Accessibility law · Americas

Brazil LBI art. 63 → "international guidelines"; eMAG 3.1 for government; ABNT NBR 17225:2025 (WCAG 2.2) voluntary

In Brazil, the standard to meet is LBI art. 63 → "international guidelines"; eMAG 3.1 for government; ABNT NBR 17225:2025 (WCAG 2.2) voluntary. It binds government bodies and companies with headquarters or commercial representation in Brazil. This page was reviewed against primary sources on 30 September 2026.

Standard
LBI art. 63 → "international guidelines"; eMAG 3.1 for government; ABNT NBR 17225:2025 (WCAG 2.2) voluntary
Private sector
Covered
Accessibility statement
Not required
Latest
Jul 2015
Reviewed
30 September 2026
WCAG 2.2 criteria All jurisdictions Checklist

Scope

Who it applies to

Since the Brazilian Inclusion Law (LBI) of 2015, websites run by government bodies and by companies based or represented in Brazil must be accessible "according to internationally adopted best practices and accessibility guidelines" and must show an accessibility symbol. No regulation yet names a technical standard or a penalty: federal sites must follow eMAG, and the voluntary ABNT NBR 17225:2025, built on WCAG 2.2, is the national reference. Enforcement runs through public prosecutors and the courts; in July 2026 a federal court ordered the federal government to produce a plan for its websites within 180 days.

  • Public sector

    Websites of all government bodies (LBI art. 63). Federal public administration portals have had to be accessible since Decree 5.296/2004, and eMAG has been mandatory for federal government sites in the SISP system since Portaria nº 3 of 2007.

  • Private sector

    Covered

    Websites kept by companies with headquarters or commercial representation in Brazil, with no size or sector threshold. The law gives no technical standard or compliance date, and federal prosecutors say the missing regulation makes it hard to punish breaches.

Coverage

What it covers

Websites are only part of it. Each tile says whether these rules reach that kind of product, with the detail.

  • Websites

    Covered

    Art. 63 covers the websites of companies and government bodies

  • Mobile apps

    Unclear

    Art. 63 speaks of websites ("sítios da internet"); mobile apps are not named

  • Documents

    Partly

    EMAG tells government sites to offer HTML or ODF alternatives to PDF files; the LBI sets no document rule

  • Software

    Unclear

    No general software requirement found

  • Kiosks and terminals

    Unclear

    Not named; federally funded telecentres and LAN houses must equip at least 10% of computers with accessibility features

  • Public procurement

    Partly

    Government guidance tells agencies to require eMAG in ICT contracts; art. 64 ties public financing to meeting art. 63

Timeline

Deadlines

Every date here is already in force.

Dates move, so check the linked source before you plan around one.

  1. 2 Dec 2004 In force

    Decree 5.296: federal public administration portals must become accessible to people with visual disabilities within 12 months.

    Source

  2. 7 May 2007 In force

    Portaria nº 3 makes eMAG mandatory for federal government sites and portals in the SISP system.

    Source

  3. Apr 2014 In force

    eMAG 3.1, the current government model based on WCAG 2.0, is published.

    Source

  4. 7 Jul 2015 In force

    The Brazilian Inclusion Law is published; it takes effect 180 days later, making art. 63 binding on company and government websites.

    Source

  5. 11 Mar 2025 In force

    ABNT publishes NBR 17225, the first Brazilian standard for web content and applications, based on WCAG 2.2.

    Source

  6. 29 Aug 2025 In force

    The MPF recommends that the federal government regulate art. 63 within 45 days.

    Source

  7. 10 Jun 2026 In force

    The MPF announces a public civil action demanding regulation of art. 63 and a transition plan for government sites.

    Source

  8. Jul 2026 In force

    A federal court in São Paulo orders the Union to present a transition plan for federal websites within 180 days, under a R$10,000 daily fine.

    Source

Instruments

The law in Brazil

5 laws, rules and rulings, oldest first. Each links to its primary source.

Every fact points at a primary source. Dates move, and several moved in 2025 and 2026, so check the source before you rely on one.

  1. Dec 2004

    Decreto nº 5.296/2004, art. 47

    Presidential decree regulating Laws 10.048 and 10.098 of 2000

    Made accessibility mandatory on the portals and websites of the public administration within 12 months, for people with visual disabilities, with a 12-month extension for large portals where full compliance was technically unfeasible.

    Primary source

  2. 2007 · v3.1 Apr 2014

    eMAG — Modelo de Acessibilidade em Governo Eletrônico

    federal e-government accessibility model, mandatory under Portaria nº 3/2007

    The accessibility model federal government sites and portals in the SISP system must follow. Version 3.1 (2014) builds on WCAG 2.0 but is its own set of recommendations, with the ASES checker for automated tests.

    Primary source

  3. Jul 2015 Latest

    Lei nº 13.146/2015 (Lei Brasileira de Inclusão), art. 63

    Statute of Persons with Disabilities

    Websites kept by companies with headquarters or commercial representation in Brazil, or by government bodies, must be accessible "according to internationally adopted best practices and accessibility guidelines" and display an accessibility symbol. Art. 64 makes compliance a condition of public financing. No version of WCAG is named.

    Primary source

  4. Mar 2025

    ABNT NBR 17225:2025

    Acessibilidade em conteúdo e aplicações web — Requisitos (ABNT/CB-040)

    Brazil's own web accessibility standard: 146 items, 96 requirements (WCAG 2.2 Levels A and AA) and 50 recommendations (Level AAA). Meeting all the requirements equals WCAG 2.2 AA. Voluntary, like all ABNT standards, unless a regulation cites it.

    Primary source

  5. Jun–Jul 2026

    MPF v. União — ação civil pública nº 5017981-57.2026.4.03.6100

    9th Federal Civil Court of São Paulo

    Federal prosecutors seek regulation of art. 63 for public and private websites. An injunction in July 2026 requires the Union to present a transition plan for all federal public administration websites within 180 days, under a daily fine of R$10,000.

    Primary source

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

  • Who enforces

    No dedicated regulator. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) and state prosecutors act through recommendations and public civil actions; the federal courts decide.

  • How

    In August 2025 the MPF recommended that the federal government regulate art. 63. In June 2026 it filed a public civil action (5017981-57.2026.4.03.6100) asking for the regulation within 60 days, a transition plan for government sites and at least R$144 million in collective moral damages. In July 2026 the 9th Federal Civil Court of São Paulo ordered the Union to present, within 180 days, a transition plan to make all federal public administration websites accessible.

  • Penalties

    Art. 63 carries no specific fine. Disability discrimination is a crime under LBI art. 88: 1 to 3 years' imprisonment and a fine, or 2 to 5 years if committed through the media. Courts can attach daily fines to orders, such as R$10,000 a day in the 2026 injunction.

  • Individuals

    People can report inaccessible sites to the Ministério Público, which brings public civil actions. The LBI creates no specific administrative complaint route for websites.

Accessibility statement

No statement is required

Not required

No accessibility statement is required. Art. 63 §1 requires websites to display an accessibility symbol in a prominent place.

Exemptions

What is exempt

Exemptions are narrow and usually have to be claimed and explained, not assumed.

  • Art. 63 lists no exemptions and no size threshold
  • Decree 5.296/2004 gave large government portals an extra 12 months where full accessibility was technically unfeasible

Meeting it

Where to start

The standard named here is LBI art. 63 → "international guidelines"; eMAG 3.1 for government; ABNT NBR 17225:2025 (WCAG 2.2) voluntary.

  1. Audit your pages against the standard named above; it maps onto WCAG success criteria.
  2. Check text and control contrast in the Contrast Checker.
  3. Run the URL Analyzer for the problems a machine can find, then test with a keyboard and a screen reader.
  4. If you sell to the public sector, document conformance in an accessibility conformance report, such as a VPAT or an EN 301 549 statement.
  5. Work through the Accessibility Checklist and keep a record of what you tested.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For a decision that matters, read the primary sources and ask a lawyer who practices there.

Questions

Common questions

  • Does it apply to private companies?

    Yes. Art. 63 covers websites kept by any company with headquarters or commercial representation in Brazil, with no size threshold. What is missing is a regulation saying which standard to meet and what happens if you do not.

  • Which standard should we follow?

    The law only says internationally adopted best practices and guidelines. Federal government sites must follow eMAG 3.1, which is based on WCAG 2.0. ABNT NBR 17225:2025 follows WCAG 2.2, and meeting all its requirements equals WCAG 2.2 A and AA; it is the safest target for private sites, though voluntary.

  • What happens if my site is not accessible?

    There is no fixed fine for breaching art. 63. Risk comes from public civil actions by prosecutors and court orders, which can carry daily fines. Disability discrimination is also a crime under art. 88 of the LBI.

  • Do I need the accessibility symbol?

    Yes. Art. 63 §1 requires websites to display an accessibility symbol in a prominent place.

Sources

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these; the few secondary sources are marked. Reviewed 30 September 2026.

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