Country guide — Italy

Is your website compliant with Italian accessibility law?

In short: Italy enforces web accessibility through the Legge Stanca (Law 4/2004) and D.Lgs. 82/2022, which transposed the European Accessibility Act for private businesses from 28 June 2025. The benchmark is WCAG 2.1 AA via EN 301 549, AgID oversees implementation, sanctions range from €5,000 to €40,000, and micro-enterprises are exempt.

Italy was one of the first EU countries to legislate digital accessibility, with the Legge Stanca (Law 4/2004). Decreto Legislativo 82/2022 transposed the European Accessibility Act into Italian law, extending obligations to a wider range of private-sector businesses from 28 June 2025.

The law

Together, the Legge Stanca and D.Lgs. 82/2022 require covered public and private organizations to make their websites, apps, and self-service terminals conform to WCAG 2.1 AA (via the UNI CEI EN 301 549 standard). AgID (Agenzia per l'Italia Digitale) is the national body overseeing implementation and publishing guidance.

Penalties

Under D.Lgs. 82/2022 (art. 24), administrative sanctions range from €5,000 to €40,000, rising to up to 5% of annual turnover for repeat violations. AgID can also require corrective action within a set deadline before penalties escalate.

Who's exempt

Micro-enterprises — fewer than 10 employees and under €2 million in turnover or balance sheet total — are exempt from the private-sector obligations introduced by D.Lgs. 82/2022.

Who's in scope

Public administrations and public-interest bodies have been covered since the original Legge Stanca. D.Lgs. 82/2022 extends obligations to large private companies offering e-commerce, banking, transport, telecoms and similar consumer services — plus, more broadly, any business selling digital products/services to EU consumers under the EAA. AgID publishes and updates the applicable thresholds.

What you need to do

Run a WCAG 2.1 AA / EN 301 549 audit (automated scan for code-level issues, manual audit for contrast, keyboard use, and screen-reader behavior), fix what you find, and publish a dichiarazione di accessibilità (accessibility statement) — required for public bodies and increasingly expected as best practice for private companies in scope.

How to check where you stand

Our free automated scan checks your site against the same WCAG 2.1 AA rule set in about 20 seconds — image alt text, form labels, heading structure, ARIA references, and more — and gives you a plain-language report of what to fix first.

Scan your site free →

This page is general information, not legal advice — Italian accessibility obligations depend on your sector, size, and turnover. Consult a lawyer or AgID's own guidance for a binding assessment.

FAQ
What's the difference between the Legge Stanca and D.Lgs. 82/2022?
The Legge Stanca (2004) originally covered public administrations. D.Lgs. 82/2022 transposes the EU's European Accessibility Act, extending obligations to a defined set of private-sector businesses from 28 June 2025.
Who enforces accessibility rules in Italy?
AgID (Agenzia per l'Italia Digitale) oversees implementation, publishes technical guidance, and can apply the sanctions set out in D.Lgs. 82/2022.
Are microimprese (micro-enterprises) exempt?
Yes — businesses with fewer than 10 employees and under €2M turnover or balance sheet total are exempt from the private-sector obligations.
Does an overlay widget satisfy the dichiarazione di accessibilità?
No. An accessibility statement must honestly describe your actual conformance status; an overlay doesn't fix underlying code issues and can create legal exposure if the statement overstates compliance.

Germany (BFSG) guide · EU (EAA) guide · Scan vs. audit · Overlay vs. code fix · Methodology