Peradeo Blog · Europe · Published 2026-08-28 · 7 min read
Germany's BFSG: The Accessibility Law That Now Applies to Businesses Selling to German Consumers
By Vatsal Shah — Founder & CEO, IAAP WAS-Certified Accessibility Professional
Germany implemented the European Accessibility Act through the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) — the Accessibility Strengthening Act — which has applied since June 28, 2025. For the first time, private-sector websites and apps serving German consumers in covered sectors must be accessible by law, in Europe's largest e-commerce market.
Two layers of German law
- Public sector: federal bodies fall under the BGG and BITV 2.0, which requires conformance with EN 301 549 (incorporating WCAG 2.1 AA) plus German additions such as accessibility statements, sign language (DGS) content, and plain language (Leichte Sprache) information; the Länder have parallel rules;
- Private sector (BFSG, since June 28, 2025): consumer-facing services and products including e-commerce (the broadest category — any online store selling to German consumers), consumer banking, passenger transport booking and ticketing, telecommunications, e-books and readers, and self-service terminals.
Who must comply — and who is exempt
The BFSG applies to any business, wherever headquartered, that offers covered services to consumers in Germany — a Canadian or U.S. e-commerce brand shipping to German customers, offering German-language checkout, or pricing in euros is in scope. Microenterprises providing services (fewer than 10 employees and at most €2 million annual turnover) are exempt on the services side; product manufacturers do not get the same carve-out. Some pre-existing contracts and terminals benefit from transition periods running as late as 2030.
The technical standard
Conformity is presumed when services meet EN 301 549, the harmonized European standard, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content. In practice a BFSG-compliant online shop needs an accessible end-to-end purchase journey — product discovery, cart, checkout, payment, account, invoices — plus an accessibility statement describing how the requirements are met, and accessible customer communications.
Enforcement and penalties
Germany's market surveillance authorities (Marktüberwachungsbehörden, coordinated across the Länder) can investigate on complaint or on their own initiative, order corrective measures, prohibit the offering of a non-conforming service, and impose fines of up to €100,000. Disability and consumer associations can also pursue representative actions — an active enforcement channel in Germany. Since consumer complaints are free to file, visibility is high for consumer brands.
Practical steps
- Confirm scope: covered service, German consumers, microenterprise exemption or not;
- Audit against EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA with manual assistive technology testing — include the German-language experience, since screen reader behaviour is language-sensitive;
- Publish your accessibility statement (Barrierefreiheitserklärung) and a feedback channel;
- Prioritize checkout, payment, and authentication — CAPTCHA and 2FA flows are frequent failure points;
- Keep conformance documentation ready for market surveillance requests.
Comparing EU markets? See our guides to France's RGAA, Italy's Stanca Act, and the Netherlands.
How Peradeo can help
Peradeo is a web accessibility company based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Our IAAP-certified specialists audit websites and web applications against WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 AA using real assistive technologies (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), remediate the issues hands-on as developers, and prepare the compliance documentation — including VPAT® / Accessibility Conformance Reports and accessibility statements — that regulators and procurement teams ask for.
- Learn more about our web accessibility audit & remediation services
- Request a free accessibility check of your website
This article is provided for general information only and is not legal advice. Requirements change over time — consult a qualified lawyer for advice about your specific obligations.