Accessibility Sentinel
RGAA 5: where the future French accessibility standard stands
Version 5 of France's Référentiel Général d'Amélioration de l'Accessibilité (RGAA) is being drafted by DINUM, with publication announced for the end of 2026. Here is what is officially confirmed so far, and what remains to be clarified — last updated 30 July 2026.
The official status
Official sources: accessibilite.numerique.gouv.fr and DINUM's announcement of 2 March 2026. No draft text detailing the new criteria one by one has been published to date.
What is expected to change with RGAA 5
Based on DINUM's official announcements, four main changes are expected:
- WCAG 2.2 integration. The W3C published WCAG 2.2 in October 2023; RGAA 5 is expected to translate its success criteria into French unit tests, the way RGAA 4.1.2 did for WCAG 2.1.
- Native mobile apps and office documents. New criteria and test procedures are announced for these two areas, in line with the European standard EN 301 549.
- Reformulation and simplification of existing criteria. A wording clarification effort, though its exact scope isn't publicly documented yet.
- Arcom designated as the oversight authority, alongside a dedicated digital service for submitting and publishing accessibility statements.
What we haven't found in any official source at this stage: the exact number of new RGAA criteria, the detailed content of the mobile and office-document tests, or a timeline more precise than "end of 2026." Figures put forward by some third-party articles on these points aren't repeated here until confirmed by DINUM.
WCAG 2.2: criteria already inside our audit scope
Our approach already independently evaluates WCAG 2.1/2.2 A/AA and RGAA 4.1.2 — see our methodology. In practice, two criteria added by WCAG 2.2 are already part of what we check today, ahead of RGAA 5: the minimum size of clickable targets (24×24 px) and the visibility of keyboard focus when it's obscured by a sticky or fixed-position element. A site already audited on these points today won't have to start from scratch once RGAA 5 makes them mandatory in France.
What to do right now
DINUM is explicit on this point: the RGAA 5 announcement "does not call into question the relevance of ongoing or upcoming accessibility work" based on RGAA 4.1.2 — it must not be suspended or postponed while waiting for a standard that isn't published yet. An RGAA 4.1.2 / WCAG 2.1-2.2 audit carried out today remains the applicable reference, and already covers a large share of the groundwork RGAA 5 is expected to consolidate rather than reinvent.
To go further on our own testing approach: methodology, capability catalog, or our FAQ on how the EAA, WCAG and RGAA fit together.
Frequently asked questions about RGAA 5
When will RGAA version 5 be published?
As of 30 July 2026, DINUM states that RGAA 5 is still being drafted, with publication expected by the end of 2026. No precise date has been officially announced.
Is RGAA 4.1.2 still valid while waiting for RGAA 5?
Yes. RGAA 4.1.2 remains the officially applicable version. DINUM explicitly states that ongoing or planned accessibility work based on it remains relevant and must not be suspended or postponed while waiting for RGAA 5.
Does RGAA 5 replace WCAG?
No. RGAA 5 integrates the success criteria from WCAG 2.2 (published by the W3C in October 2023), but remains a distinct French standard, broken down into its own unit tests. WCAG and RGAA continue to coexist as two related but independently tested frameworks — see our methodology.
Who will control compliance with RGAA 5?
Arcom (France's audiovisual and digital communication regulator) is announced as the designated oversight authority for RGAA 5, alongside a future digital service dedicated to submitting and publishing accessibility statements.
What happens to accessibility statements already published?
Under the announced transitional rules, accessibility statements published before RGAA 5's release remain valid for 18 months after that publication, capped at 3 years total from their original publication date.
Will RGAA 5 cover mobile apps and office documents?
This is one of the announced changes: new criteria and test procedures are planned specifically for native mobile applications and office documents (PDF, Word, LibreOffice), in line with the European standard EN 301 549.