Everything You Need to Know About the Barrierefreiheits­stärkungs­gesetz (BFSG)

The BFSG (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, German Accessibility Strengthening Act) is Germany’s national implementation of the European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882. Published in July 2021 and fully applicable since 28 June 2025, it obliges private companies in Germany for the first time to make certain products and services accessible. The concrete requirements are set out in the BFSGV ordinance, which implements Annex I of the EU directive.

Manufacturers, importers and distributors of covered products, and providers of covered services. The services include electronic commerce, banking services, telecommunications, e-books, messenger services, passenger transport services and the self-service terminals that belong to them, such as payment terminals, ATMs, ticket machines and check-in terminals. Micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and a turnover of at most €2 million are exempt when they provide services; if they place products on the market, the BFSG applies to them.

It applies where your website is part of a covered service: an online shop, a checkout, a customer account, a booking or payment flow, or the website through which a covered service is offered. A purely informational website of a company outside the listed services is not automatically covered by the BFSG, while public bodies remain bound by BITV 2.0 and the BGG. Because the same WCAG criteria apply in both cases, checking your site against them is the practical starting point either way.

The BFSGV ordinance defines the accessibility requirements, and EN 301 549 is the technical standard used to meet them. For web content, EN 301 549 is based on WCAG, so WCAG Level AA — currently WCAG 2.1 AA, with WCAG 2.2 AA as the newer reference — is the benchmark for text alternatives, contrast, keyboard operation, captions, forms and error handling.

From 28 June 2025 for products placed on the market and services provided from that date. Products that were lawfully on the market before then may continue to be sold until the end of their useful life, at most five years, so until 28 June 2030. Service contracts concluded before 28 June 2025 may run for up to five years from conclusion, but no longer than until 28 June 2030. A website or online shop built today has no transition period.

Work through the WCAG Level AA criteria that EN 301 549 covers: run an automated scan for contrast, missing alt text, heading structure, form labels and language settings, then test the interactive parts by hand — keyboard-only operation, forms, error messages and media. Document what you find and what you fix. allyWay runs AI scans across your pages, applies supported fixes automatically, gives step-by-step instructions for the issues that need a person, and keeps monitoring after every change.

The market surveillance authorities of the federal states supervise the BFSG, with the Federal Network Agency responsible for telecommunications. They take complaints, can require a company to remove barriers and can treat violations as an administrative offence carrying a fine. Beyond enforcement, barriers in a checkout cost you orders: visitors who cannot complete a purchase leave.

allyWay is built for this workflow: setup in about two minutes on supported platforms, AI scans of your pages, supported automatic fixes, generated alt texts, a widget with bigger text, text-to-speech, contrast and cursor options in 40+ languages, and continuous monitoring as your site changes. You can try it free for seven days. allyWay supports the work of reducing barriers — it does not replace the audit of your content and user journeys, and it does not establish legal compliance.