Glossary · G · BFSG

German Accessibility Act

A long corridor in warm backlight, one person walking through

Definition

The German Accessibility Act (BFSG) implements the European Accessibility Act and, since 28 June 2025, has required many products and services to be accessible; the technical yardstick is EN 301 549 with WCAG 2.1 AA.

For a long time, accessibility was mainly a duty of public bodies. With the German Accessibility Act (BFSG), it has also applied to many private offerings since 28 June 2025. The act implements Directive (EU) 2019/882, the European Accessibility Act.

#Who is in scope

The act covers products and services for consumers, including:

E-commerce services, such as online shops and booking flows.
Consumer banking services.
Electronic communications services.
Elements of passenger transport services, such as websites, apps and e-tickets.
E-books and the software used to read them.

Micro-enterprises providing services are exempt. That means businesses with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than two million euros.

Service providers must also explain publicly how their offering meets the requirements. Market surveillance lies with the German federal states, which can object to defects, prohibit offerings and impose fines.

#The technical yardstick

The act and its ordinance describe the requirements in functional terms. In practice, the European standard EN 301 549 serves as the yardstick. For web content it refers to WCAG 2.1 at level AA.

Principle	Meaning	Customer service example
Perceivable	Content can be taken in through different senses	Alt text, sufficient contrast
Operable	Usable with keyboard and assistive technology	Operating the chat window without a mouse
Understandable	Clear language, predictable behaviour	Understandable error messages in forms
Robust	Works with screen readers and future technology	New chat messages are announced

#Contact channels as the test

Contact channels are part of the offering. A messaging window that screen readers do not announce, or a captcha without an alternative, can make an otherwise accessible shop unusable.

So check self-service, chat, forms, voice dialogues and identification. And always offer more than one way to get in touch.

Customer interfaces such as the messaging window must work with screen readers, keyboards and zoom. Sample.

#Accessibility at Univerx

Accessible customer interfaces are a design goal for Univerx: designed for WCAG 2.1 AA and EN 301 549, for web messaging, self-service and the Univerx Channel.

Details in the Trust Center under European Accessibility Act. For practice, see the guide Accessibility in customer service (EAA) and Accessible web messaging: ten points to start with.

All terms