Website accessibility audit for Norwegian businesses
Norwegian law already requires private businesses that serve the public to have universally designed websites. For the private sector that means 35 success criteria from WCAG 2.0 at levels A and AA. We check your site by hand against exactly those requirements, and add the newer WCAG 2.1 requirements you will need for customers in the EU.
What the law requires
| Who | Requirement | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Private businesses aimed at the general public | WCAG 2.0, levels A and AA: 35 of the 61 success criteria are mandatory. | Likestillings- og diskrimineringsloven § 18 and the regulation on universal design of ICT (forskrift om universell utforming av IKT-løsninger). |
| Public sector | WCAG 2.1, levels A and AA: 48 success criteria, plus an accessibility statement (since 1 February 2023). | The same law and regulation, which implement the EU Web Accessibility Directive. |
Universal design of ICT has been a legal requirement in Norway since 2013 for new solutions, and since 1 January 2021 for all websites aimed at the public, private businesses included. The rules cover more than 80,000 organisations. This is not a law that is still coming: it applies today. The law allows an exception only where the burden would be disproportionate, judged on factors such as the size and resources of the business.
Who checks, and what happens if you do not comply
Uutilsynet, part of the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency (Digdir), supervises both public and private websites. If a site does not meet the requirements, it can order the business to fix it by a deadline, and if the deadline is missed, it can impose a daily fine (tvangsmulkt) until the site is fixed.
These fines are real. In 2021 the University of Bergen received a daily fine of NOK 150,000 after a supervision. Uutilsynet has also published supervision reports on private companies, including a bank and the national railway company.
In practice, daily fines are rarely needed: the minister told the Storting that businesses usually fix the problems in time. So the realistic risk is an order with a short deadline, not a large fine. An audit lets you fix things on your own schedule instead.
What about the EU Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act applies in the EU from 28 June 2025. It has not yet been taken into the EEA Agreement or Norwegian law, and Uutilsynet says it is still unclear when that will happen. Until then, the Norwegian rules above apply.
But if you sell to consumers in EU countries, Uutilsynet states that you must already follow the EAA there, even though it is not yet Norwegian law. For websites, the EU rules point to the newer WCAG 2.1, which is why our report includes an annex with the extra WCAG 2.1 criteria.
What we check, and what it costs
A manual audit against the 35 WCAG 2.0 success criteria that Norwegian law requires from private businesses. Every criterion is checked by hand: keyboard only, a screen reader (NVDA), 200% zoom, contrast, headings, form labels and focus. Automated tools are only the first step. Method: W3C WCAG-EM.
| Audit | Price | Scope and timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | €590 ≈ NOK 6,400 | Up to 5 key page types. 2–3 working days. |
| Standard | €1,190 ≈ NOK 12,900 | Up to 10 key page types. 3–5 working days. |
| E-commerce | from €1,690 ≈ NOK 18,300 | An online shop: the whole path up to the payment step. 4–6 working days. |
Included at no extra cost: an annex with the additional WCAG 2.1 criteria (the basis of EN 301 549 and the EU rules), so one audit covers both Norway and the EU.
We invoice in euros by bank transfer and do not charge VAT; ask your accountant how imported services are treated in Norway. Norwegian krone amounts are approximate, at the European Central Bank rate of 2 October 2026.
Order an auditAll audits and prices
Need a new website instead of fixing the old one?
Sometimes rebuilding is cheaper than repairing. We build websites that meet the Norwegian rules from day one, at the same prices for every country:
| Website | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Business landing page | €690 ≈ NOK 7,500 | One page that sells one service or product. 1–1.5 weeks. |
| Start | €2,900 ≈ NOK 31,400 | A small 5–7 page website with an admin panel for page texts and photos. About 2 weeks. |
| Corporate | €12,900 ≈ NOK 139,700 | A full company website with a catalogue, news and a press centre. 3–5 weeks. |
- Built to the Norwegian universal design requirements (the 35 WCAG 2.0 criteria) and to WCAG 2.1 AA from the first line, so it does not need fixing after launch.
- Fast: our demo site for a fictional company scores 97–100 in Google Lighthouse on desktop.
- No WordPress plugins: pages are served as ready files, which leaves far fewer ways to break in.
- No third-party trackers by default, so your visitors’ privacy is built in.
- You own the code and every account: domain, hosting and analytics.
- If you ordered an audit from us, its full cost is deducted from a Start, Corporate or Platform website ordered within 60 days.
You provide the texts in Norwegian; we build the site in Norwegian, in English, or in both. We do not write or proofread Norwegian texts ourselves. Exact price after the brief; amounts in kroner are approximate.
All website packages and prices
What we do not do
- This is not legal advice.
- The report is in English. We do not check the language quality of Norwegian texts and do not write Norwegian content.
- We do not assess compliance with US law (ADA).
- We do not issue conformity certificates and do not install overlay widgets: they do not make a site compliant.
Questions and answers
Does the law apply to small businesses?
The duty applies to businesses whose online services are aimed at the general public. There is no automatic exemption by size: the law only allows an exception where the burden would be disproportionate, judged on factors such as the size and resources of the business. If you are unsure, ask Uutilsynet or a Norwegian lawyer.
Which WCAG version applies to us?
Private businesses must meet 35 of the 61 success criteria in WCAG 2.0 at levels A and AA. The public sector follows WCAG 2.1 with 48 criteria. Our report covers the 35 Norwegian criteria and adds an annex with the extra WCAG 2.1 criteria for EU sales.
Do we need an accessibility statement?
Under the current Norwegian rules, the accessibility statement is required for the public sector, not for private businesses. Many companies publish one anyway because it builds trust; we can write it from a recent audit (€290).
How long does an audit take, and what do you need from us?
2 to 6 working days, depending on the package. We need your website address and agreement on which key page types to test. If some pages are behind a login, you create a test account for us and can delete it afterwards.
Is the report in Norwegian?
No, the report is in English. We test how your Norwegian pages work, but we do not check the language quality of Norwegian texts.
Do you fix the problems?
The audit gives you a report and a remediation plan; your developer makes the changes. We can add a step-by-step remediation guide with code examples (€390) and a re-check after the fixes (€190). If the site is old, we can also build a new, accessible one.
Do you issue a certificate, or install an accessibility widget?
Neither. There is no official certificate for website accessibility in Norway, and overlay widgets do not fix the code, so they do not make a site meet the requirements.
How do we pay, and what about VAT?
We send an invoice in euros, and you pay by bank transfer. We do not charge VAT; ask your accountant how imported services are treated in Norway.
Check it yourself
Everything above comes from these sources. Most are in Norwegian. Please check them, or ask a Norwegian lawyer, before you decide.
- Uutilsynet, the Norwegian Authority for Universal Design of ICT (in Norwegian and English)
- Uutilsynet: rules and requirements — private and public organisations must comply (in Norwegian)
- Uutilsynet: the EU Accessibility Act and its status in Norway (in Norwegian)
- Storting decision amending the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act: § 18 duty, § 36 orders and daily fines (in Norwegian)
- Minister’s written answer to the Storting: 80,000+ organisations covered, why daily fines are rarely needed (in Norwegian)
- Example of a supervision report on a private company: SpareBank 1 SR-Bank (in Norwegian, PDF)
- W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
This page is general information, not legal advice. Facts checked on 4 October 2026.