BFSG · DeutschlandGermany's accessibility law
BFSG: Germany's accessibility law, explained
The Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) is Germany's transposition of the European Accessibility Act — and Germany is enforcing it with characteristic thoroughness. If you or your clients sell to German consumers, this is the law that applies.
01
Who it covers
Companies offering products or services to consumers in Germany — including e-commerce of any origin. The microenterprise exemption for services (under 10 employees, €2M turnover) mirrors the EAA. German B2C e-commerce is squarely in scope.
02
Fines and Abmahnungen
The BFSG allows fines up to €100,000. But in Germany the faster risk is the Abmahnung: formal cease-and-desist letters from competitors or associations, which arrived within weeks of the law taking effect. Each one carries legal costs and a deadline — and they scale.
03
The technical benchmark
Like the EAA, the BFSG points to EN 301 549 and therefore to WCAG level AA. An automated WCAG 2.2 scan finds the most common violations — contrast, alt text, form labels, empty links — which are exactly what an Abmahnung cites first.
04
What agencies should do
Audit every German-market client site now, fix the machine-detectable failures, document the effort (it matters legally), and put monitoring in place so regressions get caught before a competitor's lawyer catches them.
FAQ
Does the BFSG apply to non-German companies?
Yes — it applies to products and services offered to consumers in Germany, regardless of where the company is based.
What is an Abmahnung?
A formal warning letter, typically from a competitor or association, demanding you stop a legal violation and pay the legal costs. It is fast, cheap to send and common — the German enforcement mechanism to fear first.
Is there a transition period?
Services already under contract before 28 June 2025 have transition arrangements until 2030 at the latest. New offerings must comply now.
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