Accessibility / BFSG 2025
BFSG 2025: is your website affected?
The Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz has applied since 28 June 2025. This guide helps you gauge whether your website is affected - and what to do next.
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01 Background
What the BFSG requires
The Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) has applied since 28 June 2025 and transposes the European Accessibility Act into German law. It requires many digital products and services to be accessible. The technical benchmark is WCAG 2.1 AA, via the European standard EN 301 549. This guide gives you an initial orientation and is not legal advice.
02 Who is affected
Which offerings the BFSG covers
The BFSG focuses on consumer-facing products and services in electronic commerce. Your website is typically affected if you offer one of the following:
Run an online shop? Read our dedicated guide on the BFSG for online shops.
Run a medical practice? Read our dedicated guide on the BFSG for medical practices.
Run a hotel or guesthouse? Read our dedicated guide on the BFSG for hotels.
Run a craft business? Read our dedicated guide on the BFSG for tradespeople.
03 Exemptions
When an exemption may apply
Microenterprises
For services, microenterprises are exempt: fewer than 10 employees and no more than 2 million euros in annual turnover or balance sheet total. Both criteria must be met.
Pure B2B offerings
Offerings aimed exclusively at businesses (B2B), with no consumer-facing services or products, are generally outside the scope of the BFSG.
These are rough pointers, not legal advice. Whether an exemption applies in your specific case should be assessed professionally.
04 Next steps
What you should do now
Check whether you are affected
Compare your offering and company size against the criteria above to gauge whether the BFSG applies to you.
Test your website
Run the free instant check to see where your website meets WCAG 2.1 AA and where it falls short.
Fix issues by priority
Work through the findings in order of impact, starting with the barriers that affect the most users.
Publish an accessibility statement
Provide an accessibility statement describing the state of accessibility and how users can report barriers.
Next step: read our guide on the accessibility statement and its mandatory content.
05 Frequently asked
Questions about being affected
Does the BFSG also apply to existing websites?
Yes. The BFSG makes no distinction between new and existing websites. Offerings that fall within scope have had to meet the requirements since 28 June 2025, regardless of when the site was built.
What happens in the event of non-compliance?
Compliance is monitored by the market surveillance authorities of the federal states. Breaches can lead to complaints, orders and fines, and may also trigger competition-law warnings. These are general risk notes, not legal advice.
How quickly can I check my site?
The free instant check runs in seconds without sign-up and shows where your website meets the requirements and where it does not. It offers automated guidance and does not replace a manual audit.
Keep reading
More guides
Every guide stands on its own, and together they cover what our scanner looks at. Pick the one closest to your next question.
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This guide provides orientation and does not replace legal advice.