In October 2025, W3C's WCAG 2.2 was approved as ISO/IEC 40500:2025. This moves the standard from a W3C recommendation to a formal international regulatory benchmark -- the kind of designation that shows up in procurement requirements and enforcement frameworks.
The EAA has adopted EN 301 549, which references WCAG 2.1. Government RFPs will increasingly cite WCAG 2.2 as the preferred standard as regulations evolve.
What WCAG 2.2 adds
WCAG 2.2 introduces 9 new success criteria. Five of them are at Level AA, which is the conformance level most regulations require:
- Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) -- When an element receives keyboard focus, it must not be entirely hidden by other content like sticky headers or modal overlays.
- Dragging Movements -- Any functionality that uses dragging must also be operable with a single pointer without dragging.
- Target Size (Minimum) -- Interactive targets must be at least 24x24 CSS pixels, with some exceptions for inline links and user-agent controls.
- Consistent Help -- If a page provides help mechanisms (contact info, chat, FAQ links), they must appear in a consistent location across pages.
- Redundant Entry -- Information previously entered by the user in a process must be auto-populated or available for selection, unless re-entry is essential.
One additional new criterion is at Level AAA:
- Focus Appearance -- Focused elements must have a visible focus indicator that meets specific size and contrast requirements. (Level AAA)
The upgrade path from WCAG 2.1
Organizations already meeting WCAG 2.1 AA only need to address these 5 new AA criteria. The existing 50 criteria from WCAG 2.1 carry forward unchanged.
The new criteria focus on areas where WCAG 2.1 had gaps: cognitive accessibility, low vision users, and mobile interactions. Focus Appearance and Target Size (Minimum) tend to require the most remediation work on existing sites because they affect every interactive element.
What to do
Start by scanning your site against WCAG 2.2 AA criteria to identify where the 5 new AA requirements apply. Common issues include:
- Sticky headers or cookie banners that obscure focused elements
- Focus indicators that rely on browser defaults (often insufficient under the new contrast requirements)
- Small touch targets on mobile, especially in navigation and form elements
- Drag-only interactions in UI components like sliders or sortable lists
The ISO designation makes WCAG 2.2 the standard to plan around. Organizations targeting WCAG 2.1 AA for current compliance deadlines should build their remediation work with 2.2 in mind to avoid doing the same audit twice.