(title available in French only)
Official Binding
Note
European accessibility standard for ICT products and services, which sets the functional requirements applicable to websites, software and documents, version 4.1.1.
The full text is not reproduced here (copyright): see the official source.
Summary
Purpose
European standard ETSI EN 301 549 (version 4.1.1, September 2026) sets the accessibility requirements for ICT (information and communication technology) products and services ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, EN 301 549 V4.1.1 (2026-09) ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, History. Its scope opens as follows:
The present document specifies the accessibility requirements applicable to ICT products and services, together with a description of the test procedures and evaluation methodology for each accessibility requirement.
It was produced by the ETSI Human Factors technical committee. It supports the implementation of two directives: Directive 2016/2102 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies, and Directive 2019/882 on the accessibility requirements for products and services ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, Foreword ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, § 1 Scope. According to its foreword, once the standard is cited in the Official Journal under Directive 2019/882, compliance with its normative clauses listed in the tables of its clause A.2 will confer, within the limits of the scope of the standard, a presumption of conformity with the corresponding essential requirements of that directive ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, Foreword.
Who it applies to
The standard is addressed in particular to designers, developers, evaluators, manufacturers, market surveillance authorities and procurers. It does not cover assistive technologies designed specifically for persons with disabilities, except for one requirement ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, § 1 Scope.
Under eIDAS, it comes into play through Implementing Regulation 2025/2162 on the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies. Scheme owners (the entity responsible for developing and maintaining a conformity assessment scheme) ensure that their schemes include at least the standards in Annex II, as applicable, indicating the year and version number of those standards Art. 1(1) Art. 6(3). Annex II, as corrected, names EN 301 549 for each of the fourteen qualified trust services in its table, from the issuance of qualified certificates to the recording of electronic data in a qualified electronic ledger Annex II Corrigendum R(01) — Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2162.
What the act takes from the standard
- Clauses: Annex II names the whole standard, without referring to any particular clause Annex II.
- Adaptations: none Annex II.
- Version: the annex cites none; it is the conformity assessment scheme that must indicate the year and version chosen Art. 6(3). The corpus contains version 4.1.1 ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, History.
Consolidated Regulation 910/2014 provides that electronic identification means, trust services and end-user products used in the provision of those services are made available in plain and intelligible language, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and with the accessibility requirements of Directive 2019/882 Art. 15. It also provides for the accessibility of European Digital Identity Wallets Art. 5a(21). Neither of these provisions names EN 301 549 (finding as at 31-10-2026).
Key points
- Self-scoping requirements. Each requirement begins with a condition (Where ICT…) and applies only if that condition is met; clause 4 gives functional performance criteria, clauses 5 to 13 testable criteria, clause 14 conformance ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, Introduction.
- Web, documents and software: clauses 9, 10 and 11 have been aligned with WCAG 2.2, the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, Foreword.
- Authentication and biometrics. Where a product is or contains a web page, that page must satisfy the WCAG 2.2 success criterion on accessible authentication ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, § 9.3.3.8 Accessible authentication (minimum). Where a product uses biological characteristics, it must not make them the only means of user identification or of control of the product ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, § 5.3 Biometrics.
- Timetable: standard adopted on 24 August 2026; conflicting national standards must be withdrawn by 31 May 2028 at the latest ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, Foreword.
Links
- Implementing Regulation 2025/2162 Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2162 and its corrigendum Corrigendum R(01) — Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2162.
- ARF, chapter 8 on accessibility § 8.2 Legal instruments and standards.
- Learning path: step 5, certification and standards.
Error in the act
In the row “The provision of qualified electronic archiving services”, Annex II to Implementing Regulation 2025/2162 read “ETSI TS 301 549” Annex II. The corrigendum published in the Official Journal replaces this reference with “ETSI EN 301 549” Corrigendum R(01) — Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2162.
Cited version
The ARF, the Architecture and Reference Framework of the wallet (version 3.0.0), states that Directive 2016/2102 requires compliance with EN 301 549 “v1.1.2” § 8.2 Legal instruments and standards. It presents itself as informative § 1.3 Purpose, scope and audience. Version 1.1.2 dates from April 2015; the most recent version, present in the corpus, is 4.1.1 of September 2026 ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, History. The standard, for its part, presents its version 3.2.1 as a voluntary means of complying with Directive 2016/2102 ETSI EN 301 549 V4.1.1, Foreword.
Consolidation without official value
This summary cites the consolidated version, published on EUR-Lex, of Regulation 910/2014 Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 — consolidated version of 18/10/2024. It serves as documentation: only the text published in the Official Journal is authentic.
Written by Asphalia.