Who must comply with BITV 2.0?

BITV 2.0 applies to German federal public sector bodies (Bundesbehörden). German state (Länder) agencies are covered by equivalent state regulations (Landes-BITV). Private companies in Germany are covered by the BFSG (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz), the national EAA transposition, from June 2025 — not by BITV 2.0 directly. However, the technical requirements are identical since both reference EN 301 549.

Is BITV 2.0 the same as WCAG?

Not exactly. BITV 2.0 Annex 1 references EN 301 549, which references WCAG 2.1 AA for web content — making Annex 1 effectively equivalent to WCAG 2.1 AA. However, BITV 2.0 Annex 2 adds two German-specific requirements without any WCAG equivalent: Leichte Sprache (simplified German for cognitive accessibility) and Deutsche Gebärdensprache (German Sign Language videos). These make BITV stricter than WCAG for German public sector sites.

What is Leichte Sprache?

Leichte Sprache ('easy language' or 'plain German') is a simplified form of the German language, developed to make content accessible to people with cognitive disabilities, low literacy, or those who are learning German. BITV 2.0 Annex 2 requires German public sector websites to provide key content (navigation guidance, overview pages, accessibility statement) in Leichte Sprache. It is not the same as 'Einfache Sprache' (simplified German), which is less strictly defined.

How do I publish a BITV accessibility statement?

German public sector organizations must publish an Erklärung zur Barrierefreiheit on every website, accessible from the homepage (usually the footer). The statement must: declare the conformance level (fully / partially / non-conformant); list inaccessible content with justification (disproportionate burden or exception); provide a feedback mechanism (Rückmeldungsmechanismus); and name a contact and enforcement body. The EU Commission's template is the reference; Germany uses the Erklärungsgenerator provided by BITV-Konsult.

What is the BFSG and how does it differ from BITV 2.0?

The BFSG (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz) is Germany's transposition of the EU European Accessibility Act, in force from 28 June 2025. It applies to private sector companies in scope of the EAA (e-commerce, banking, transport, telecoms). BITV 2.0 applies to federal public sector only. Both reference EN 301 549 as the technical standard, so the web accessibility requirements are technically equivalent.

← All standardsDeutschland

BITV 2.0

BITV 2.0 (Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung 2.0) is a federal German regulation implementing the EU Web Accessibility Directive (2016/2102) for German public sector ICT. Published in 2011 and significantly revised in 2019 to align with the European standard, BITV 2.0 mandates conformance with EN 301 549 — which in turn references WCAG 2.1 AA for web content. The regulation has two annexes: Annex 1 covers technical web and ICT requirements (aligned with EN 301 549 and WCAG), and Annex 2 adds German-specific obligations for Leichte Sprache (easy-to-read Plain German) and Deutsche Gebärdensprache (DGS, German Sign Language) — requirements that go beyond WCAG and EN 301 549.

Status

Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ)

In force

2011 (revised 2019)

Auto coverage

~35 %

Detailed coverage

What ScanAccess detects on BITV 2.0

Anlage 1 §9.1.1.1Non-text Content — Web (WCAG aligned)Auto
Anlage 1 §9.1.4.3Contrast — Web (WCAG aligned)Auto
Anlage 1 §9.2.1.1Keyboard Accessible — Web (WCAG aligned)Auto
Anlage 1 §9.4.1.2Name, Role, Value — Web (WCAG aligned)Auto
Anlage 2.1Leichte Sprache (Plain German)Manual
Anlage 2.2Deutsche Gebärdensprache (DGS)Manual
Anlage 1 §9.2.4.1Bypass blocks — Skip linksAuto
Anlage 1 §9.1.3.1Info and Relationships — WebAuto
ErklärungErklärung zur BarrierefreiheitManual
Anlage 1 §9.1.2.2Captions — Web (WCAG aligned)Auto

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