UKEuropean Accessibility Act: accessible PDF statements and documents
Since 28 June 2025, in-scope services in the EU must be accessible. For banks and other providers that includes the statements, contracts and notices they send, and it reaches UK firms that serve EU consumers.
The essentials
| What | Directive (EU) 2019/882, implemented in each EU member state's national law |
|---|---|
| When | Applies since 28 June 2025, with some transitional arrangements running to 2030 |
| Who | Providers of in-scope products and services to EU consumers, including consumer banking and e-commerce. Non-EU firms are included if they serve EU consumers. Microenterprises providing services are exempt |
| Standard | EN 301 549 is the European accessibility standard for ICT. The version currently referenced (v3.2.1) incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA; v4.1.1, published in 2026, adopts WCAG 2.2 but is not yet the legal reference. Confirm which version applies to you with your compliance team. Source: European Commission AccessibleEU notice, 7 September 2026. Reviewed October 2026. |
For your documents and content
Documents
- PDF statements and notices that screen readers can read in the right order
- Real headings, tables and alternative text, not just visual formatting
- Language set correctly for each EU language
Process
- Accessibility built into templates, not fixed afterwards
- Testing with assistive technology, not only automated checkers
- Alternatives such as HTML where PDF is not the best format
What we do about it
Accessible output
We configure Exstream to produce tagged, accessible PDF (for example PDF/UA) and HTML output from the templates you already run.
Template designUpgrade where needed
Current releases have better accessibility options. We plan the upgrade so output is otherwise unchanged.
UpgradeAssess first
A Health Check shows how far your current templates are from accessible output, and what to fix first.
Health CheckTalk to a specialist
Tell us what you run and what is not working. We aim to reply within one working day.
Start a conversation
Tell us your platform, version and what you need. A specialist will reply, not a sales team. The first 30-minute call is free and without obligation.
Send an enquiryor email enquiries@thebentech.co.uk
