August 2026): the status of EN 301 549 v4.1.0 refreshed — the ETSI vote closed on 24 August 2026, but that does not yet make it a cited standard in the EU Official Journal; the European Commission still lists v3.2.1 from 2021 as the harmonised version. Earlier addition (20 July 2026): corrected that no harmonised standard has yet been published under the EAA — you demonstrate conformity directly against Annex I, and EN 301 549 v4.1.0 (with WCAG 2.2) has not been adopted yet. Also clarified that the microenterprise exemption for services is a full exemption, and that the ACM supervises this in the Netherlands.* # 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 fall under that exemption — and it is a **full** one. [Article 4(5) of the directive](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/882/oj) exempts microenterprises providing services from the accessibility requirements "and any obligations relating to the compliance therewith". Note the asymmetry: those making or trading *products* get no exemption, only a lighter documentation regime. In the Netherlands the directive is implemented in the Civil Code ([articles 6:230fa](https://wetten.overheid.nl/jci1.3:c:BWBR0005289&boek=6&titeldeel=5&afdeling=2ab&artikel=230fa) to 6:230fd BW), with the exemption in [article 6:230fc(1)](https://wetten.overheid.nl/jci1.3:c:BWBR0005289&boek=6&titeldeel=5&afdeling=2ab&artikel=230fc). That provision states plainly that the accessibility requirements do not apply to "ondernemingen met minder dan 10 werknemers en een jaaromzet of een jaarlijks balanstotaal van ten hoogste 2 miljoen euro" — enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of at most 2 million euro. Supervision sits with the **Autoriteit Consument & Markt**. 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 also not a licence to build inaccessibly: it does not make your audience any smaller. # What does "accessible" mean in practice? There is a common misconception here. **No harmonised standard has yet been published in the EU Official Journal under the EAA.** The presumption of conformity in Article 15 therefore does not operate yet: formally, you demonstrate compliance against the accessibility requirements in **Annex I of the directive itself**. (The standard [EN 301 549](https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/301500_301599/301549/) *is* cited in the Official Journal, but under the Web Accessibility Directive 2016/2102 — a different law with a different scope.) That said, the practical benchmark is and remains **WCAG** (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), level AA. The cited EN 301 549 v3.2.1 from 2021 points to WCAG 2.1 AA, and the European Commission [still lists that as the harmonised version](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/web-accessibility-directive-standards-and-harmonisation), harmonised on 18 August 2021. **New since September 2026:** the successor exists. [EN 301 549 v4.1.1](https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/301500_301599/301549/04.01.01_60/en_301549v040101p.pdf) has been adopted and published (dated 2026-09), following an ETSI vote that closed on 24 August. Two things make that version matter. First, it lifts the requirements for websites, documents and software to **WCAG 2.2 AA** — adding criteria such as focus appearance, dragging movements and accessible authentication. Second, it is the first version that supports not only the Web Accessibility Directive 2016/2102 but the EAA itself: it carries an annex mapping its requirements onto the essential requirements of Directive (EU) 2019/882. One step is still missing, and it is the decisive one: the European Commission has to **cite the standard in the Official Journal** before it grants a presumption of conformity. As of today that has not happened, and there is no firm date. So formally nothing changes yet about what you have to meet — Annex I of the directive remains the benchmark. In practice the direction is now unambiguous: if you are building something today, take WCAG 2.2 AA as your starting point 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.* Legislation changes and tariffs are revised annually. We do our best to keep this article current and link to the source where we can, but we cannot guarantee everything still holds at the moment you read it. If a decision carries financial or legal consequences, check with the authority itself or put it to a lawyer or adviser. See also our [general disclaimer](https://mijnevent.nl/en/disclaimer). Frequently asked questions ## Frequently asked questions ## When does the European Accessibility Act apply to ticket sales? The EAA rules apply from 28 June 2025 and cover e-commerce and consumer services, which includes online ticket sales. ## Which accessibility standard do I have to meet? Formally, the accessibility requirements in Annex I of the directive itself: no harmonised standard has been cited in the EU Official Journal under the EAA, so the legal presumption of conformity does not yet operate. In practice WCAG level AA is the benchmark — WCAG 2.1 AA via EN 301 549 v3.2.1, which the European Commission still lists as the harmonised version. The successor, EN 301 549 v4.1.1 with WCAG 2.2 AA, was published in September 2026 but has not been cited yet. If you are building now, take WCAG 2.2 AA as your starting point. ## Are very small organisers exempt? Yes. Microenterprises that provide a service — fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance-sheet total of no more than 2 million euro — are fully exempt from the accessibility requirements under Article 4(5) of the directive. Online ticket sales is a service, so that full exemption applies. For products there is no exemption, only a lighter documentation regime. [ Back to blog ](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog) MijnEvent ## Read more [ ![](https://regify-mijnevent.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/blog/covers/choosing-a-ticketing-platform.webp) ticketing platform MijnEvent · 9 September 2026 · 6 min read ## Choosing a ticketing platform: the 8 things that actually matter Flat fee or percentage, who holds your revenue, accessibility, resale, data and support: a level-headed checklist with eight criteria for comparing ticketing platforms fairly. ](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog/choosing-a-ticketing-platform) [ ![](https://regify-mijnevent.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/blog/covers/promote-your-event-channels-that-work.webp) marketing Jasper Koers · 9 September 2026 · 6 min read ## Promoting your event: 12 channels that actually work You don't need a big advertising budget to fill a room. These twelve channels do the work, ranked from least effort for most return to the ones that cost time or money. ](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog/promote-your-event-channels-that-work) [ ![](https://regify-mijnevent.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/blog/covers/event-funding-applications-2027-numbers.webp) organisers MijnEvent · 7 September 2026 · 8 min read ## Applying for council funding for your 2027 event? Your numbers weigh more than your story Most Dutch municipalities close their 2027 event funding windows in September and October. The pots are smaller and the applications are not — organisers with hard visitor numbers go to the front of the queue. ](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog/event-funding-applications-2027-numbers) MijnEvent ## Ready to get started? Create a free account and sell your first tickets today. [Start free](https://mijnevent.nl/registreer) [Pricing](https://mijnevent.nl/en/pricing)