GDPR Article 42 explicitly establishes a formal, voluntary certification mechanism. Europrivacy is currently the flagship pan-European scheme, approved by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) as a "European Data Protection Seal," legally recognised across all 30 EU/EEA member states. Certification applies to specific data processing activities you select (the "Target of Evaluation"), not your whole organisation.
Why GDPR Certification Is Genuinely Different From HIPAA's Situation
Unlike HIPAA, which has no officially recognised certification of any kind, GDPR was written with certification specifically in mind. Article 42 states that supervisory authorities and the Commission "shall encourage" the establishment of certification mechanisms, and Article 43 sets out how certification bodies must be accredited before they can issue valid certification decisions.
On 15 April 2026, the EDPB adopted Opinion 14/2026, confirming an updated set of Europrivacy certification criteria (version 82). The same day, Opinion 15/2026 extended Europrivacy's use to international data transfers under Article 46 for the first time — alongside, not replacing, mechanisms like Standard Contractual Clauses.
What Gets Certified — And What Doesn't
A crucial, often-missed distinction: GDPR only allows specific data processing activities to be certified — not entire organisations, products, or services. Europrivacy calls the selected activities the "Target of Evaluation" (ToE). This is structurally different from ISO 9001 or ISO 27001, which certify your whole management system.
Relevance for Non-EU Organisations — Including India
The 2026 update to Europrivacy's scope explicitly confirms coverage for controllers and processors established outside Europe who fall under GDPR's extraterritorial reach via Article 3(2). For Indian exporters, SaaS companies, and service providers with EU customers, this makes Europrivacy a genuine, internationally recognised way to demonstrate GDPR-aligned practices, distinct from (and complementary to) India's own DPDP Act obligations.
Certification decisions under Article 42 must be issued by a body specifically accredited for that scheme — not any general management-system certification body. London Cert conducts your readiness assessment and gap analysis directly, and facilitates the final certification decision through an appropriately accredited certification body.
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Based on outcomes reported by organisations pursuing Europrivacy.
Builds Genuine Trust With EU Partners
Independently assessed certification against EDPB-approved criteria is a tangible trust signal for EU customers and partners.
Trust SignalNow Usable for International Transfers
Since April 2026, Europrivacy can support "appropriate safeguards" for transferring data outside the EU under Article 46.
Transfer MechanismDirectly Relevant for Indian Exporters
2026's scope extension explicitly covers non-EU organisations under Article 3(2).
Extraterritorial CoverageFocused, Achievable Scope
Certifying specific processing activities rather than your whole organisation makes initial certification more achievable.
Practical ScopeLegally Recognised Across 30 States
Europrivacy is formally recognised by the authorities of all EU and EEA member states.
30-State RecognitionPairs With ISO 27701
Organisations already holding ISO 27701 have significant existing groundwork relevant to Europrivacy certification.
Natural PairingWhat organisations say about London Cert's GDPR support
Feedback from businesses we've helped toward Europrivacy certification.
As an Indian SaaS company serving EU clients, our biggest procurement blocker was demonstrating genuine GDPR alignment. London Cert helped us select the right processing activities to certify first.
London Cert was upfront that the final certification decision needed to come from an accredited body, and coordinated that seamlessly while doing all our readiness work directly.
We already had ISO 27701 — London Cert showed us exactly how that work carried over into our Europrivacy Target of Evaluation, saving real time.