Video accessibility — Spain: the EAA and Ley 11/2023
In Spain the European Accessibility Act applies through Ley 11/2023, de 8 de mayo, from 28 June 2025. Here is who enforces it, what it means for video, and how to produce captions and transcripts.
Drop a file hereor click to choose one — it opens in the studio with this tool ready. Small files need no account.Choose a fileHow it works
- 1Upload the video or audio — MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, MP3, WAV and more.
- 2Get SRT or VTT captions and a text transcript, with timings cut to subtitle conventions.
- 3Review the text, fix names and terms, then publish the caption file with your player.
What you get
The national law
Ley 11/2023, de 8 de mayo.
Who enforces it
Authorities designated by each autonomous community, with a national technical unit (arts. 27–28).. “AVMS” marks the body for services that give access to audiovisual media.
Penalties
Set by sector law; the general disability law it falls back to allows fines from €301 up to €1,000,000.
Exemptions
Microenterprises providing services (fewer than 10 employees, no more than €2 million turnover or balance sheet), third-party content you do not control, and prerecorded video published before 28 June 2025.
Same thing over the API
One header, one multipart request with the file, then poll the job or take a webhook. The same operation you just tried in the browser.
Questions
In Spain, must every video be captioned?
Not in those words. The directive names subtitles directly only for services that give access to audiovisual media. For other in-scope sites — online shops, banking, e-books — the requirement that content be perceivable is read through EN 301 549 and WCAG, which ask for captions on prerecorded video with sound. Video published before 28 June 2025 is exempt.
Which standard should captions meet?
EN 301 549: WCAG 1.2.2 (captions for prerecorded video) and 1.2.5 (audio description). Subtitles have to stay in sync with the sound, and viewers must be able to switch them on.
Does it apply to a small business?
Microenterprises that provide services — fewer than 10 employees and no more than €2 million turnover or balance sheet — are exempt. The exemption does not cover products.
How do I produce captions quickly?
Upload the video, get SRT or VTT captions and a transcript, review the text, and publish the caption file with your player. Over the API it runs for a whole library.
A summary of public sources, checked on 2026-10-07. Not legal advice — for a decision about your business, ask a lawyer.
Sources: eur-lex.europa.eu · boe.es · boe.es