The German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) has applied since 28 June 2025 and requires many businesses that sell or offer something online to consumers to provide an accessible website. It mainly affects online shops and certain digital services. Purely B2B offers and microenterprises providing services are exempt. The technical benchmark for web content is the European standard EN 301 549, which builds on WCAG 2.1 at level AA.
Who is affected by the BFSG?
The law transposes the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) into German law. It applies to providers of certain products and services aimed at consumers:
- Online retail: online shops and consumer transactions in e-commerce
- Consumer banking services and telecommunications services
- E-books and related reading software
- Passenger transport: online booking and information services
Not affected are purely B2B offers. Microenterprises (fewer than ten employees and turnover or balance sheet total of no more than 2 million euros) are exempt where they provide services. Public bodies fall under a separate regime, the BITV 2.0. If you are unsure whether your offer is covered, have it clarified legally.
What do WCAG 2.1 require?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the internationally recognised guidelines for accessible web content. They follow four principles:
| Principle | Meaning | Typical error |
|---|---|---|
| Perceivable | Content is available through different senses | Images without alternative text, videos without captions |
| Operable | All functions work without a mouse | Menu unreachable by keyboard, focus invisible |
| Understandable | Text and navigation are clear and predictable | Unclear error messages, missing language declaration |
| Robust | Content works with assistive technology | Faulty HTML, wrongly set ARIA roles |
Which errors occur most often?
These errors come up most often in audits:
- Insufficient colour contrast between text and background
- Missing or meaningless alternative text, such as "image1"
- Keyboard operation breaks, because menus or fields can only be reached with a mouse
- No visible focus, so it is unclear where you are on the page
- Forms without labels on the input fields
- Videos without captions or a transcript
- Missing language declaration (
langattribute) in the HTML - Pop-ups that cannot be closed with the Esc key
- Wrong ARIA roles that confuse screen readers
- Missing accessibility information, which the law requires from service providers
How do I check my website myself?
A short self-test shows where you stand:
- All images have meaningful alternative text
- Contrast between text and background is at least 4.5:1 (body text)
- The whole site can be operated by keyboard
- Focus is always visible and follows a logical order
- Form fields have clear labels
- Videos have captions or a transcript
- Headings are structured cleanly
- You have tested the site with a screen reader (for example NVDA)
If you are planning a fresh start anyway, building accessibility in from the beginning is the cheapest route. Our website relaunch checklist helps with that.
What should affected businesses do now?
If your offer falls under the law, work through it step by step:
- Inventory: which pages, forms, checkout steps and documents do customers use?
- Audit: a check against WCAG 2.1 AA shows concrete defects, ranked by severity.
- Fixes: first the journeys customers need to buy or book, then the rest.
- Information: the law requires service providers to publish a clear statement on the accessibility of their offer.
- Upkeep: new content and features must be accessible too, otherwise the defects return.
Conclusion: accessibility helps everyone
The BFSG is more than a compliance task. Clear structure, good contrast and logical navigation improve the experience for all visitors, including someone using a phone in bright sunlight or with a broken arm. If you are unsure whether your shop or booking page is affected, talk to us. We will review where you stand and show what to do. How we build websites is described on our digital platforms page.
This article is not legal advice. For binding statements about your case, consult a specialist law firm.
