Since 28 June 2025, the Swedish Act on the Accessibility of Certain Products and Services, often called the Accessibility Act, has applied. It requires, among other things, that e-commerce and banking services can be used by everyone, regardless of ability. Here we go through who is covered and how you can check your own website.
What does the law say?
The Act (2023:254) sets requirements that certain products and services aimed at consumers must be accessible.[1] It is based on the European Accessibility Act and came into force on 28 June 2025.[2]
The services covered include:
- e-commerce services,
- banking services,
- electronic communication services,
- and several other areas listed in the law.[2]
Exemption for micro-enterprises
Micro-enterprises that provide services do not need to meet the accessibility requirements. A micro-enterprise is a company with fewer than ten employees and a turnover below two million euros. The exemption only applies to services, not products.[2]
What level is required?
The harmonized standard is EN 301 549, which for web content means the WCAG criteria at levels A and AA must be met. Level AAA is not required.[2] You must also be able to provide information about how your products and services are accessible, and your customer support must be able to give that information in accessible formats.[2]
Supervision and sanctions
Several authorities share the supervision. The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) is responsible for, among other things, e-commerce, banking services and electronic communication services. The authorities can issue orders and penalty fees.[2]
Checklist for your website
Here are some of the most common issues we find. The list does not replace a full audit, but it gives a quick picture of where you stand.
- Keyboard: can all links, menus, buttons and forms be reached and used with the keyboard only?
- Visible focus: is it clearly visible where you are when tabbing through the page?
- Contrast: does body text have a contrast of at least 4.5:1 against the background?
- Alt texts: do images that convey information have a descriptive text?
- Forms: do all fields have visible labels, and are errors explained clearly in text, not just with color?
- Heading structure: do the headings follow a logical order so screen readers can navigate?
- Zoom: does the page work when the text is enlarged to 200 percent?
- Video and audio: are there captions and, where needed, audio description?
- Checkout: can a complete purchase be made with a screen reader?
- Accessibility information: is there information about how the service is accessible and how to contact you?
Automated tools are not enough
If you want to do a first check, you can use our free accessibility test. Automated testing tools are a good first step, but they only find some of the problems. Whether a checkout works with a screen reader, or whether error messages can be understood, requires manual testing. The safest approach is to combine both.
This article is a summary and not legal advice. Read more at PTS about what applies to your business.
Sources
- [1] The Swedish Parliament (Riksdagen), Lag (2023:254) om vissa produkters och tjänsters tillgänglighet, SFS 2023:254. www.riksdagen.se
- [2] The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS), Frågor och svar om tillgänglighetslagen (in Swedish). pts.se
