Guides Create account 🇬🇧 🇩🇪
  • Guides
  • Create account
  • Sign in
  • 🇬🇧 🇩🇪

    • Accessibility / BFSG 2025

    BFSG for online shops: what shop owners need to know now

    Online shops are explicitly among the services covered by the BFSG. This guide shows the typical barriers in a shop, what the law means for you and how to check your shop in a few minutes.

     Run the free instant check

    01 Background

    Why the BFSG applies to your shop

    The Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) has applied since 28 June 2025. Online shops are expressly among the services in electronic commerce that fall within its scope. 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 Typical barriers

    Common barriers in a shop

    Many shops fail on the same recurring issues. These are the barriers our instant check finds most often:

    Product images without alt text, so screen readers cannot describe them. Checkout forms without labels or clear error messages. Insufficient contrast on CTAs and prices, making them hard to read. Cart and checkout not fully operable with the keyboard. Missing focus visibility, so keyboard users lose their place. Non-accessible date pickers and custom dropdowns.

    03 What this means for you

    What this means for you

    These are general risk notes, not legal advice. They help you gauge what non-compliance can entail.

    Enforcement and risk

    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 from competitors.

    Microenterprise exemption

    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. This is a rough pointer, not a legal assessment.

    Whether an exemption applies in your specific case should be assessed professionally.

    Not sure whether the BFSG applies to you? Read our guide on who is affected.

    04 Next steps

    Check your shop in three steps

    Run the free instant check

    Enter your shop address and see in seconds where your shop 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 customers and the checkout.

    Publish an accessibility statement

    Provide an accessibility statement describing the state of accessibility and how customers can report barriers.

         Start with the instant check

    Next step: read our guide on the accessibility statement and its mandatory content.

    Run a medical practice? Read our dedicated guide on the BFSG for medical practices.

    05 Frequently asked

    Questions about the BFSG for shops

    Does the BFSG apply to my shop?

    Online shops are expressly among the services in electronic commerce covered by the BFSG. Microenterprises may be exempt for services (fewer than 10 employees and no more than 2 million euros turnover or balance sheet total). Whether you are specifically affected should be assessed case by case.

    Is an accessibility overlay enough?

    No. Accessibility overlays do not solve the problem. They sit on top of your shop and cannot reliably fix underlying barriers such as missing labels, poor contrast or keyboard traps; in some cases they make things worse. Real accessibility has to be built into the shop itself.

    How quickly can I check my shop?

    The free instant check runs in seconds without sign-up and shows where your shop meets the requirements and where it does not. It offers automated guidance and does not replace a manual audit.

    Keep reading

    Every guide stands on its own, and together they cover what our scanner looks at. Pick the one closest to your next question.

    Is your website affected? BFSG check Accessibility statement BFSG for medical practices BFSG for hotels BFSG for tradespeople HTTP security headers Privacy signals Content Security Policy HSTS Cookie security Clickjacking and X-Frame-Options Referrer-Policy Permissions-Policy SPF, DMARC and DNSSEC security.txt Monitoring security headers Detecting CSP changes Security headers in nginx Security headers in Apache Security headers in WordPress Security headers in IIS Security headers in TYPO3 Security headers in Shopware 6 Security headers in Plesk All guides

    Check your shop now

    Run the free instant check and see in seconds where your shop stands on accessibility.

    Go to the instant check

    More about the BFSG instant check

    This guide provides orientation and does not replace legal advice.
    Recent scans Guides Local leagues Pricing Methodology For hosters API Data protection Imprint Accessibility Terms Cancel contracts here © 2026 Erseni