If your website sells or takes bookings from the public, and your business has ten or more staff, the European Accessibility Act very likely applies to you. If your website only describes your business, or you are a microenterprise, it almost certainly does not. Most small Irish businesses fall into the second group. The ones in the first group are often the least aware of it.
The Act has applied in Ireland since 28 June 2025, under S.I. No. 636 of 2023. It does not set the same duties for every business or every website. Three questions decide where you stand.
What does your website actually do?
The Act covers specific products and consumer services, not every website. The services include:
- e-commerce: selling products or services to the public online, including bookings and payments
- consumer banking
- e-books and the software used to read them
- passenger transport by air, bus, rail and water, including websites, apps and electronic tickets
- electronic communications, such as phone and internet services
- access to audiovisual media services
A brochure website is not an e-commerce service simply because it is online. If your site sets out your services, shows your work and has a contact form, it is generally outside the Act. Once the public can buy, book or pay through it, the picture changes.
Is your business a microenterprise?
Microenterprises providing services are exempt from the Act’s service requirements. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission defines a microenterprise as a business that:
- employs fewer than 10 people, and
- has an annual turnover of no more than €2 million, or an annual balance sheet total of no more than €2 million
Both parts must be met. A shop with twelve staff is not a microenterprise, however small its turnover. A business with six staff stays exempt as long as either its turnover or its balance sheet is within the €2 million limit. Check the full definition rather than assuming you qualify. The CCPC sets it out in its guidelines for microenterprises.
This exemption is for services. Businesses that manufacture, import or distribute products covered by the Act, such as computers, phones, ticket machines or e-readers, have separate product obligations.
Do you sell to consumers or only to other businesses?
The service requirements apply to services provided to consumers. An ordering system used only by trade customers is not the target. If members of the public can buy or book through it, it is.
Where does your organisation stand?
| Organisation or activity | General position |
|---|---|
| Private brochure or information website | Not covered just because it is online. Customer needs, contracts, procurement rules and equality law still apply. |
| Consumer e-commerce or booking service, above the microenterprise threshold | Likely covered. Confirm the scope and which authority regulates your type of service, then have the site reviewed. |
| Microenterprise providing services | Exempt from the service requirements, provided the full definition is met. |
| Manufacturer, importer or distributor of a covered product | Separate product obligations may apply. Check the product category and your role in supplying it. |
| Public sector body | Covered by different rules: the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020. |
| Charity or community organisation | Depends on what the organisation does, its size, its funding and whether it carries out public functions. Charitable status alone does not create cover or exemption. |
Public sector bodies covered by the 2020 Regulations must meet the relevant parts of EN 301 549, keep an accessibility statement up to date and give users a way to ask for help or complain. A private business should not copy a public sector accessibility statement and assume the same duties apply to it.
The CCPC explains what covered businesses must do in its page on obligations for businesses. The National Disability Authority sets out which bodies regulate each type of service.
When do covered businesses have to comply?
New covered services have had to comply since 28 June 2025. The regulations give longer transition periods in some cases, including until 28 June 2030 for certain services already in place before that date. Do not treat the transition period as a reason to wait. A site rebuilt or extended in the meantime should be built to the requirements from the start.
What should you do next?
If the Act is likely to apply to you, have your website reviewed against the accessibility requirements. Fix what the review finds, starting with checkout, booking and contact forms. Then publish an accessibility statement saying what you have done and how customers can report a problem.
If you are exempt, accessibility still matters. Every business in Ireland has a duty under the Equal Status Acts to make reasonable accommodation for customers with disabilities, and the work helps far more people than the law requires. Our article on accessibility reviews for Irish business websites explains the warning signs and the checks that matter most.
Not sure which group you are in? Our website review includes the main accessibility checks, and we will tell you plainly whether the Act is likely to apply.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. If your position is uncertain, take advice from a qualified legal professional. Last reviewed: 25 October 2026.
