The accessibility statement
The accessibility statement says how accessible a website is and how to report barriers. Public bodies must publish one, services under the German Accessibility Strengthening Act need comparable information.
How it works
The statement is a page of its own that can be reached from every page of the website, usually through a link "Accessibility" or "Accessibility statement" in the footer, next to the legal notice and the privacy policy. It describes the state honestly: what is accessible, what is not and why.
Who has to publish it:
- Public bodies of the German federal government under section 12b of the Disability Equality Act and the BITV 2.0, public bodies of the states and municipalities under the law of their state. Both implement EU directive 2016/2102.
- Businesses with services under the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG), since 28 June 2025, such as online shops, banking, bookings and e-books. They must state how their service meets the requirements. The form is free; usually it is an accessibility statement as well. Micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and no more than 2 million euros in turnover are exempt.
- Everyone else does not have to, but does well to: the statement shows that accessibility is taken seriously and gives people a way to report problems.
What matters
- The compliance status. The website is fully, partially or not accessible, measured against WCAG 2.1 or EN 301 549 (for public bodies also the BITV 2.0).
- What is not accessible. With "partially", a list of the content belongs to it, with the reason and, where possible, an alternative.
- A date. When the statement was prepared and when it was last reviewed. It should be reviewed at least once a year.
- A way to give feedback. A contact address or a form to report barriers or to ask for content in another form.
- Where to turn when there is no answer. For federal authorities the conciliation body under the Disability Equality Act, for states and municipalities the body of the state. Under the BFSG the competent market surveillance authority is usually named, the market surveillance body of the German states (MLBF) in Magdeburg.
How to set it up
The German federal monitoring body for accessible information technology (BFIT-Bund) offers a model statement that public bodies are to use and that businesses can follow as well. Create a page of its own, fill in the model with the result of a test of the website and link it in the footer of every page. Enter the date and set a yearly reminder to review it. The contact address should be a mailbox someone actually reads.