Austria accessibility law: BaFG explained

Who has to comply

Consumer-facing private services. Public-sector covered by Web-Zugänglichkeits-Gesetz (WZG) since 2018.

Austria is a mid-sized, German-speaking market closely tied to the German e-commerce sphere, so foreign sellers who localise for Germany often reach Austrian consumers with the same storefront. Under the BaFG, a non-EU seller shipping to Austrian consumers is covered on the country-of-consumption basis, and a German-language accessibility statement is expected. Cross-border sellers should note Austria is a distinct jurisdiction from Germany despite the shared language: BaFG obligations and the Austrian enforcement body apply independently of anything done for the BFSG.

What the law actually requires

The technical baseline is WCAG 2.1 Level AA via EN 301 549. EN 301 549 references WCAG 2.1 Level AA in full and adds a few requirements specific to mobile apps and documents. Beyond the technical bar, Austria requires the following operational items, which auditors check first because they are simple to verify:

• EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA

• German-language accessibility statement

Penalties and how enforcement actually works

Administrative fines up to €80,000.

Enforcement runs through the Sozialministeriumservice together with the consumer-protection ministry, giving the regime a social-affairs framing rather than a pure market-surveillance one. The Austrian approach is largely complaint-driven, with administrative fines up to €80,000 and the ability to order corrective action. Microenterprises are exempt from the service-related obligations, so the regulator's practical focus falls on larger consumer-facing operators, and the required German-language statement is the first thing an official is likely to check.

Public-sector obligations

Austria also has a separate public-sector law: Web-Zugänglichkeits-Gesetz (WZG) — public-sector since 2018. It predates the EAA and remains in force for government and public-funded sites. Public bodies must publish a conformance statement and re-audit periodically.

Practical first steps for a Austria site

If you are starting now and want to land before enforcement, run an automated audit, fix the high-impact issues (contrast, labels, keyboard, focus), publish an accessibility statement, and set up a feedback inbox. That sequence covers 80% of what auditors look for in a first sweep.

• Run a baseline scan to know your current score

• Fix critical and serious issues in priority order — these are the ones cited in complaints

• Publish a public accessibility statement on a stable URL (Austria regulators expect this discoverable)

• Add a feedback channel and answer within the country-specified window

• Re-scan after every major release; track regressions