Accessibility for your company website

With the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG), Germany is implementing the European Accessibility Act. Since June 28, 2025, binding accessibility requirements have also applied to private companies for the first time. You can find out how the law relates to other regulations in our blog article.

But what does accessibility mean? Which products and services are affected by the law? Is accessibility mandatory for all websites? Who does the law apply to and which companies are excluded? In this blog post, we answer your questions about the BFSG in relation to your company website.

According to the BFSG, products and services are accessible if people with disabilities can find, access and use them in the usual way, without particular difficulty and, as a rule, without outside help.

For accessible websites, all content must be recognizable, easy to understand, easy to use and robust for every user. We show how these four principles can be implemented in our blog post on the basics of digital accessibility.

You can use the diagram to check whether you are obliged to meet the accessibility requirements of the BFSG.

You should also check whether you are generally excluded from fulfilling the accessibility requirements. This is the case for micro-enterprises that provide services and employ fewer than 10 people and generate a maximum annual turnover of €2 million or a maximum annual balance sheet total of €2 million. 

If this is not the case, there are two exceptions where you do not have to meet accessibility requirements – but only to the extent that the exception actually applies.

If you rely on one of the two exceptions, you must document your assessment, keep it for five years and inform the competent market surveillance authority without delay. Simplified rules apply to micro-enterprises.

The accessibility requirements do not apply to the extent that meeting them would require a significant change that fundamentally alters the basic nature of the product or service. In short: accessibility does not have to turn your offering into something fundamentally different.

The requirements also do not apply to the extent that they would impose a disproportionate burden on you. Whether this is the case is assessed using fixed criteria from the law – above all the costs of accessibility in relation to your total costs and your turnover, and the benefit for people with disabilities.

This exception is not a blank cheque: as a service provider, you must repeat the assessment at least every five years and whenever your service changes. If you receive outside funds to improve accessibility, such as grants, you cannot rely on this exception. If you believe it applies to you, it is best to seek legal advice.

Transition periods until June 27, 2030 apply in some cases: service providers may continue to use products they already used before June 28, 2025, and older contracts may continue unchanged until they expire – but no later than that date. Longer periods apply to self-service terminals.

In addition, some older content does not have to be made accessible retroactively, such as videos and office documents published before June 28, 2025, or archived content that has not been edited since.

Compliance is monitored by the market surveillance authorities of the German federal states – including random checks without a specific reason. Violations can be punished with fines of up to EUR 100,000.

The Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV 2.0) requires federal public bodies in Germany to make their websites, mobile applications, and digital administrative processes accessible. State authorities and municipalities are governed by the laws and regulations of the respective federal state. BITV 2.0 is based on EU Directive 2016/2102. The technical benchmark is the standard EN 301 549 and thus currently WCAG 2.1, Level AA; the new version of the standard published in September 2026 is based on WCAG 2.2. This includes accessible presentation of texts, images, videos, and forms, as well as user-friendly navigation. Additionally, public bodies must publish an accessibility statement and provide a feedback mechanism for users.

It is also worth investing in the implementation of accessibility for products and services that are not covered by the BFSG. Companies that offer accessible services reach larger sales markets and secure competitive advantages. They are also well positioned for the future, as they will be competing with companies that are committed to accessibility and will be on the market with innovative accessible products and services. 

When it comes to web accessibility, it is also worth investing in an accessible website in advance. With our checklist, we show you step by step how you can make your website accessible in order to benefit from these advantages.