PDF accessibility law, explained without the scare tactics.

Two regulatory families cover most organizations publishing documents today.

In the EU: the Web Accessibility Directive has required public-sector bodies to publish accessible documents since 2018, and the European Accessibility Act extends the duty to the private sector — banks, insurers, e-commerce, transport, telecoms — since 28 June 2025.

In the US: Section 508 covers federal agencies and their suppliers, ADA Title II gives state and local governments WCAG 2.1 AA deadlines from April 2027, and the HHS rule covers health programs (providers with 15+ employees since May 2026, smaller providers from May 2027).

All of them point at the same technical target: WCAG-conformant, properly tagged documents. Here's what applies to you, what the deadlines are, and what the standards actually require of a PDF.

Play video: Global Compliance 0:42 · with captions

Where do you fall?

• The European Accessibility Act and your documents → Who the EAA covers, what it requires of PDFs, the 2030 backlog rule — and how enforcement and penalties differ across all 27 member states.
• US rules: ADA Title II and Section 508 → The DOJ web rule and its 2027/2028 deadlines, federal procurement, and the health-sector rule.
• The PDF/UA standard, in plain language → What "tagged PDF" actually means, how PDF/UA relates to WCAG and EN 301 549, and what can be machine-checked.

The short version

Not sure where a specific document stands? Upload it — the analysis is free and takes about a minute.

a11yfy is a technology provider, not a law firm; this page is not legal advice.