France Web Accessibility Compliance

France has one of the most developed digital accessibility legal frameworks in Europe:

• Loi n 2005-102 (Loi Handicap): The foundational disability rights law requiring equal access to public services, including digital services. Updated by decree in 2019 to extend obligations to certain private sector organizations
• Article 47 of the Loi Handicap: Specifically addresses digital accessibility, requiring compliance with the national accessibility standard and publication of a conformity declaration
• Decree n 2019-768: Extended digital accessibility obligations to private sector companies with annual revenue exceeding EUR 250 million in France

France applies financial penalties for non-compliance: EUR 20,000 per year for failure to publish an accessibility statement and EUR 50,000 per year for failure to produce an accessibility audit. With the European Accessibility Act in force since June 28, 2025, requirements have expanded further to cover all private sector digital services under the EAA scope.

France uses the Référentiel Général d'Amélioration de l'Accessibilité (RGAA), its national accessibility standard. Currently at version 4.1, the RGAA is based on WCAG 2.1 but provides France-specific implementation guidance and testing methodology.

Key RGAA features:

• 106 test criteria organized by WCAG themes (images, frames, colors, multimedia, tables, links, scripts, mandatory elements, structuring, information presentation, forms, navigation, consultation)
• Detailed testing methodology: Each criterion includes specific test procedures, making compliance assessment more structured than raw WCAG evaluation
• Conformity levels: Full conformance (100% criteria met), partial conformance (50%+ criteria met), and non-conformance (below 50%)
• Mandatory accessibility statement: Must include conformity rate, non-compliant items, exemptions, and contact information

While RGAA aligns with WCAG 2.1 AA, it adds French-specific requirements and testing details. Websites targeting French audiences should test against RGAA specifically.

French digital accessibility obligations cover a broad range of organizations:

• Public sector: All state services, local authorities, public establishments, and organizations carrying out a public service mission
• Large private companies: Companies with annual revenue exceeding EUR 250 million in France (since 2019)
• EAA scope (in force since June 2025): E-commerce platforms, banking services, telecommunications, transport, and e-book services regardless of company size (except micro-enterprises)

The DINUM (Direction Interministérielle du Numérique) oversees government digital accessibility and publishes compliance monitoring results. France has been one of the more active EU member states in enforcing digital accessibility, with named organizations publicly reported for non-compliance. The EUR 20,000-50,000 annual penalties create meaningful financial incentives for compliance.

Start with a free CompliScan scan to identify WCAG 2.1 AA violations that map to RGAA criteria. Automated tools catch 30-40% of accessibility issues, providing a solid foundation for RGAA compliance work.

France-specific compliance steps:

• Public sector bodies: Audit against RGAA criteria and prepare your déclaration d'accessibilité (accessibility statement) — CompliScan reports identify specific violations to disclose
• Large companies (EUR 250M+ revenue): You are already subject to RGAA requirements — scan now and begin remediation to avoid EUR 20,000-50,000 annual penalties
• EAA compliance: Private sector businesses are now within EAA scope since June 2025 — start compliance work immediately if you have not already
• Ongoing monitoring: CompliScan Shield ($49/mo) provides weekly scans for continuous compliance

Shield Pro ($149/mo) adds daily scans and PDF reports for regulatory documentation. For French digital agencies managing multiple clients, the Agency plan ($299/mo) covers up to 50 sites with white-label reporting.