Country guide — Germany

Is your website BFSG-compliant?

In short: The BFSG, Germany's transposition of the European Accessibility Act, has applied since 28 June 2025 to most consumer-facing digital products and services sold in Germany, wherever the company is based. Websites are measured against EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA, fines reach €100,000, and micro-enterprises (under 10 staff, under €2 million turnover) are exempt.

Germany transposed the EU's European Accessibility Act into national law as the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG). It has applied since 28 June 2025 to most digital products and services sold to consumers in Germany, regardless of where the company is based.

The law

The BFSG (Gesetz zur Stärkung der Barrierefreiheit) requires covered businesses to make websites, e-commerce shops, and certain apps perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for people with disabilities. It sets the technical bar at EN 301 549, which for web content maps to WCAG 2.1 level AA and BITV 2.0.

Penalties

Non-compliance can trigger fines (Bußgelder) of up to €100,000, imposed by the Marktüberwachungsbehörden (market surveillance authorities) of the German states. Authorities can also issue Abmahnungen (formal warnings) and Untersagungen (orders to stop offering the non-compliant service) before or alongside a fine.

Who's exempt

Micro-enterprises — fewer than 10 employees and under €2 million annual turnover or balance sheet total — are exempt from the BFSG's product and service obligations. Everyone else offering consumer-facing digital products or services in Germany is expected to comply, EU-based or not.

Who's in scope

E-commerce, banking and payment services, telecoms, transport-ticketing, e-books, and most consumer-facing web and mobile apps sold into the German market. If you're not sure whether your business qualifies as a micro-enterprise or whether your product category is covered, treat a WCAG 2.1 AA audit as the safe default.

What you need to do

In practice: run a WCAG 2.1 AA audit of your site (automated scan first, manual audit for what code can't catch — contrast, keyboard, screen readers), fix the barriers found, and be ready to respond if a Marktüberwachungsbehörde or a customer raises a complaint. Many businesses also publish a voluntary accessibility statement describing their conformance status.

How to check where you stand

A free automated scan takes about 20 seconds and flags the most common WCAG issues at the code level — missing alt text, unlabeled form fields, missing document structure, and more. It won't replace a manual audit (contrast and keyboard interaction need real testing), but it's a fast, honest first read on your exposure.

Scan your site free →

This page is general information, not legal advice. Whether the BFSG applies to your specific business, and what exactly it requires, depends on your situation — consult a lawyer for a binding assessment.

FAQ
When did the BFSG take effect?
28 June 2025, for most new products and services. Some existing services have longer transition periods under the law.
Does the BFSG apply if my company isn't based in Germany?
Yes — what matters is whether you offer products or services to consumers in Germany, not where your company is headquartered.
Is a WCAG overlay widget enough to comply?
No. The BFSG expects the underlying product to be accessible; an overlay that sits on top of inaccessible code doesn't fix the code and doesn't reliably satisfy EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA.
Who enforces the BFSG?
The Marktüberwachungsbehörden — market surveillance authorities run at the German state (Länder) level — monitor compliance and can investigate complaints.

Italy (Legge Stanca) guide · EU (EAA) guide · Scan vs. audit · Overlay vs. code fix · Methodology