Kept Record

Germany wrote the European Accessibility Act into its own law as the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, with the detailed requirements in a separate regulation.

The Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, or BFSG, is Germany's law carrying Directive (EU) 2019/882 into national law. It applies to listed products and consumer services from 28 June 2025, including services in electronic commerce. The technical detail sits in a regulation, the BFSGV, and enforcement lies with the market surveillance authorities of the Länder.

What it is

The BFSG follows the directive's structure closely. Where it differs, the German text governs in Germany. The quotations below are in the original German; the sentences around them are ours.

The BFSG is the German act implementing Directive (EU) 2019/882, the European Accessibility Act.

Gesetz zur Umsetzung der Richtlinie (EU) 2019/882 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates BFSG, full title, 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

It is dated 16 July 2021 and was last amended on 6 May 2024.

zuletzt durch Artikel 32 des Gesetzes vom 6. Mai 2024 BFSG, citation line, 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

The detailed requirements are in a regulation, the BFSGV, which came into force on 28 June 2025.

Diese Verordnung tritt am 28. Juni 2025 in Kraft. BFSGV § 22, 15 June 2022, as amended 10 July 2026.

The BFSGV was amended by a regulation of 10 July 2026.

durch Artikel 1 der Verordnung vom 10. Juli 2026 BFSGV, citation line, 15 June 2022, as amended 10 July 2026.

Who and what it applies to

The act lists the products and services it covers. For websites, the entry that matters most is electronic commerce.

It applies to listed services provided to consumers after 28 June 2025.

folgende Dienstleistungen, die für Verbraucher nach dem 28. Juni 2025 erbracht werden BFSG § 1(3), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Services in electronic commerce are among the services listed.

Dienstleistungen im elektronischen Geschäftsverkehr BFSG § 1(3) Nr. 5, 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Some website and app content is outside the act, including third-party content the business neither pays for, develops nor controls.

Inhalte von Dritten, die von dem betreffenden Wirtschaftsakteur weder finanziert noch entwickelt werden BFSG § 1(4) Nr. 4, 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Microenterprises that offer or provide services are exempt from the accessibility duty.

Absatz 1 gilt nicht für Kleinstunternehmen, die Dienstleistungen anbieten oder erbringen. BFSG § 3(3), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

What it asks for

The act states the principle and leaves the detail to the regulation.

Covered products and services must be accessible, meaning findable, reachable and usable by disabled people in the usual way, without particular difficulty and in principle without outside help.

ohne besondere Erschwernis und grundsätzlich ohne fremde Hilfe auffindbar, zugänglich und nutzbar BFSG § 3(1), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

For websites and mobile services, the regulation asks that they be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.

auf konsistente und angemessene Weise wahrnehmbar, bedienbar, verständlich und robust gestaltet werden BFSGV § 12 Nr. 3, 15 June 2022, as amended 10 July 2026.

For electronic commerce it adds that identification, authentication, security and payment functions be accessible in the same way.

Identifizierungs-, Authentifizierungs-, Sicherheits- und Zahlungsfunktionen BFSGV § 19 Nr. 2, 15 June 2022, as amended 10 July 2026.

The regulation's text does not name WCAG or EN 301 549. It says the state of the art is to be observed, and that the Federal Accessibility Agency publishes the relevant standards.

Bei der Erfüllung der Anforderungen nach dieser Rechtsverordnung ist der Stand der Technik zu beachten. BFSGV § 3, 15 June 2022, as amended 10 July 2026.

A service provider may offer a service only if it meets the requirements and the provider has published information on how it does so.

Der Dienstleistungserbringer darf seine Dienstleistung nur anbieten oder erbringen, wenn BFSG § 14(1), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

That information goes in the general terms and conditions or somewhere equally visible, and must name the competent market surveillance authority.

die Angabe der zuständigen Marktüberwachungsbehörde BFSG Anlage 3 Nr. 1, 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

The two defences

As in the directive, a business may rely on fundamental alteration or disproportionate burden. Both come with paperwork.

The requirements apply only so far as they do not require a fundamental change to the nature of the product or service.

die zu einer grundlegenden Veränderung der Wesensmerkmale des Produkts oder der Dienstleistung führt BFSG § 16(1), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

They also apply only so far as they would not impose a disproportionate burden, which the business assesses itself.

nicht zu einer unverhältnismäßigen Belastung nach Anlage 4 des betreffenden Wirtschaftsakteurs führen würde BFSG § 17(1), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

The assessment must be documented and kept for five years.

bewahrt sie für einen Zeitraum von fünf Jahren BFSG § 17(2), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

A business that receives outside funding to improve accessibility cannot rely on disproportionate burden.

ist er nicht dazu berechtigt, sich auf Absatz 1 Satz 1 zu berufen BFSG § 17(4), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Who enforces it

Enforcement is administrative and runs through the Länder. Consumers and associations can set it in motion.

The Länder are responsible for the market surveillance authorities.

Die Länder stellen sicher, dass ihre Marktüberwachungsbehörden ihre Aufgaben ordnungsgemäß wahrnehmen können. BFSG § 20(1), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

The authority checks services on reasonable suspicion and also by sampling without a specific reason.

überprüft eine Dienstleistung auch ohne konkreten Anlass anhand angemessener Stichproben BFSG § 28(2), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

If a service falls short and is not corrected within the deadlines set, the authority can order it to stop being offered.

das Angebot oder die Erbringung der Dienstleistung einzustellen BFSG § 29(3), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

A consumer who cannot use a product or service because of a breach can ask the authority to open proceedings.

Auf Antrag eines Verbrauchers hat die Marktüberwachungsbehörde ein Verfahren BFSG § 32(1), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Recognised disability associations and qualified consumer bodies can also apply, and can bring legal challenges on a consumer's behalf.

in seinem Namen oder an seiner Stelle Rechtsbehelfe nach Maßgabe der Verwaltungsgerichtsordnung BFSG § 33(1), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Offering a service that does not meet the requirements is an administrative offence, with fines of up to one hundred thousand euros.

mit einer Geldbuße bis zu hunderttausend Euro BFSG § 37(2), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Transition

The act gives service providers time for equipment they already used and for contracts they had already signed.

Service providers may keep using products they lawfully used before 28 June 2025 until 27 June 2030.

bis zum 27. Juni 2030 ihre Dienstleistungen weiterhin unter Einsatz von Produkten erbringen BFSG § 38(1), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Service contracts concluded before 28 June 2025 may continue unchanged until they expire, but not beyond 27 June 2030.

allerdings nicht länger als bis zum 27. Juni 2030 unverändert fortbestehen BFSG § 38(1), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Self-service terminals already in use may stay in service until the end of their economic life, but not more than fifteen years after first use.

aber nicht länger als fünfzehn Jahre nach ihrer Ingebrauchnahme BFSG § 38(2), 16 July 2021, as amended 6 May 2024.

Sources

Every source on this page was fetched and its quotation confirmed on 27 September 2026, today. That date is written by the script that checked, not by a person.

A directive binds member states, who write it into national law. The national act can name a different authority, set a different penalty, or add duties. The sources here are the directive and three national acts; yours may differ.

Nothing on this page is about a product. The record a business keeps of its own site is its own affair, and no tool makes a site meet a law.

This page describes the law as it is written in the sources cited. It is not legal advice, it does not cover every case, and national law can add to what a directive requires. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer.

This page describes what the system does, written by the people who built it. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer.