BFSG since June 2025: What your website must now do

Since June 28, 2025, the Barrier-Free Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) has been in force in Germany. It implements the European Accessibility Act (EAA). Sounds bureaucratic, but is very concrete: certain websites must be accessible. Whoever ignores it risks cease-and-desist letters, fines and, in the worst case, an official sales ban.

The bad news: many entrepreneurs still don't know they're affected. The good news: most requirements are technically solvable, and much of it makes sense anyway, because accessibility simultaneously improves SEO and conversion.

What does the BFSG actually regulate?

The BFSG requires providers of certain products and services to make their digital offerings accessible. For websites this concretely means: people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive impairments must be able to fully use the site. With keyboard, with screen reader, with magnification, with voice control.

The technical basis is WCAG 2.1 at conformance level AA. That's an international standard with concrete test criteria for contrast, keyboard operability, alt texts, structure and more.

Who is concretely affected?

The BFSG does not target every website. There are clear criteria.

Especially affected are:

• Online shops that sell to consumers
• Booking systems (hotels, appointments, tickets, travel)
• Online banking and financial services
• Passenger transport (train, bus, flight, car-sharing) with online booking
• Telecommunication services and their ordering processes
• E-books and corresponding reader software

Not affected are:

• Pure business-card websites without transactions (a contact form alone is not enough to trigger the obligation)
• Micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and less than 2 million euros annual revenue offering services (this exception does not apply to product providers)
• B2B websites that address business customers exclusively

What must your website concretely be able to do?

WCAG 2.1 AA has 50 individual criteria. The most important ones in practice:

Perceivability

• Text contrast: at least 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text
• Alt texts: every information-bearing image gets a meaningful alt attribute
• Captions for videos: mandatory for recorded content
• Scalability: texts must be enlargeable to 200 percent without loss of content
• No information by color alone: error messages need an icon or text, not just red

Operability

• Keyboard operation: every function must be reachable without mouse
• Visible focus: during tab navigation it must be clearly recognizable where you are
• Skip link: a hidden jump marker "directly to content" for screen reader users
• No motion traps: animations must be pausable, blinking content is taboo
• Enough time: if your booking process has a timeout, it must be extensible

Understandability

• Clear language: avoid complicated technical jargon where possible
• Language markup: the HTML attribute lang="en" is mandatory
• Consistent navigation: menu items stay in the same place on every page
• Error help in forms: on incorrect input it must be clear what is wrong and how to fix it

Robustness

• Valid HTML: remove duplicate IDs, incorrectly nested tags and similar errors
• Use ARIA correctly: only where needed, never as a substitute for semantic HTML
• Screen reader tests: click through all important flows with NVDA or VoiceOver

What else must you publish publicly?

In addition to the technical implementation, the BFSG requires an accessibility statement. It belongs in the footer, similar to Imprint and Privacy. At minimum it must contain:

• Status of accessibility (fully, partially, not compliant)
• Which content is not accessible and why
• A contact option for users who encounter barriers
• Reference to the conciliation procedure at the Federal Office for Accessibility

What happens in case of violations?

Since 26 September 2025, the responsible authority has been the federal states' joint market surveillance authority for accessibility (MLBF) in Magdeburg. Possible consequences, graded by severity:

1. Warning by the authority: rectification within a deadline
2. Fine: up to 100,000 euros
3. Sales ban: the authority may prohibit offering the service further via the website
4. Competition-law warning: competitors and associations such as vzbv may issue paid warnings

The first cease-and-desist letters and official proceedings are known. Anyone who hoped it wouldn't be taken that seriously has miscalculated.

How do you get started sensibly?

If your website is affected, I would proceed in this order.

1. Quick check with tools: WAVE, axe DevTools or Lighthouse uncover the obvious problems in a few minutes. This does not replace a full audit, but shows you the scope.
2. Quick wins first: adjust contrasts, add alt texts, install skip link, make focus styles visible. These four steps handle a large part of the most common violations.
3. Keyboard test: click through the entire page once, using only Tab and Enter. Can you reach everywhere? Do you see where you currently are?
4. Screen reader test: NVDA is free for Windows, VoiceOver is on every Mac. An hour of practice is enough to hear the biggest problems.
5. Accessibility statement: as soon as you can honestly assess the status, it belongs in the footer.
6. Ongoing maintenance: every new feature, every new plugin, every new embed can introduce barriers. Accessibility is not a project but a process.

What does accessibility bring you beyond the obligation?

The BFSG is the formal occasion, but the effects go further.

• SEO: Google rewards semantically clean HTML, good structure, alt texts and fast keyboard paths. That also helps your ranking.
• Conversion: clearer forms, better error messages, larger click areas. That helps all users, not just those with impairments.
• Reach: according to the Federal Statistical Office, around 7.8 million people with severe disabilities live in Germany (as of the end of 2025). On top of that come everyone with situational limitations: bright sunlight on the display, a broken mouse, a hand in a cast.
• Reputation gain: accessibility signals care and professionalism. It's a trust signal to the outside.

Common misconceptions

"We installed a plug-in, that's enough."

So-called accessibility overlays are technically a bad idea. They overlay real problems instead of solving them, and US courts already no longer recognize them as sufficient measures. German consumer protection groups also advise against them.

"We'll deal with it when someone complains."

First, the accessibility statement must be present anyway. Second, uncovering violations is daily business for many associations right now. Waiting costs more than acting.

"Our website only has a contact form anyway."

Then you're probably not affected. But if you ever add a booking tool, shop or online consulting module, you switch to the obligation zone without noticing.

Conclusion: It pays to act now

The BFSG is not an optional nice-to-have, but applicable law. Anyone running web shops, booking systems or online consulting should now check where their website stands. The technical requirements are clear, the tools are available, and the benefit goes far beyond just fulfilling the obligation.

If you don't know whether you're affected or how to start, let me know. I'll look at your site, tell you honestly what's relevant, and prioritize the measures by impact. Costs nothing and afterwards you know where you stand.

Stefanos Svarnas, Knusperholz in Ludwigsburg. I build websites and make sure businesses get found on Google. Personally, without agency detours.

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