Legal Questions About the BFSG
The Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) raises fundamental questions for many companies: who is affected? What exactly is required? What penalties apply? The following questions address the legal framework and help you assess your situation. Detailed information is available on our BFSG requirements page.
- What is the Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG)? The BFSG implements EU Directive 2019/882 (European Accessibility Act) into German law. Since June 28, 2025, it requires businesses to make their digital products and services accessible. Affected are online shops, banking services, telecommunications and e-books among others. Technical requirements are based on the harmonized standard EN 301 549, which references WCAG 2.1 AA for web content.
- Is my company affected by the BFSG? If you sell products or services online to consumers (B2C) and your company has more than ten employees or annual turnover above two million euros, you are very likely affected. Pure B2B offerings do not fall under the BFSG. Micro-enterprises are partially exempt, though the exemption does not apply across the board to all electronic commerce services.
- What penalties apply for BFSG violations? Market surveillance authorities can impose fines of up to 100,000 euros (BFSG Section 37). Additionally, consumer protection and disability associations can file injunction lawsuits. In severe cases, distribution of non-conformant digital products can be prohibited.
- Are there transition periods for existing websites? Services begun before June 28, 2025 may continue in their current form until June 28, 2030. New service contracts after the deadline must be immediately conformant. Every substantial change or new publication of a website after June 28, 2025 must meet accessibility requirements.
- Does my newsletter need to be accessible? A marketing newsletter does not directly fall under the BFSG. However, emails containing transaction information (order confirmations, invoices, contract documents) can be considered part of the digital service and should therefore be accessibly designed.
- Do I need formal certification? The BFSG does not prescribe formal certification. However, you must publish an accessibility statement on your website and be able to document conformance. A professional WCAG audit is the best foundation for this evidence.