Legislation and regulations

Dutch accessibility legislation and regulations.

Temporary decision

Digital accessibility is a legal requirement for Dutch governments (central government, provinces, municipalities and water authorities) and institutions from the (semi-)public sector. It is mandatory to meet WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA requirements.

It has been mandatory for the government since 2008 to make websites accessible. As of July 1, 2018, this obligation has become a legal obligation. This legal obligation is laid down in the Temporary Digital Accessibility Decree . This must be completed by the following dates:

  • On September 23, 2019 for websites published from September 23, 2018;
  • On September 23, 2020 for websites published before September 23, 2018;
  • On June 23, 2021 for mobile applications.

It is also mandatory to post an accessibility statement. To substantiate an accessibility statement, evaluation results are needed, preferably combined in an evaluation report.

  • Public authorities should be accessible. You comply with the obligation by:

    • applying WCAG 2.1 level A and AA accessibility requirements;
    • publishing an accessibility statement on the website.

    The obligation applies to websites, apps, and intranets and extranets that go live or undergo major changes.

  • Accessibility is mandatory for:

    1. State, regional or local government agencies. This includes all Dutch governments (central, provincial, municipal and water authorities).
    2. public law institutions, which are defined as an institution:
      1. established for the specific purpose of meeting needs in the public interest other than those of a commercial or industrial nature;
      2. having legal personality;
      3. and that:
        1. are mostly financed by the state, regional or local government agencies or other public law institutions;
        2. or their management is supervised by these authorities or bodies;
        3. or when they have an administrative, management or supervisory body, more than half of whose members are designated by the state, regional or local government authorities or other public law bodies;

    The following (types of) organizations are not covered by the legal obligation:

    • NGOs, as long as they do not provide services on behalf of government agencies;
    • Privatized or private sectors such as transport, gas, water and postal services;
    • The healthcare;
    • Day nurseries, crèches and schools, except for essential administrative online functions (for example, being able to register a student digitally).

  • It must be met by the following dates:

    1. On September 23, 2019 for websites published from September 23, 2018;
    2. On September 23, 2020 for websites published before September 23, 2018;
    3. On June 23, 2021 for mobile applications.

Equal Treatment Act

In addition, there is the Equal Treatment on the Grounds of Disability and Chronic Illness Act. This law has been amended in response to the UN Convention on Disability and entered into force on 1 January 2017. It obliges the government and the business community to offer their goods and services as accessible as possible.

People who encounter a problem with accessibility can appeal to this law to demand adjustments.

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