Who has to comply
Public-sector since 2018; consumer-facing private-sector under the EAA transposition.
Belgium is a compact but wealthy market sitting at the linguistic crossroads of the EU, and its trilingual reality (Dutch, French, German) is the main practical wrinkle for foreign sellers. A non-EU store selling to Belgian consumers is covered under the EAA transposition on the country-of-consumption basis, and where the service addresses multiple language regions, the accessibility statement is expected in the relevant languages, not just English. Cross-border sellers often underestimate the language-region dimension that a purely domestic Belgian provider handles by default.
What the law actually requires
Loi 19/07/2018 + Loi-EAA sets the technical bar at WCAG 2.1 Level AA via EN 301 549. On top of it, Loi du 19 juillet 2018 relative à l'accessibilité des sites internet et applications mobiles lists these operational duties:
- EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA
- Trilingual accessibility statement (NL/FR/DE) where relevant
- Feedback mechanism with response within 30 days
Penalties and how enforcement actually works
Administrative fines and corrective orders; amounts vary by region.
Belgium's federal structure splits enforcement between BOSA at the federal level and the regional digital agencies of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels, with the EAA transposition unifying private-sector obligations across the three regions. Enforcement is largely complaint- and monitoring-driven, and the required feedback mechanism with a 30-day response window is a concrete, checkable obligation. Which authority engages you depends on the language region your service primarily targets, so a Belgium-wide seller can face oversight coordinated across more than one body.
Reading the Loi 19/07/2018 + Loi-EAA at the source
The law is cited as Loi du 19 juillet 2018 + Loi-EAA (Loi du 19 juillet 2018 relative à l'accessibilité des sites internet et applications mobiles). Enforcement: BOSA (federal) and regional digital agencies. Key date: 28 June 2025. For the exact wording, read the official reference for Belgium listed under Sources below.
Sources
- BOSA accessibility
- European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) · European Commission
Links checked 12 October 2026. Not legal advice. Methodology · About Certvo
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to publish my statement in three languages?
If your service operates in multiple language regions, yes. A federal-only service must serve French and Dutch at minimum.