WCAG 2.2 — what changed and what it means for you
WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation in October 2023. It adds 9 new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1, focused primarily on keyboard focus visibility, pointer input, and cognitive accessibility. EU enforcement currently references WCAG 2.1 AA via EN 301 549 v3.2.1 — but understanding 2.2 now means fewer surprises when EN 301 549 updates.
Free scan available · WCAG 2.1 AA + 2.2 new criteria · Built for EU agencies
Where does WCAG 2.2 sit in the EU compliance picture?
The EU's harmonized standard EN 301 549 v3.2.1 (2021) incorporates WCAG 2.1 by reference. That is what the EAA and all current national transpositions (including the German BFSG and Romanian Law 232/2022) point to for websites. WCAG 2.2 is not yet formally required by EU law.
However, a future update to EN 301 549 (expected to track WCAG 2.2) will eventually raise the bar. Agencies and businesses that address WCAG 2.2 criteria now will have less remediation work when EN 301 549 is updated — and will be ahead of competitors who wait.
Via EN 301 549 v3.2.1 — enforced by EAA, BFSG, Romanian Law 232/2022, and all other national transpositions.
W3C Recommendation since October 2023. Adds 9 new criteria. Not yet required by EU enforcement, but best-practice for new builds.
A revised EN 301 549 incorporating WCAG 2.2 is expected. Timeline not confirmed — but preparing now reduces future remediation cost.
What's new in WCAG 2.2?
WCAG 2.2 removes one criterion (4.1.1 Parsing — deprecated because modern browsers handle malformed HTML reliably) and adds 9 new ones. Four are Level A or AA — immediately relevant for any audit targeting full WCAG 2.2 AA conformance.
Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)
When a UI component receives keyboard focus, the component is not entirely hidden due to author-created content — for example, a sticky header covering the focused element.
Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced)
The focused component is fully visible — no part of it is hidden behind sticky content. Stricter version of 2.4.11.
Focus Appearance
The keyboard focus indicator meets minimum size and contrast requirements. Requires a focus ring that is at least 2 CSS pixels thick and has a 3:1 contrast ratio against adjacent colors.
Dragging Movements
Any functionality that uses a dragging motion — drag-and-drop, sliders operated by dragging — must also be operable with a single pointer without dragging.
Target Size (Minimum)
Interactive targets must be at least 24×24 CSS pixels, or have sufficient spacing so that a 24px circle centered on the target does not intersect another target.
Consistent Help
If a page has a human contact mechanism, a self-help option, or fully automated contact mechanism, it appears in the same relative location across pages.
Redundant Entry
Information already entered by the user in the current process is either auto-populated or available for selection — users are not asked to re-enter the same data.
Accessible Authentication (Minimum)
A cognitive function test (like solving a puzzle or transcribing characters) is not required for any step of an authentication process unless an alternative is provided.
Accessible Authentication (Enhanced)
No cognitive function test is required for authentication at all — not even with alternatives provided.
Also: 4.1.1 Parsing was removed. WCAG 2.2 removes success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing), which required valid HTML. Modern browsers handle malformed HTML reliably enough that the criterion was deprecated as obsolete. If you were failing 4.1.1 in a WCAG 2.1 audit, that finding does not carry over to WCAG 2.2.
How should agencies prepare for WCAG 2.2?
Our audits are aligned to WCAG 2.1 AA (the current legal baseline in the EU) and include coverage of the WCAG 2.2 AA criteria as a supplementary pass — so you know exactly where you stand for both.
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Up to 5 pages scanned automatically. Get a prioritized snapshot of accessibility issues, evidence blocks, and a personalized free-to-paid recommendation. Emailed within 24 hours.
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Up to 15 key pages reviewed. Findings mapped to WCAG 2.1 AA and WCAG 2.2 AA criteria, with selectors, HTML snippets, screenshots, and a remediation roadmap. White-label ready.
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Rescan up to 3 client sites monthly, with regression detection, verified-fix tracking, and branded reports your agency can forward without rewriting.
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A real, populated demo report — findings mapped to WCAG success criteria, evidence blocks with selectors and HTML snippets, screenshots, and a prioritized remediation roadmap.
Honest scope
AccessiProof provides evidence-backed website accessibility audits aligned to WCAG 2.1 AA (the current EU legal baseline via EN 301 549) and WCAG 2.2 AA as a supplementary pass.
Our reports are not legal advice, not formal certification, and not an official W3C or government conformance determination. Compliance decisions remain the responsibility of the covered business and its legal counsel. For formal conformance claims (e.g., for an Accessibility Statement), we recommend involving a qualified accessibility specialist.
The distinction between WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 legal requirements may change as EN 301 549 is updated. We recommend treating WCAG 2.2 AA as the target for new builds and substantial updates, even though only WCAG 2.1 AA is currently legally mandated.
Related EU accessibility frameworks
Every EU law in this space sits on the same technical spine. Use these pages to map your clients' obligations across Europe.
European Accessibility Act
The EU directive that underpins every national accessibility law below.
Read pageEU frameworkEN 301 549
The harmonised technical standard regulators cite as the conformance test.
Read pageNational lawGermany — BFSG
Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz: Germany's EAA transposition, in force since 28 June 2025.
Read pageNational lawFrance — RGAA & Article 47
Dual track: RGAA 4.1 for public bodies and Ordonnance 2023-859 for private e-commerce.
Read pageNational lawSpain — Ley 11/2023
RD 1112/2018 for public sector plus Ley 11/2023 and RD 193/2023 for private e-commerce.
Read pageNational lawRomania — Legea 232/2022
Romania's EAA transposition, enforced by ANPC since 28 June 2025.
Read pageNational lawItaly — D.Lgs. 82/2022
Italian EAA transposition layered on the Stanca Law (Legge 4/2004), supervised by AgID and AGCOM.
Read pageNational lawNetherlands — Toegankelijkheid
Besluit digitale toegankelijkheid for public bodies plus EAA-derived obligations for private services.
Read pageNational lawIreland — S.I. 636/2023
Irish EAA transposition, enforced by CCPC and sectoral regulators since June 2025.
Read page