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Clause 10 — Non-web documents

Clause 10 extends WCAG-equivalent requirements to electronic documents that aren't themselves web pages, but are distributed as part of a product or service — a downloadable PDF report, a Word contract template, an ePub, a spreadsheet.

What it covers

  • Structure and tagging — documents need real structural markup (headings, lists, tables) rather than purely visual formatting, so assistive technology can navigate and interpret them.
  • Reading order — content must have a sensible, programmatically determinable reading order, especially for multi-column or form-heavy layouts.
  • Text alternatives — images and non-text content need alt text; purely decorative elements should be marked as such.
  • Form fields — interactive form fields (in a fillable PDF, for example) need labels and must be operable via keyboard and screen reader.
  • Applies across common formats: PDF, Word/OpenDocument, ePub, spreadsheets, and similar.

Who this applies to

Any organisation distributing documents as part of a product or service in scope of the Web Accessibility Directive or the EAA — including documents linked from an otherwise-compliant website.

Read the standard

This page is a plain-language summary, not the normative text. For the full requirement wording, see EN 301 549 V4.1.1 (2026-09) directly:

Download EN 301 549 V4.1.1 (PDF, ETSI)

V4.1.1 is the newest published edition, aligned with WCAG 2.2 AA. It is not yet cited in the EU Official Journal, so V3.2.1 (WCAG 2.1 AA) remains the version with current legal effect for EAA presumption of conformity — see the timeline for the expected citation date.