France Accessibility Legislation: Scope, Fines & Reporting

France regulates digital accessibility through Ordinance No. 2022-1139 of 9 August 2022 (Ordonnance n° 2022-1139) and Decree No. 2023-931 of 31 October 2023 (Décret n° 2023-931), relating to accessibility for people with disabilities to products and services. The regime was enforced in June 2025, and the most recent amendment to it is dated 10 October 2023.

Supervision sits with the General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), which is responsible for overseeing accessibility compliance.

Scope of application

The regulation mandates that a range of digital content and services must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Specifically, this includes:

• General-purpose computing hardware and operating systems.
• Self-service terminals, including payment terminals, banking ATMs, automatic ticket dispensers, self-service check-in kiosks, and interactive information terminals (excluding those integrated into vehicles or aircraft).
• Consumer terminal equipment with interactive computing capabilities used for electronic communication services or for accessing audiovisual media services.
• Digital e-readers.

Exceptions

Exemption from compliance with the accessibility measures set out in the decree includes:

• Certain conditions of disproportionate burden.
• Pre-recorded media and office file formats published before 28 June 2025.
• Online maps, where key data is available in an accessible form.
• Third-party content that is not funded or controlled by the operator.
• Archived content not updated after 28 June 2025.

Fines and penalties

Non-compliance with accessibility requirements can result in escalating penalties. The fine is not static:

• A first “class 5” offence — which typically refers to significant accessibility barriers on websites or digital services — incurs an initial fine of €1,500.
• If the violation remains unresolved after one year, the penalty increases to €3,000.
• Should the non-compliance persist for another year, the fine can escalate further, potentially reaching up to ten times €3,000 — a maximum penalty of €30,000.

This progressive structure emphasises the importance of timely compliance: the cost of non-compliance scales with how long a barrier is left unfixed, which is why continuous monitoring matters more than a single audit.

Reporting

France follows the EU-wide mandate for accessibility statements on public sector websites and digital services. These statements are essential for maintaining transparency and accountability.

The statement must be publicly available on the organisation’s website and must:

• Provide clear information on the accessibility status of the digital services — whether they meet the required standards, or an outline of existing accessibility issues.
• Detail the measures taken to improve accessibility, including any ongoing efforts or plans for remediation.
• Specify how users can report accessibility problems and request assistance.

Complaints

Users who encounter accessibility barriers, or who wish to submit a complaint about non-compliance, can contact the competent authority — the General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes, DGCCRF):

• Website: economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf

Getting compliant with QualiBooth

Meeting the French requirements takes two things: evidence that your products and services conform, and a published accessibility statement that holds up to scrutiny.

QualiBooth scans continuously against WCAG success criteria, so a barrier never sits unfixed long enough to push a fine from €1,500 to €30,000, 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 accessibility status, remediation plans and reporting route the regulation requires.

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