PDF accessibility for insurance
Policies, terms and conditions, product information sheets, claims correspondence: Accessful automatically corrects your PDF documents according to PDF/UA-2 and WCAG 2.2 - from individual forms to the entire portfolio, without having to modify templates or processes.
The challenge
Insurers are one of the most document-intensive industries: large amounts of PDF documents are created throughout the entire customer life cycle - from the offer to the policy to the regulatory letter. A large part of it is generated automatically in output management: from templates enriched with individual customer data. Every file therefore looks different.
Manual post-processing does not scale in this environment. It binds experienced specialists per document and is neither feasible in terms of time nor economically when stocks have grown over the years and new production is ongoing.
At the same time, the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) has been in force since June 28, 2025: insurance services that are offered to consumers electronically must be accessible - including the documents that are provided. Accessful automates review and remediation to help you manage both inventory and daily new production.
Typical documents
- Policies and contract documents
- General insurance conditions (AVB)
- Product information sheets (IPID)
- Offers and application documents
- Claim forms and settlement letters
- Contribution invoices and status notices
- Customer letters from output management
What Accessful does for insurance
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Correct stocks in the batch
Batch processing for thousands of documents in one go - from the current set of conditions to the expanded archive inventory, with live status in the web app.
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Connection to output management
The REST API automatically transfers newly generated letters and notifications for correction - webhooks report the result directly back to your system.
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Fast enough for day-to-day operations
From individual terms and conditions to cover letters from the daily mail: a document is typically checked and corrected in seconds - only the structural level is added, the appearance is retained.
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audit-ready report
Each document receives an audit-ready report - as evidence for audit, compliance and internal control functions.
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Remediation guarantee
If a document remediated by Accessful is not recognized as accessible during an accessibility audit, we will remediate it free of charge - quickly, easily and at no additional cost.
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On-premises for sensitive data
Operation entirely in your infrastructure, air-gapped if desired and with your own AI models - contract and claims data never leaves your premises.
Legal framework
- BFSG / European Accessibility Act
- The German Accessibility Strengthening Act implements the European Accessibility Act (EAA) into German law and has been in force since June 28, 2025. It covers, among other things, services that are offered to consumers electronically - these typically include insurance products taken out online; Contracts managed via customer portals can also be recorded. Documents that are part of this service, such as policies or product information sheets, must be made accessible.
- EN 301 549, WCAG 2.2 and PDF/UA-2
- The technical benchmark is the European standard EN 301 549, WCAG 2.2 and the PDF standard PDF/UA-2. Accessful audits and remediates documents against exactly these standards and documents the result in an audit-ready report for each document.
- BITV 2.0 for public insurers
- BITV 2.0 also applies to public insurers and social insurance providers based on EU Directive 2016/2102. It obliges public bodies to also offer file formats such as PDF in an accessible manner - regardless of the BFSG.
Note: This content provides information about legal requirements, but does not replace legal advice.
Frequently asked questions about insurance
Do we have to recreate policies and terms and conditions to make them accessible?
No. Accessful subsequently corrects existing PDFs: only the structural layer is added - tags, reading order and alt text. Layout and content remain unchanged. Electronically signed policies and addenda are a special case: plan the correction here before the signature step in output management, as a subsequent change can invalidate the signature.
How do we connect Accessful to our output management system?
As a downstream step in the document process: Your output management submits the finished policy or cover letter via the REST API, a webhook reports as soon as the correction is completed, and your system retrieves the accessible PDF for delivery. Templates and creation processes remain unchanged. Details can be found at API & Integration.
How do we make a document inventory that has grown over the years accessible?
Batch processing: Accessful processes thousands of documents in one go - via the web app with drag-and-drop or automatically via the API. It usually makes sense to prioritize: first actively used consumer documents such as policies and product information sheets, then the archive inventory. The conditions for this can be found at Pricing.
Do insurance policies actually fall under the BFSG?
The BFSG does not apply across the board to all companies. This includes services that are offered to consumers electronically - these typically include insurance products offered or managed online. Purely commercial customer relationships (B2B) are not recorded. A detailed classification can be found under BFSG and accessible PDFs; it does not replace legal advice.
How is personal data from claims and contract documents protected?
Processing takes place in ISO/IEC-27001-certified data centers in Germany. For increased requirements, you can operate Accessful entirely in your own infrastructure - air-gapped if desired and with your own AI models, so that no documents leave your premises. More on this below On-Premises.
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