The New Website Accessibility Law in Spain

If you have heard that there is a new law about making websites accessible and you are not sure whether it applies to you, you are not alone. The European Accessibility Act came into force in June 2025, and a lot of business owners in Spain are unclear about what it actually requires. Here is a plain, non-lawyer explanation.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, check with a professional. But this will tell you what the fuss is about and what to do about it.

What the law is

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an EU-wide rule, transposed into Spanish law, that requires certain products and digital services to be usable by people with disabilities. In practice, for websites, that means following recognised accessibility standards (WCAG) so that people using screen readers, keyboard navigation or other assistive tools can actually use your site.

Who it applies to

It focuses on specific sectors, including online shops and ecommerce, banking, transport, telecoms and certain digital services. If you sell products or services online to consumers, it is very likely relevant to you.

There is an exception often made for the smallest businesses (microenterprises) providing services, but the rules around products and the exact thresholds are detailed, so do not assume you are exempt just because you are small. If you run an online shop, treat this as something to take seriously.

Why it matters even if you think you are exempt

Even if your specific business is not strictly obliged, accessibility is worth doing anyway, for three reasons:

• You reach more customers. A meaningful share of people have some form of impairment, whether sight, motor or otherwise. An inaccessible site quietly turns them away.
• It helps your SEO. Many accessibility practices (clear structure, descriptive text, fast, clean code) are exactly what Google rewards.
• It future-proofs you. The direction of travel is clear. Building accessibly now is cheaper than retrofitting later.

The practical steps

You do not need to memorise the standard. Most of what matters comes down to a handful of practical habits:

• Text alternatives for images, so screen readers can describe them.
• Enough colour contrast, so text is readable for people with low vision. Pale grey on white fails a lot of real users.
• Keyboard navigation, so the whole site works without a mouse.
• Clear labels on forms, so people know what each field is for.
• Captions or transcripts for video, so audio content is not lost.
• A sensible heading structure, so the page can be understood in order.

A well-built modern website gets most of this right by default. The problems usually come from old sites, cheap templates and bolted-on plugins. This sits right alongside the other things covered in what your website legally needs in Spain.

What to do next

If you run an online shop or a service that may fall under the rules, the safe move is to get your site checked against WCAG and fix the gaps. If you are a simple local service business, you are probably lower risk, but the fundamentals above are still worth doing because they win you customers and rankings.

Frequently asked questions

When did the law take effect?

The European Accessibility Act applied from June 2025. It is already in force, not a future deadline.

What happens if I ignore it and I am covered?

Non-compliance can carry penalties for businesses that fall within scope, alongside the reputational and lost-customer cost. It is not worth guessing if you run an ecommerce site.

Is my current website accessible?

The only way to know is to check it against the standard. Age is a clue: older, template-heavy sites tend to fail on contrast, alt text and keyboard use.

Not sure whether the law affects you or whether your site measures up? Send us your website and we will give you an honest read on where you stand. We build sites to be accessible from the start as part of our website design service.