RGAA

The Référentiel Général d'Amélioration de l'Accessibilité (RGAA, the general framework for improving accessibility) is the French regulatory framework that defines the accessibility criteria that public digital services must comply with. It transposes the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines from the W3C) into a French legal context, with precise test criteria and an audit methodology. The current version is RGAA 4.1.

Central government administrations, local authorities, public bodies and companies operating a public service under delegation are legally required to comply with the RGAA since the law of 11 February 2005. Since 2019, private companies with revenue above 250 million euros are also affected. The obligations include publishing an accessibility statement and a multi-year compliance plan.

The WCAG are the international accessibility standards published by the W3C, with no legal force of their own. The RGAA is the French transposition of the WCAG into a legal framework: it adds precise test criteria for each conformance level, a structured audit methodology and regulatory obligations for public entities. Complying with the RGAA implies complying with the WCAG, but the audit and compliance process is more formalised.

It is a mandatory document that organisations subject to the RGAA must publish on their digital service. It indicates the level of conformity reached (compliant, partially compliant, non-compliant), the list of identified non-conformities and the alternatives offered to users for content that is not accessible. It must also indicate a contact procedure for people who encounter accessibility problems.

The RGAA audit takes place in several stages: defining a representative sample of pages, evaluating each criterion on that sample, calculating the overall and per-page conformity rate, and writing the report with the non-conformities and recommendations. The audit can be carried out in-house by a trained team or entrusted to a specialised provider. The RGAA framework is available free of charge on the French government website, with the full methodology.