Germany BITV 2.0 → EN 301 549 → WCAG 2.1 AA

• Public sector

  Federal public bodies (Träger öffentlicher Gewalt and federally funded or controlled bodies and associations, BGG § 12). Länder and municipal bodies are covered by each Land's own equality law, which is not checked here.

• Private sector

  Partly

  Under the BFSG, manufacturers, importers and distributors of listed products placed on the market after 28 June 2025, and providers of listed consumer services: telecoms, parts of air, bus, rail and waterborne passenger transport, consumer banking, e-books and their software, and e-commerce. Microenterprises that provide services (fewer than 10 staff and at most €2 million turnover or balance sheet) are exempt. Other private websites have no general duty.

1. 23 Sep 2019 In force

   Federal websites published on or after 23 September 2018 must carry an accessibility statement.

   Source

2. 23 Sep 2020 In force

   All other federal websites must carry an accessibility statement.

   Source

3. 23 Jun 2021 In force

   Federal mobile apps must carry a statement, and federal electronic administrative processes must be accessible.

   Source

4. 28 Jun 2025 In force

   The BFSG and the BFSGV take effect for products placed on the market and services provided from this date.

   Source

5. 26 Sep 2025 In force

   The joint Länder market surveillance authority (MLBF) becomes fully operational under a state treaty.

   Source

6. 16 Jul 2026 In force

   An amendment to the BFSGV changes the requirements for self-service terminals (§ 7) and telecoms services (§ 14).

   Source

7. 27 Jun 2030 Upcoming

   Last day services may run on products used before 28 June 2025, and last day for older service contracts. Older self-service terminals may run up to 15 years from first use.

   Source

1. 2018

   Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz (BGG), §§ 12–12d

   section 2a, inserted in 2018 to transpose Directive (EU) 2016/2102

   Federal public bodies make their websites, apps and intranets accessible, and their electronic administrative processes by 23 June 2021. They publish an accessibility statement; the top federal authorities and the Länder report every three years to the federal monitoring body.

   Primary source

2. 2019

   Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung (BITV 2.0)

   BGBl. I 2011 S. 1843, revised 21 May 2019 (BGBl. I S. 738)

   The technical rules for federal bodies: compliance with harmonised standards cited in the Official Journal is presumed (in practice EN 301 549 V3.2.1), aiming for the highest possible level for navigation, forms, login and payment. Adds home-page explanations in German Sign Language and Leichte Sprache.

   Primary source

3. Jun 2025 Latest

   Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) and Verordnung (BFSGV)

   BGBl. I 2021 S. 2970 and BGBl. I 2022 S. 928, transposing Directive (EU) 2019/882

   Listed consumer products and services must meet the accessibility requirements set out in the BFSGV, measured against the state of the art. Service providers publish how they comply. Market surveillance can order non-compliant services to stop, with fines of up to €100,000.

   Primary source

• Disproportionate burden: for federal bodies by exception (BGG § 12a(6)); under the BFSG after a documented assessment, renewed at least every five years for services and reported to the authority.
• Fundamental change to the nature of a product or service (BFSG § 16).
• Microenterprises that provide services (BFSG § 3(3)).
• Federally funded or controlled bodies that offer no essential public services and no services aimed at disabled people (BGG § 12a(5)).
• Heritage collection reproductions that cannot be made accessible, archives not updated after 23 Sep 2019, and content of federal public broadcasters (BITV 2.0 § 2(2)).
• Exceptions set by the defence minister to keep the armed forces operational (BITV 2.0 § 2(3)).
• Under the BFSG: pre-recorded media and office files published before 28 Jun 2025, online maps with accessible essential information, third-party content outside the provider's control, and archives not updated after 28 Jun 2025.

1. Audit your pages against WCAG 2.1 Level AA: 50 success criteria at Level A and AA.
2. Check text and control contrast in the Contrast Checker.
3. Run the URL Analyzer for the problems a machine can find, then test with a keyboard and a screen reader.
4. Publish an accessibility statement that says what does not meet the standard yet, and how to report a problem.
5. If you sell to the public sector, document conformance in an accessibility conformance report, such as a VPAT or an EN 301 549 statement.
6. Work through the Accessibility Checklist and keep a record of what you tested.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For a decision that matters, read the primary sources and ask a lawyer who practices there.

• Does the BFSG apply to my company's website?

  Only if the site or app offers a listed consumer service, such as selling online to consumers (e-commerce), consumer banking, telecoms, e-books or passenger transport booking and information. Microenterprises that provide services are exempt. A purely business-to-business or informational site is not covered by the BFSG.

• Who checks compliance and what can happen?

  The MLBF, run jointly by the 16 Länder from Magdeburg. It checks on suspicion and by random samples, sets deadlines for fixes, and can order the service to stop. Offering a non-compliant service can be fined up to €100,000.

• Which technical standard should we follow?

  BITV 2.0 presumes compliance through the harmonised standard cited in the Official Journal, currently EN 301 549 V3.2.1, which maps to WCAG 2.1 AA. The BFSGV asks for the state of the art and has the Bundesfachstelle Barrierefreiheit publish the relevant standards. EN 301 549 V4.1.1 (WCAG 2.2) was adopted in August 2026 but is not yet cited.

• Can a customer complain directly?

  Yes. A consumer who cannot use a product or service can ask the MLBF to act, or have a recognized association do so, and can challenge the result in the administrative courts. Free mediation is also available at the federal Schlichtungsstelle.

• Is a wider private-sector duty coming?

  A government bill to amend the BGG (Drucksache 21/5140) was debated in the Bundestag on 7 May 2026 and heard in committee on 22 June 2026. It would require private providers of goods and services to make reasonable accommodations unless disproportionate. It had not been passed by the time of this review.

• BMAS, BFSG as published in the Bundesgesetzblatt (16 Jul 2021) bmas.de
• buzer.de, BFSG consolidation and amendment history (secondary) buzer.de
• buzer.de, BFSGV consolidated text (secondary) buzer.de
• buzer.de, BITV 2.0 consolidated text (secondary) buzer.de
• buzer.de, BGG section 2a, §§ 12–12d (secondary) buzer.de
• buzer.de, BGG consolidated text (secondary) buzer.de
• BMAS, Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung 2.0 bmas.de
• Bayerische Gewerbeaufsicht, BFSG market surveillance and the MLBF gewerbeaufsicht.bayern.de
• BMAS, Gesetz zur Änderung des BGG bmas.de
• Bundestag, first reading of the BGG amendment, 7 May 2026 bundestag.de
• Bundestag, committee hearing on the BGG amendment, 22 Jun 2026 bundestag.de