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The German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) and IONOS shops

Valid for MyWebsite Now and MyWebsite Creator online shops.

The German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) has been binding in Germany since June 28, 2025. This law obliges many companies to make their digital products and services accessible so that they can also be used without restriction by people with disabilities. This article gives you an overview of this EU regulation and how to adapt your IONOS shop.

Please Note

IONOS offers no legal advice and assumes no liability for the completeness and accuracy of the content of this article. If you have specific questions, please contact your legal advisor.

Support with BFSG implementation

Please note that due to the complexity and scope of the BFSG, this article can only outline the topic. Binding information on necessary changes in your personal case can be obtained from, for example, specialised lawyers, professional associations, and similar organisations.

What is the BFSG and what does it regulate?

The Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) is the German implementation of the European Directive (EU) 2019/882, known as the European Accessibility Act (EAA). The aim is to create a uniform minimum standard for accessibility in the EU internal market, and to remove digital barriers. The obligation of practical implementation for affected products and services became binding on June 28, 2025. It requires that products and services can be found, accessed, and used by people with disabilities in a generally accepted manner, without particular difficulty and, in principle, without assistance.

Who is affected by the BFSG?

The BFSG applies to manufacturers, distributors, and importers of certain products to/from Germany, and to providers of services intended for German consumers. The areas affected include, among others

  • eCommerce: Online shops and websites offering eCommerce services (including appointment booking tools).
  • Hardware: Self-service terminals (e.g. ATMs, ticket machines), smartphones, routers and ebook readers.
  • Software & services: Banking apps, digital booking systems, ebooks, and telecoms services.
  • Exception for micro-enterprises: Micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees and a maximum annual turnover or balance sheet total of €2 million) are exempt from the obligation if they only provide services. However, as soon as they manufacture or sell products (hardware) or operate eCommerce that does not fall under the services-only exemption, the law may also apply to them.

What requirements must be met?

The specific technical requirements are based on the harmonised European standard EN 301549, which in turn refers to the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

In order to be BFSG-compliant, digital offerings must generally fulfil WCAG 2.1 at conformance level AA (experts already advise orientation towards the newer version WCAG 2.2). The four basic principles of accessibility are:

  • Perceivability: Content must be available to all senses (e.g. alt text for images, subtitles for videos, sufficient contrast).

  • Usability: Navigation must be possible entirely via the keyboard; users must have sufficient time for input.

  • Comprehensibility: Content must be clearly structured, use simple language, and offer help texts in the event of errors.

  • Robustness: The code (HTML) must be semantically correct so that it can be processed by assistance technologies such as screen readers.

Designing accessibility in an IONOS shop

  • Integration into existing websites: If you integrate an IONOS shop as a plugin or widget into your own website, e.g. WordPress, you must ensure that the surrounding website is also accessible. The environment in which the shop runs must comply with the standards.
  • Content maintenance: As with any shop system, you must enter precise alternative texts (alt texts) for all product images so that blind users know what is being sold. Read more in the article "Alt texts and visible product image descriptions". The shop application uses ARIA labels and semantic HTML to enable use with screen readers (read-aloud application for visually impaired users).
  • In your app shop you will find the apps "Accessibility Toolkit App" and "All in One Accessibility", which will help you to make your shop accessible. You can find out how to install these in the Help Centre article "Shop apps".

How can I test my shop?

The following steps are recommended to check the current status of your website:

  • Automated tests: Use tools such as WAVE, Axe DevTools or Google Lighthouse (integrated in Chrome) for an initial analysis of technical errors.
  • Manual tests: Combine tools with real user tests. For example, check whether your site can be operated completely without a mouse (only with the tab key).
  • Expert audits: For a legally compliant assessment, especially with regard to the BFSG, a professional audit, e.g. BIK BITV test, can be useful.

Additional information

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