--- title: "BFSG" url: "https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/bfsg" language: "en" description: "What is the BFSG? A plain-language guide to who is covered by Germany’s accessibility law, what it requires and which exemptions apply. Learn where to start." published: "2026-10-14T15:20:09+02:00" updated: "2026-10-14T15:20:09+02:00" --- # BFSG The BFSG, Germany’s Accessibility Strengthening Act, has required many companies since 28 June 2025 to make certain products and digital services, such as online shops, accessible. - **Buchstabe:** B - **Englischer Begriff:** BFSG UX glossary · engl. BFSG # BFSG The BFSG, Germany’s Accessibility Strengthening Act, has required many companies since 28 June 2025 to make certain products and digital services, such as online shops, accessible. Imagine a bike shop with 15 employees that has sold accessories through its own online shop for years. In summer 2025, a customer emails to ask why she can’t complete checkout with her screen reader. Until then, that was a question of good customer service. Since the BFSG, it can also be a legal question. ## Explained simply BFSG is short for Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, which translates roughly as Germany’s Accessibility Strengthening Act. It requires companies in Germany to design certain products and services so that disabled people can use them without particular difficulty and, in principle, without help from others. Its requirements have applied since 28 June 2025. Think of it this way: new public buildings have long had rules for ramps and lifts. The BFSG brings that idea to parts of the digital world, such as online shops, banking apps and e-tickets. The law is Germany’s implementation of EU Directive 2019/882, better known as the European Accessibility Act (EAA). Other EU countries have their own national laws based on the same directive. Before the BFSG, digital [accessibility](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/accessibility) rules in Germany mainly applied to public bodies. Now many private companies are covered for the first time. ## Who the law applies to The BFSG distinguishes between products and services. Products include computers, smartphones, ATMs, ticket machines and e-book readers, among others. Services include telecommunications, consumer banking, e-books, parts of passenger transport and e-commerce. Put simply, e-commerce covers websites and apps through which consumers can enter into a contract, such as typical online shops and booking platforms. There is an exemption for microenterprises, but only for services. A microenterprise has fewer than ten employees and either an annual turnover or an annual balance sheet total of no more than 2 million euros. Companies that manufacture, import or sell products covered by the law can’t rely on this exemption. Whether a specific offering falls under the law, for example a B2B shop or a purely informational website, isn’t always clear cut. It’s worth getting legal advice here. This entry is a professional overview, not legal advice. ## What it requires technically Websites and apps must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Those are the four principles of [WCAG](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/wcag). In practice, the WCAG success criteria at Levels A and AA, referenced through the European standard EN 301 549, are the main benchmark. They include full [keyboard accessibility](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/keyboard-accessibility) and sufficient contrast, for example. Providers also have to publish an accessibility statement explaining how their service meets the requirements. Enforcement lies with the joint market surveillance authority of the German federal states (MLBF), based in Magdeburg. Violations can lead to fines of up to 100,000 euros. For the full picture, read [The BFSG in Practice: What Germany’s Accessibility Act Means for Websites and Apps](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/blog/bfsg-in-practice-german-accessibility-act-websites-apps). ## An example Here’s an example: an online shop for home accessories with 20 employees has order buttons that only respond to mouse clicks and form fields without labels. There is no accessibility statement. After the redesign, the whole checkout works with a keyboard and screen reader, error messages explain what’s missing, and the footer links to a plain statement listing known limitations and a contact option. That helps disabled people, and also anyone ordering one-handed on the go. ## In practice - **Document whether you’re covered.** Is your offering aimed at consumers, are contracts concluded online, and how big is the company? Write down the result, even if it’s “not covered.” - **Check the key flows first.** Login, search, cart and payment matter more than the home page. The [WCAG 2.2 Quick Reference](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/ressourcen/wcag-22-quick-reference) helps you test systematically. - **Don’t rely on overlays.** Accessibility toolbars injected by a script don’t fix errors in the code. Missing labels and keyboard traps remain. ## Related terms [Accessibility](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/accessibility), [WCAG](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/wcag), [Screen Reader](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/screen-reader), [Keyboard Accessibility](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/keyboard-accessibility) ## Sources - [Federal Ministry of Justice: Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG). Gesetze im Internet, 2021 (in German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bfsg/) - [Bundesfachstelle Barrierefreiheit: Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz. Federal Accessibility Agency (in German)](https://www.bundesfachstelle-barrierefreiheit.de/DE/Barrierefreiheitsstaerkungsgesetz/barrierefreiheitsstaerkungsgesetz_node.html) - [European Parliament and Council: Directive (EU) 2019/882 on the accessibility requirements for products and services. EUR-Lex, 2019](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/882/oj) - [IHK Berlin: Informationsseite zum Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz. IHK Berlin (in German)](https://www.ihk.de/berlin/service-und-beratung/recht-und-steuern/informationsseite-bfsg-6451846) ## More terms [ ### A/B Testing An A/B test is an experiment that shows two versions of a page or element at the same time to randomly split groups of visitors. It lets you decide with real data which version works better. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/a-b-testing) [ ### ARIA ARIA is a W3C standard that adds roles, states and properties to HTML. It tells screen readers what an element is and how it currently behaves. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/aria) [ ### Accessibility Accessibility means designing websites, apps and digital documents so that everyone can use them, including people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive disabilities. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/accessibility) [ ### Affordance An affordance describes what action an object makes possible and whether people can recognize it: a button invites you to press it, a handle invites you to pull. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/affordance) [ ### Alt Text Alt text is a short text version of an image, stored in the HTML alt attribute. Screen readers read it aloud so people who can’t see the image get the same information. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/alt-text) [ ### Atomic Design Atomic Design is a method for building user interfaces from small, reusable building blocks, from single elements like buttons all the way up to complete pages. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/atomic-design) [ ### Card Sorting Card sorting is a research method in which people sort terms written on cards into groups. It shows you how they mentally organize content, so you can plan navigation that makes sense to them. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/card-sorting) [ ### Cognitive Load Cognitive load is the mental effort it takes to understand and use an interface. The less unnecessary thinking a design demands, the easier the actual task becomes. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/cognitive-load) [ ### Color Vision Deficiency A color vision deficiency means someone has a harder time telling certain colors apart than most people. The most common type is red-green deficiency. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/color-vision-deficiency) [ ### Contextual Inquiry Contextual inquiry is a research method where you observe and interview people in their real work environment. It shows you how they actually get tasks done, not just how they describe it. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/contextual-inquiry) [ ### Contrast Ratio The contrast ratio describes how much two colors differ in brightness, such as text and background. WCAG requires at least 4.5:1 for normal text. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/contrast-ratio) [ ### Conversion A conversion is a desired action on a website or in an app, such as a purchase or a signup. The conversion rate shows what share of visits leads to one. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/conversion)