Germany Accessibility Laws: What the BFSG, BITV 2.0, and BGG Require

For years, plenty of companies outside Germany read German accessibility law as a public-sector concern. The rules on the books mostly covered federal agencies, and private websites were encouraged, not required, to comply.

That changed in the summer of 2025. Germany’s version of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) took effect, and suddenly an online store shipping to customers in Munich was in scope.

Many businesses still haven’t caught up. Some assume German law only applies to German companies. Others are working from guidance written before 2025, when private websites were out of scope. Either way, the gap is real, and Germany’s market surveillance authorities now have the power to close it via fines and warning letters.

Before you can close that gap, you need to know which law you’re up against and what it requires.

What is the BFSG?

The Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz(opens in a new tab) (BFSG), or Accessibility Strengthening Act, is Germany’s implementation of the European Accessibility Act, and it has applied to covered products and consumer services since June 28, 2025. 

Germany passed the BFSG in July 2021 to transpose Directive (EU) 2019/882 into national law. Unlike Germany’s earlier accessibility laws, it places obligations directly on private businesses: manufacturers, importers, distributors, and service providers.

What the BFSG Covers

The BFSG applies to products and services sold to consumers, including:

• E-commerce services, including online stores and checkout flows

• Consumer banking services

• Telecommunications services

• Passenger transport services, such as ticketing and travel information

• E-books and e-reader software

• Consumer hardware like computers, smartphones, and self-service terminals

It doesn’t matter where your company is based. If you offer covered services to consumers in Germany, the BFSG applies.

Being in scope also comes with a transparency requirement. Covered service providers have to publish information explaining how their service meets the BFSG’s accessibility requirements, so customers can see where you stand.

Who is Exempt

Microenterprises that provide services are exempt. A microenterprise has fewer than 10 employees and no more than €2 million in annual turnover or balance sheet total. The exemption doesn’t apply to products.

The law also includes a transition period: service providers can keep using products already in use before June 28, 2025, and existing consumer contracts can continue unchanged until June 27, 2030. 

Penalties for Non-compliance

Market surveillance authorities can order businesses to fix non-compliant services, restrict them, and impose fines of up to €100,000 per violation. Businesses can also face warning letters (Abmahnungen) and association letters. 

What is the BITV 2.0?

The Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung(opens in a new tab) (BITV 2.0), or Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance, is a federal ordinance requiring German federal public bodies to make their websites, apps, and digital services accessible to people with disabilities. 

The modern BITV 2.0 framework was established in 2011, extensively updated in 2019 to align with EU mandates, and most recently amended in 2023. It applies to websites, mobile applications, electronically supported administrative processes, and graphical user interfaces. The act ensures that individuals with disabilities can easily access, understand, and operate digital content.

Covered public bodies must also publish an accessibility statement (Erklärung zur Barrierefreiheit). 

The BITV 2.0 applies to federal bodies only. Germany’s 16 states set their own rules for state and municipal public bodies. Private organizations aren’t covered by the BITV 2.0, but most that sell to consumers are now covered by the BFSG.

What is the BGG?

The Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz(opens in a new tab) (BGG), or Disability Equality Act, was enacted on April 27, 2002. The act ensures that individuals with physical, mental, hearing, speech, or other disabilities have equal access to government administration, federal buildings, and public services in both physical and digital spaces.

The BGG applies to federal public bodies and is the legal basis for the BITV 2.0, which sets the technical requirements.

A monitor displaying an accessibility icon, surrounded by internet-themed graphics and security symbols.

What Do German Accessibility Laws Require?

Both the BFSG and BITV 2.0 rely on EN 301 549, the harmonized European standard for digital accessibility, whose web requirements incorporate the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA.

Officially, the law sets the bar with four principles: digital services must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (POUR). It doesn't spell out how to meet them, though. That's why conforming to WCAG success criteria, which are organized under those same four principles, is the practical path to compliance.

Here are a few of the WCAG success criteria you’ll need to meet:

• Captions for videos: Prerecorded video with audio needs captions. This enables users with hearing impairments to interact with videos, as well as those with a situational disability (e.g., being in a quiet room without headphones).

• Accessible colors: Text and images of text should have a color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. Larger text should have a minimum contrast ratio of 3:1. This ensures people with low vision or color blindness can read text and distinguish between elements.

• Keyboard accessibility: Your website should be completely navigable by keyboard alone. Your site also shouldn’t have keyboard traps that prevent users from moving focus away from an interactive element.

• Compatible with assistive technologies: Many people rely on assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to navigate the web, so your site must be compatible with these tools.

• Alt text: Meaningful images should include alt text so users with visual impairments don’t miss important information on the page.

• Labels: Form fields and buttons should have descriptive labels, and headings should clearly describe the topic or purpose of their section.

These are just some of the success criteria included in WCAG. For a full list, see our WCAG compliance checklist.

How to Meet German Accessibility Requirements

Germany’s accessibility laws can look complicated at first, with three different laws covering different organizations. But for most businesses selling online, the takeaway is simple. If German consumers can buy from you, the BFSG applies, and WCAG is the benchmark to work towards.

Like most accessibility work, BFSG compliance happens in stages. Businesses start by finding their biggest gaps, then work through them as their site evolves.

AudioEye is built to support that kind of steady progress. Our automation finds and fixes common issues at scale, with detection that uncovers 2.5x more issues, while Expert Audits catch the ones that require human judgment. Real Time Monitoring then alerts you to new issues as your site changes. The result is a site every customer can use, and one that stays ready for whatever German regulators ask.

Curious how many issues are hiding on your site right now? Run it through our free Website Accessibility Checker to see where your site stands. 

When you’re ready to build a site everyone can use, regardless of location, talk to an expert to see how AudioEye finds, fixes, and keeps watch over your site.