EAA Compliance Checklist for UK Websites 2026

„How do I make my UK website EAA-compliant?" That's a question many UK business owners ask when they learn about the European Accessibility Act.

In this guide, we provide a complete EAA compliance checklist for UK websites. Use this checklist to scan, fix, and document your website's accessibility.

EAA Compliance Checklist — Overview

This checklist is organised into four phases:

1. Preparation Phase — What to check
2. Automated Testing — Tool-based checks
3. Manual Testing — Human checks
4. Documentation — Recording results

Phase 1: Preparation

✅ 1.1 Identify your EAA obligations

• ☐ Determine if your UK business trades in the EU
• ☐ Identify which EAA categories apply to your products/services
• ☐ Check if you qualify for a micro-enterprise exemption

✅ 1.2 Understand the technical standard

• ☐ Review EN 301 549 requirements
• ☐ Understand WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria
• ☐ Identify hardware, software, and service requirements

✅ 1.3 Assemble your team

• ☐ Appoint an accessibility lead
• ☐ Involve developers, designers, and content creators
• ☐ Consider external accessibility experts

Phase 2: Automated Testing

✅ 2.1 Scan your website

• ☐ Use the free UK ADA checker to scan your website
• ☐ Review compliance score (0-100%)
• ☐ Review violations (red)
• ☐ Review warnings (orange)
• ☐ Review passed checks (green)

✅ 2.2 Scan your mobile app

• ☐ Test with screen readers (VoiceOver, TalkBack)
• ☐ Check touch target size (44x44px minimum)
• ☐ Check gesture alternatives

✅ 2.3 Scan your hardware (if applicable)

• ☐ Check physical buttons
• ☐ Check audio guidance
• ☐ Check display visibility

Phase 3: Manual Testing

3.1 Perceivable — Can users perceive the content?

✅ 3.1.1 Alternative text

• ☐ All images have alternative text (1.1.1)
• ☐ Alternative text is descriptive
• ☐ Decorative images have empty alt=""

✅ 3.1.2 Colour contrast

• ☐ Normal text has 4.5:1 contrast minimum (1.4.3)
• ☐ Large text has 3:1 contrast minimum (1.4.3)
• ☐ Buttons and links have sufficient contrast

✅ 3.1.3 Captions and transcripts

• ☐ All videos have captions (1.2.2)
• ☐ All audio has transcripts (1.2.1)
• ☐ Audio can be paused (1.4.2)

✅ 3.1.4 Text resizing

• ☐ Text can be resized to 200% without loss of content (1.4.4)
• ☐ Content reflows when text is resized
• ☐ No horizontal scrolling required at 200%

3.2 Operable — Can users operate the content?

✅ 3.2.1 Keyboard accessibility

• ☐ All functions are operable with the Tab key (2.1.1)
• ☐ Focus indicator is visible (2.4.7)
• ☐ Skip links are present (2.4.1)
• ☐ No keyboard traps (2.1.2)

✅ 3.2.2 Navigation

• ☐ Heading structure is logical (H1, H2, H3, H4) (1.3.1)
• ☐ No skipped heading levels (e.g., H1 → H3)
• ☐ Navigation is consistent across pages (3.2.3)

✅ 3.2.3 Focus and navigation

• ☐ Focus order is logical (2.4.3)
• ☐ Focus indicator is not obscured
• ☐ Target size is at least 44x44px (2.5.5 - WCAG 2.2)

3.3 Understandable — Can users understand the content?

✅ 3.3.1 Form labels

• ☐ All input fields have labels (3.3.2)
• ☐ Error messages are clear (3.3.1)
• ☐ Error suggestions are provided (3.3.3)

✅ 3.3.2 Language and readability

• ☐ HTML lang attribute is set (3.1.1)
• ☐ Language changes are marked (3.1.2)
• ☐ Content is readable and understandable

3.4 Robust — Is content compatible with assistive technologies?

✅ 3.4.1 ARIA and HTML

• ☐ ARIA attributes are correct (4.1.2)
• ☐ HTML is valid (no duplicate IDs) (4.1.1)
• ☐ Status messages are announced (4.1.3)

✅ 3.4.2 PDF accessibility

• ☐ PDFs are tagged
• ☐ Images in PDFs have alternative text
• ☐ Reading order is correct
• ☐ Language is specified

Phase 4: Documentation

✅ 4.1 Document your results

• ☐ Save automated test results
• ☐ Record manual test results
• ☐ List fixed issues

✅ 4.2 Publish an accessibility statement

• ☐ Declare compliance with EN 301 549
• ☐ Describe testing methods
• ☐ List any non-compliant areas

✅ 4.3 Plan for ongoing maintenance

• ☐ Schedule regular testing (monthly)
• ☐ Set up monitoring for new issues
• ☐ Create a feedback mechanism for users

EAA Compliance Checklist — Summary

Frequently Asked Questions — EAA Compliance Checklist

Internal links — UK Accessibility Resources