European Accessibility Act Compliance in Cyprus (Law 57(I)/2024)
The European Accessibility Act reached Cyprus through Ο περί της Προσβασιμότητας Προϊόντων και Υπηρεσιών Νόμος του 2024, Law 57(I)/2024, published on 2 May 2024, almost two years after the EU deadline of 28 June 2022. It applies from 28 June 2025 to e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books, electronic communications, access to audiovisual media services, and parts of air, bus, rail and waterborne passenger transport.
Scan your site free- National law
- Law 57(I)/2024 (Accessibility of Products and Services Law of 2024)
- Web standard
- EN 301 549, which carries the WCAG success criteria, is the working reference
- Enforcement
- Article 3(1) names the Υφυπουργός Κοινωνικής Πρόνοιας (Deputy Minister of Social Welfare) as the competent authority
Who has to comply in Cyprus
Law 57(I)/2024 applies to economic operators that place covered products on the market or provide covered services to consumers in Cyprus. Article 5(5) exempts micro-enterprises that provide services, defined in Article 2 as businesses employing fewer than 10 people whose annual turnover, or annual balance sheet total, does not exceed EUR 2 million. The exemption covers services only, so a micro-enterprise that makes a covered product still has to meet the product requirements. Public sector bodies sit under a separate regime, Ο περί Προσβασιμότητας των Ιστότοπων και των Εφαρμογών για Φορητές Συσκευές των Οργανισμών του Δημόσιου Τομέα Νόμος του 2019, Law 50(I)/2019 of 5 April 2019, which transposes Directive (EU) 2016/2102 and is run by the Τμήμα Υπηρεσιών Πληροφορικής (Department of Information Technology Services).
The deadlines that matter
EU-wide deadline for transposing Directive (EU) 2019/882; Cyprus had no national law in place
European Commission sends letters of formal notice to 24 member states that had not communicated full transposition
Law 57(I)/2024 published in Official Gazette No. 4996, transposing the EAA into Cypriot law
Obligations apply to products placed on the market and services provided to consumers from this date
European Commission sends Cyprus an additional reasoned opinion, INFR(2022)0291, for incomplete transposition
End of the Article 45 transition for services delivered with products used lawfully before 28 June 2025
The law in Cyprus
National law
Ο περί της Προσβασιμότητας Προϊόντων και Υπηρεσιών Νόμος του 2024, Law 57(I)/2024 (Accessibility of Products and Services Law of 2024), Official Gazette Part I(I), No. 4996 of 2 May 2024. Cyprus transposed late: the Directive (EU) 2019/882 deadline was 28 June 2022, and the Commission opened non-communication proceedings against the states that missed it. On 30 January 2026 it sent Cyprus an additional reasoned opinion, INFR(2022)0291, holding that transposition gaps remain. Article 44 lets the Υπουργικό Συμβούλιο (Council of Ministers) issue Regulations, and none were found published as of August 2026.
Web standard
Law 57(I)/2024 names no standard. Article 16 gives a presumption of conformity to products and services following harmonised standards cited in the Official Journal of the EU, or Commission technical specifications under Article 15 of the Directive. None has been cited for the EAA yet, so EN 301 549, which carries the WCAG success criteria, is the working reference.
Enforcement
Article 3(1) names the Υφυπουργός Κοινωνικής Πρόνοιας (Deputy Minister of Social Welfare) as the competent authority, acting through the Υφυπουργείο Κοινωνικής Πρόνοιας (Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare). Article 3(3) leaves the market surveillance bodies, the αρχές επιτήρησης της προσβασιμότητας (accessibility surveillance authorities), to a Υπουργικό Συμβούλιο (Council of Ministers) designation that was not found published. Article 36 sets administrative fines of up to EUR 10,000, and up to EUR 20,000 for a later breach. Article 43 lets a consumer go to court or apply to the competent authority.
How Conforma helps in Cyprus
Conforma scans your site against WCAG 2.2 AA and EN 301 549, the working reference for the Annex I requirements in Law 57(I)/2024. You get a Cyprus-specific accessibility statement and a dated record of each issue found and fixed, the evidence to have ready if the competent authority or a consumer acting under Article 43 asks.
Cyprus EAA questions, answered
When does the EAA apply in Cyprus, and is there a transition period?
Law 57(I)/2024 was published on 2 May 2024 and its obligations apply from 28 June 2025, the EU-wide date. Article 45 lets service providers keep using products they lawfully used for similar services before that date until 28 June 2030, and service contracts agreed before 28 June 2025 may run to expiry, capped at five years.
Is my small business exempt under Cypriot law?
Article 5(5) exempts micro-enterprises that provide services from the accessibility requirements. Article 2 sets the test: fewer than 10 staff, and annual turnover or an annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million. It covers services only. If you manufacture, import or distribute a covered product, the product requirements still apply.
Which accessibility standard does Cyprus apply?
Law 57(I)/2024 names no standard. Article 16 would give a presumption of conformity to anything following a harmonised standard cited in the Official Journal of the EU, but none has been cited for the EAA. EN 301 549, which carries the WCAG success criteria, is therefore the working reference for digital accessibility in Cyprus.
Who enforces the law and what penalties are written into it?
The competent authority is the Υφυπουργός Κοινωνικής Πρόνοιας (Deputy Minister of Social Welfare), who under Article 3(4) works with the Κυπριακή Συνομοσπονδία Οργανώσεων Αναπήρων (Cyprus Confederation of Organisations of the Disabled). Article 36 sets an administrative fine of up to EUR 10,000, up to EUR 20,000 for a later breach, and up to EUR 500 for each day a breach continues. Article 37 requires a reasoned decision after the operator has been heard, with 75 days to file a recourse at the Διοικητικό Δικαστήριο (Administrative Court). Article 38 adds criminal offences carrying up to two years imprisonment or EUR 20,000 on a first conviction, and up to three years or EUR 30,000 afterwards.
This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Check the cited national law for specifics.
Common fixes to check
Most sites fail the same WCAG checks first. Each guide has a plain-language fix and a before/after snippet you can copy.
The same Act, elsewhere in the EU
The Act is one directive, and each member state has transposed it into its own national law. Each of our 27 country pages names the statute and the body that enforces it, with the dates that apply there.
Also worth reading: what the first EAA court ruling decided, the free accessibility statement generator and the colour contrast checker.
See where your site stands in seconds
A free scan against WCAG 2.2 AA, a plain-language fix for every issue, and a Cyprus-specific accessibility statement when you need one.