Croatia Accessibility Legislation: Scope, Fines & Reporting

Croatia regulates digital accessibility through the Act on Accessibility Requirements for Products and Services — Zakon o pristupačnosti proizvoda i usluga. The same regime is also cited as the act on the accessibility of websites and software solutions for mobile devices of public sector bodies, and the obligations set out below apply to public sector bodies. The regulation has been enforced since 23 September 2019, and the most recent amendment to the law was made on 28 June 2022.

Supervision sits with the State Inspectorate, which is also the competent authority for complaints about non-compliance.

Scope of application

The regulation mandates that a range of digital content and services must be accessible to people with disabilities. It applies specifically to public sector bodies, which must make their websites and mobile applications compliant. Specifically:

• Digital services that are crucial for public use, or that are designed to meet the needs of persons with disabilities, must be accessible.
• All digital content related to key internet administrative functions within educational institutions — kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and student dormitories — must comply with accessibility standards.

The current regulation focuses primarily on public sector bodies, and extending these requirements to the private sector remains a topic of active discussion. Future amendments or new legislation are expected to expand the scope to businesses and organisations providing essential services, such as e-commerce, banking and telecommunications.

Exceptions

The decree does not apply to the content of the following websites and mobile applications:

• Certain websites and mobile software, including those of public radio and television, non-crucial civil society organisations, and educational institutions.
• Content published before set dates: office files published before 23 September 2018, pre-recorded media published before 23 September 2020, live media content, and internet maps, provided accessible key information exists.
• Third-party content that is not funded or developed by public sector bodies, and reproductions of heritage collections that cannot comply because of preservation requirements or the lack of a cost-effective accessibility solution.
• Private pages that were not public before 23 September 2019, and archives — content that is not required for active procedures and has not been updated after 23 September 2019.

Fines and penalties

Fines for non-compliance run from HRK 2,000.00 (about €270) to HRK 50,000.00 (about €6,600) for public sector bodies that commit misdemeanours by failing to comply with the accessibility requirements. The misdemeanours include:

• Not ensuring the accessibility of websites and mobile software.
• Failing to assess the burden of compliance.
• Not publishing or updating the accessibility statement.
• Not providing or responding to notifications related to accessibility non-compliance.

In addition, responsible persons within those bodies can be fined from HRK 500.00 (about €67) to HRK 5,000.00 (about €675) for related misdemeanours.

Because the statement and the notification route are themselves penalised obligations, the cost of non-compliance is not limited to the barriers on the page — which is why continuous monitoring matters more than a single audit.

Reporting

Companies are obliged to publish and regularly update a detailed, comprehensive and clear accessibility statement regarding the compliance of their websites, platforms or mobile applications with the provisions of the Act.

The accessibility statement must contain:

• A compliance declaration — a summary of the site’s adherence to standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
• Accessibility features — a listing of the site’s accessible functions, demonstrating how the site supports users with disabilities.
• Contact information — clear points of contact for user feedback, allowing users to report issues or request assistance.
• Continuous improvement plans — an outline of ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility.

Complaints

Users who encounter accessibility barriers, or who wish to submit a complaint about non-compliance, can contact the competent authority — the State Inspectorate:

• Email: pristupacnost@dirh.hr
• Website: inspektorat.gov.hr

Getting compliant with QualiBooth

Meeting the Croatian requirements takes two things: evidence that your websites and mobile applications conform, and a published statement that holds up to scrutiny.

QualiBooth scans continuously against WCAG success criteria, so a barrier never sits long enough to turn into a misdemeanour, and manual audits by people with disabilities cover what automation cannot. When it is time to publish, our accessibility statement generator produces a statement with the compliance declaration, accessibility features, contact route and improvement plan the Act requires.

For the latest and most accurate information on Croatian digital accessibility requirements, refer to the official documentation published by the Croatian government.