Accessibility law · Europe

Switzerland eCH-0059 v3.0 → WCAG 2.1 AA

In Switzerland, the standard to meet is eCH-0059 v3.0 → WCAG 2.1 AA. It binds federal authorities and federally licensed companies, with only a narrow anti-discrimination rule for private firms. This page was reviewed against primary sources on 30 September 2026.

Standard
eCH-0059 v3.0 → WCAG 2.1 AA
Private sector
Partly
Accessibility statement
Required
Latest
Jun 2020
Reviewed
30 September 2026
The 50 criteria All jurisdictions Checklist

Scope

Who it applies to

Federal authorities must make their websites, apps and published documents accessible; the binding federal standard, eCH-0059 v3.0, requires WCAG 2.1 AA, an accessibility statement and a feedback channel. Private companies have no duty to make digital services accessible: the law only bans blatant discrimination by businesses that serve the public, with compensation capped at CHF 5,000. A revision that would require private service providers to make reasonable accommodations is in Parliament and not yet law.

  • Public sector

    BehiG Art. 14(2) and BehiV Art. 10 require the internet services of federal authorities to be accessible to people with speech, hearing, visual and motor impairments, following W3C guidelines. The ordinance also reaches decentralized federal units and companies operating under a federal concession, which issue their own guidelines. Cantonal and communal services are covered only by the general rule that public services must not disadvantage disabled people, and cantons may adopt stricter rules.

  • Private sector

    Partly

    None for digital accessibility. BehiG Art. 6 only forbids private providers of public services from discriminating, which the ordinance defines as especially gross unequal treatment meant to degrade or exclude. A person who is discriminated against can claim compensation of up to CHF 5,000 but cannot force the service to be fixed. The pending revision would add a duty of reasonable accommodation for private service providers.

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

    Federal sites must meet eCH-0059 v3.0 (WCAG 2.1 AA); private sites have no duty.

  • Mobile apps

    Covered

    ECH-0059 applies WCAG 2.1 AA to mobile apps of public bodies and recommends the iOS and Android guidelines.

  • Documents

    Covered

    All published documents must be accessible under WCAG 2.1; PDF/UA is recommended for PDFs.

  • Software

    Not covered

    Desktop software is outside BehiV Art. 10 and eCH-0059.

  • Kiosks and terminals

    Partly

    Public transport communication systems and ticketing fall under BehiG Art. 3(b); other kiosks are not addressed.

  • Public procurement

    Unclear

    No accessibility rule found in the sources checked; public procurement law was not reviewed.

Timeline

Deadlines

Every date here is already in force.

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

  1. 1 Jan 2004 In force

    BehiG and BehiV enter into force; federal internet services must be accessible.

    Source

  2. 31 Dec 2020 In force

    eCH-0059 v3.0 (WCAG 2.1 AA) applies to websites and apps created or revised after this date.

    Source

  3. 21 May 2021 In force

    The federal government makes eCH-0059 v3.0 a binding ICT requirement (date from a secondary source).

    Source

  4. 31 Dec 2021 In force

    eCH-0059 rules on easy language and sign language apply after this date.

    Source

  5. 1 Jan 2024 In force

    The e-government act (EMBAG) enters into force; federal authorities must make their services accessible to the whole population.

    Source

  6. 20 Dec 2024 In force

    The Federal Council adopts the BehiG revision, which would require private service providers to make reasonable accommodations.

    Source

  7. 25 Feb 2026 In force

    The Federal Council adopts the Inclusion Act as an indirect counter-proposal to the Inclusion Initiative.

    Source

  8. 21 Sep 2026 In force

    The National Council passes the Inclusion Act, 108 to 80; its committee had voted to fold the BehiG revision into it. The Council of States is next.

    Source

Instruments

The law in Switzerland

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. 2002

    Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz (BehiG), SR 151.3

    Federal Act of 13 December 2002, in force 1 January 2004

    Bans disadvantage of disabled people in services offered by public bodies and licensed companies and gives a right to have it removed, subject to proportionality. Art. 14(2): federal authorities that offer services on the internet must make them accessible to visually impaired people without complicating conditions. Private providers are only barred from discrimination (Art. 6), with compensation up to CHF 5,000.

    Primary source

  2. 2003

    Behindertengleichstellungsverordnung (BehiV), SR 151.31

    Ordinance of 19 November 2003, Art. 10

    Federal information, communication and transaction services on the internet must be accessible to people with speech, hearing, visual and motor impairments, following W3C guidelines and, secondarily, national standards. The Federal Chancellery issues guidelines for the central administration; decentralized units and federally licensed companies issue their own, updated to the state of the art.

    Primary source

  3. Jun 2020 Latest

    eCH-0059 Accessibility Standard, version 3.0

    Verein eCH; approved 4 June 2020, issued 25 June 2020

    Websites, mobile apps and published documents must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA; key information must also be offered in easy language and sign language; an accessibility statement and a feedback mechanism are required. Binding on the federal administration.

    Primary source

  4. Dec 2024

    Änderung des Behindertengleichstellungsgesetzes (Botschaft, BBl 2025 300)

    Federal Council message of 20 December 2024; Parliament business 25.020

    Would extend protection against disadvantage to all employment and require private service providers to make reasonable accommodations, for example better access to online services; also recognizes the three Swiss sign languages. Pending, not in force.

    Primary source

  5. Feb 2026

    Bundesgesetz über die Inklusion von Menschen mit Behinderungen (Inklusionsgesetz), draft

    Indirect counter-proposal to the Inclusion Initiative; Parliament business 26.029

    Framework law on inclusion adopted by the Federal Council on 25 February 2026. The National Council committee voted to fold the BehiG revision into it, and the National Council passed it on 21 September 2026. It goes next to the Council of States and is not in force.

    Primary source

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

  • Who enforces

    No dedicated regulator. The Federal Office for the Equality of People with Disabilities (EBGB), created in 2004 with the BehiG, advises and promotes; the Federal Chancellery's Digital Transformation and ICT Steering sector issues the web guidelines for the central federal administration; courts and administrative authorities decide claims.

  • How

    Individual claims to a court or administrative authority. Disability organizations of national importance that have existed for at least ten years can bring claims about disadvantages affecting many people. Proceedings under BehiG Arts. 7 and 8 are free of charge.

  • Penalties

    No fines. A court or authority can order a public body or licensed company to remove or stop a disadvantage, unless the benefit would be out of proportion to the economic cost or other interests. For discrimination by a private provider, compensation of at most CHF 5,000.

  • Individuals

    Yes. Anyone disadvantaged by a public body or licensed company can ask a court or administrative authority to order removal; anyone discriminated against by a private provider can claim compensation in court.

Accessibility statement

A statement is required

Required

Under eCH-0059, binding on the federal administration, every website and app needs an easy-to-find, regularly updated accessibility statement in an accessible, machine-readable format. It must give the current WCAG conformance status, list information and services that are not accessible, name accessible alternatives and describe the feedback mechanism, which must let people report barriers, ask for content in an accessible form and request accessible provision. No fixed update deadline is set.

Exemptions

What is exempt

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

  • Proportionality: no removal is ordered if the expected benefit is out of proportion to the economic cost, environmental or heritage interests, or operational safety (BehiG Art. 11).
  • Content created before 31 December 2020; sites and apps built before then may still follow eCH-0059 v2.
  • Online maps and mapping services (eCH-0059).
  • Live time-based media, for the duration of the live broadcast (eCH-0059).
  • Third-party content that the body neither funds, develops nor controls (eCH-0059).
  • Intranets and extranets: applying eCH-0059 is recommended, not required.

The standard

What WCAG 2.1 Level AA asks for

50 success criteria: 30 at Level A and 20 at Level AA. 4.1.1 Parsing counts in this version, but WCAG 2.2 removed it as obsolete, so it has no page here.

1. Perceivable

2. Operable

3. Understandable

4. Robust

Beyond the law

6 Level A and AA criteria in WCAG 2.2 that these rules do not require yet. Meeting them now costs little and is where the rules are heading.

Meeting it

Where to start

The standard named here is WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

  1. Audit your pages against WCAG 2.1 Level AA: 50 success criteria at Level A and AA.
  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. Publish an accessibility statement that says what does not meet the standard yet, and how to report a problem.
  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?

    Not today. A private company only breaks the BehiG if it discriminates, meaning especially gross unequal treatment meant to degrade or exclude, and the remedy is compensation of up to CHF 5,000, not an order to fix the service. The revision now in Parliament would add a reasonable-accommodation duty for private service providers, but it has not passed.

  • Which WCAG version do federal sites need?

    WCAG 2.1 Level AA, through eCH-0059 version 3.0, for sites and apps created or revised after 31 December 2020. No newer version of eCH-0059 was found.

  • Do cantons and communes have to meet eCH-0059?

    Not by federal law. eCH-0059 applies to those who recognize it as binding. Cantonal and communal online services fall under the BehiG's general ban on disadvantage, which a person can enforce through a court or authority, subject to proportionality, and cantons may set stricter rules of their own.

  • When will the revision take effect?

    No date is set. The National Council passed the Inclusion Act on 21 September 2026, after its committee voted to fold the BehiG revision into it; the Council of States still has to debate it.

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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