Privacy & Data Protection · Checklist

GDPR Readiness Checklist — every obligation, mapped to the Article that requires it.

A practical, article-by-article checklist for the EU General Data Protection Regulation — built for teams who serve or process data on EU individuals, not just read about the Regulation. See our DPDPA Readiness Checklist if India's law is also in scope.

Mapped to current published standards & statute text
68
Checklist items, each with a test procedure & evidence example
11
Stages, organized the way a real implementation unfolds
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  • How to verify this →

    Test procedureAsk who owns GDPR compliance day-to-day and confirm it matches an organization chart or RACI, not just a verbal answer.

    Practical example / evidenceRACI matrix or org chart naming the privacy owner and their reporting line

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    Test procedureCheck approval dates and the review cadence against the policy's own stated review interval.

    Practical example / evidenceApproved policy suite with version history and review dates

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    Test procedureCheck the RoPA's last-updated date against a recent change to systems or vendors.

    Practical example / evidenceRecords of Processing Activities (RoPA) with a visible update history

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    Test procedurePick one processing activity and ask for its full evidence trail on the spot.

    Practical example / evidenceEvidence repository or shared drive structure mapped to each processing activity

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    Test procedureReview the cross-regime mapping document for overlap and conflicts between GDPR and other applicable laws.

    Practical example / evidenceCross-regime obligations register or mapping matrix

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    Test procedureReview committee minutes for recurring data-protection agenda items.

    Practical example / evidenceCommittee charter and minutes showing recurring privacy agenda items

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    Test procedureSample the exceptions log and confirm each entry has an approver, rationale and review date.

    Practical example / evidenceExceptions/risk-acceptance log with approver and expiry date

Stage 1 of 11
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    Test procedureSample 5 processing activities from the RoPA and confirm each cites a specific Art. 6 basis, not a blanket default.

    Practical example / evidenceRoPA entries showing lawful basis per processing activity

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    Test procedureFor each activity relying on legitimate interests, check for a dated balancing-test document.

    Practical example / evidenceLegitimate Interests Assessment (LIA) per relevant processing activity

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    Test procedureFor any special category data in the RoPA, confirm both an Art. 6 basis and an Art. 9 condition are recorded.

    Practical example / evidenceRoPA entries showing both Art. 6 basis and Art. 9 condition where applicable

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    Test procedureCheck the RoPA template fields against the full list Art. 30 requires.

    Practical example / evidenceRoPA template/export showing all required fields populated

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    Test procedureReview the age-gate/consent flow for any product surface reachable by minors.

    Practical example / evidenceAge-verification and parental-consent flow documentation

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    Test procedurePick a dataset and trace every system that consumes it against its originally stated purpose.

    Practical example / evidenceData-flow map showing purpose per downstream use

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    Test procedureReview a sample intake form or API payload against the purpose it serves for unnecessary fields.

    Practical example / evidenceData minimization review for at least one major collection point

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    Test procedurePick a data category past its stated retention period and confirm it was actually deleted or justified as still needed.

    Practical example / evidenceRetention schedule plus evidence of an automated or scheduled deletion process

Stage 2 of 11
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    Test procedureRun a test subject access request through the real intake channel and time the full response.

    Practical example / evidenceSAR workflow documentation plus a timed test-run record

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    Test procedureReview the verification steps required for a standard access request against the sensitivity of the data involved.

    Practical example / evidenceIdentity-verification procedure for rights requests

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    Test procedurePick one of the less-common rights (e.g. restriction or portability) and walk through its actual workflow.

    Practical example / evidenceDocumented workflow for each of the six rights, not just access

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    Test procedureTrace an erasure request's downstream reach into at least one backup system and one processor.

    Practical example / evidenceErasure-propagation procedure covering backups and processors

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    Test procedureGenerate a real portability export and confirm the format a receiving system could actually ingest.

    Practical example / evidenceSample portability export in a machine-readable format

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    Test procedureSubmit a test objection to marketing processing and confirm it stops without delay or pushback.

    Practical example / evidenceMarketing-objection handling procedure and a test-run record

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    Test procedureFor any automated-decision system with significant effects, confirm a human-review request path exists and is reachable.

    Practical example / evidenceAutomated-decision inventory with the human-review path documented

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    Test procedureAsk for the rights-request log/dashboard and check it has volume and response-time metrics.

    Practical example / evidenceRights-request tracking log or dashboard

Stage 4 of 11
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    Test procedureCheck the product development process for a privacy-review gate and its position in the timeline.

    Practical example / evidenceDevelopment process documentation showing the privacy-review gate's position

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    Test procedureCreate a fresh account/profile and inspect the default state of every privacy-relevant setting.

    Practical example / evidenceDefault-settings audit for a newly created account

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    Test procedureReview at least one analytics or reporting pipeline for whether identifiable fields could be pseudonymized.

    Practical example / evidencePseudonymization/anonymization review for a sampled data pipeline

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    Test procedureCheck a recent design or architecture review document for a data-minimization checkpoint.

    Practical example / evidenceDesign review template or checklist with a minimization checkpoint

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    Test procedureReview access-control configuration for at least one system holding personal data against actual job need.

    Practical example / evidenceAccess-control matrix or RBAC configuration for a sampled system

Stage 5 of 11
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    Test procedureReview the DPIA-trigger criteria document against Art. 35's examples and your own high-risk processing.

    Practical example / evidenceDPIA trigger-criteria document

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    Test procedureCheck DPIA completion dates against the go-live dates of the processing they cover.

    Practical example / evidenceDPIA sign-off dates compared against processing/launch dates

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    Test procedureReview a completed DPIA for a necessity/proportionality assessment and a mitigation section, not just a description.

    Practical example / evidenceCompleted DPIA with explicit risk and mitigation sections

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    Test procedureCheck whether any DPIA concluded high residual risk, and if so, confirm a consultation record exists.

    Practical example / evidenceSupervisory authority consultation record, if applicable

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    Test procedureCheck DPIA revision history against any material change to the processing it covers.

    Practical example / evidenceDPIA version history showing re-assessment after material change

Stage 6 of 11
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    Test procedureReview the documented assessment of whether a DPO is legally required for your organization.

    Practical example / evidenceDPO-requirement assessment document

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    Test procedureCheck the DPO's actual reporting line against the org chart.

    Practical example / evidenceOrg chart showing the DPO's reporting line

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    Test procedureInterview the DPO/privacy lead about any instance of being directed on a compliance conclusion.

    Practical example / evidenceWritten confirmation of the DPO's independence in their role charter

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    Test procedureCheck the privacy notice and any regulator filing for current, correct DPO contact details.

    Practical example / evidencePublished DPO contact details in the privacy notice

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    Test procedureConfirm there is a single named individual accountable for privacy decisions day-to-day.

    Practical example / evidenceRole description or RACI naming the privacy lead

Stage 7 of 11
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    Test procedureCompare your full vendor/subprocessor inventory against your list of signed DPAs.

    Practical example / evidenceVendor inventory cross-referenced against signed DPAs

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    Test procedureReview a sample DPA against the full Art. 28(3) required-terms list.

    Practical example / evidenceSample DPA checked against Art. 28(3) requirements

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    Test procedureCheck the DPA's sub-processor clause and confirm it matches the authorization approach actually used.

    Practical example / evidenceDPA sub-processor clause and current sub-processor list

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    Test procedureReview the DPA's instructions clause and confirm actual processing matches documented instructions.

    Practical example / evidenceDPA instructions clause compared against actual processing activity

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    Test procedureAsk whether any processor audit (desk-based or on-site) has actually been performed in the last 12 months.

    Practical example / evidenceRecord of a processor audit, questionnaire or compliance review

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    Test procedurePick a terminated vendor relationship and look for evidence of data return or deletion confirmation.

    Practical example / evidenceDeletion/return confirmation from at least one terminated vendor

Stage 8 of 11
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    Test procedureReview the security risk assessment that informed the current control set.

    Practical example / evidenceSecurity risk assessment document referencing personal data processing

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    Test procedureCheck encryption configuration for at least one production datastore and one data-in-transit path.

    Practical example / evidenceEncryption configuration evidence (at-rest and in-transit)

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    Test procedureReview evidence of a recent resilience or disaster-recovery test, not just a backup policy document.

    Practical example / evidenceRecent DR/resilience test report

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    Test procedureAsk for the most recent backup-restoration test and its result.

    Practical example / evidenceBackup restoration test record and result

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    Test procedureCheck the cadence and most recent date of security testing against personal-data-processing systems.

    Practical example / evidenceSecurity testing schedule and most recent test report

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    Test procedureSample access logs/permissions for a system holding personal data against job roles.

    Practical example / evidenceAccess control review for a sampled personal-data system

Stage 9 of 11
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    Test procedureReview the RoPA or data-flow map for every third-country transfer and its stated legal mechanism.

    Practical example / evidenceTransfer inventory mapped to a mechanism per transfer

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    Test procedurePull the signed SCCs (or equivalent) for a sample transfer and confirm the correct module is used.

    Practical example / evidenceSigned SCCs or equivalent transfer mechanism per transfer

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    Test procedureReview the TIA for a sampled transfer, checking it assesses the destination country's legal regime.

    Practical example / evidenceTransfer Impact Assessment for at least one SCC-based transfer

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    Test procedureFor any TIA that identified a gap, confirm a corresponding supplementary measure is documented.

    Practical example / evidenceSupplementary measures documentation tied to a TIA finding

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    Test procedureConfirm someone is tracking the DPF's legal status if your organization relies on it for any transfer.

    Practical example / evidenceRecord of DPF status monitoring, if the DPF is relied upon

Stage 10 of 11
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    Test procedureReview the incident response plan for a specific personal-data-breach triage and escalation path.

    Practical example / evidenceIncident response plan with a personal-data-breach escalation path

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    Test procedureReview a tabletop exercise or real incident timeline against the 72-hour notification requirement.

    Practical example / evidenceIncident timeline (real or tabletop) showing notification within 72 hours

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    Test procedureReview a breach-notification template against the Art. 33(3) required-content list.

    Practical example / evidenceBreach notification template mapped to Art. 33(3)

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    Test procedureReview the criteria used to decide whether individual notification is triggered for a given incident.

    Practical example / evidenceIndividual-notification trigger criteria and a notification template

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    Test procedureReview the breach register for incidents that were assessed and concluded not reportable, with rationale.

    Practical example / evidenceBreach register including non-notified, assessed incidents

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    Test procedureCheck the DPA's breach-notification clause for a specific, short notification deadline from processor to controller.

    Practical example / evidenceDPA clause requiring prompt processor-to-controller breach notification

Stage 11 of 11

Frequently asked questions

Does GDPR apply to us if we're based outside the EU?

Yes, where you offer goods or services to individuals in the EU, or monitor their behavior — Art. 3(2)'s extraterritorial scope applies regardless of where your organization is established. Scope for your specific operations should be confirmed with counsel.

How does GDPR relate to India's DPDPA?

They share core concepts (lawful basis, individual rights, breach notification) but differ in mechanics — DPDPA has no DPIA requirement in the same form, uses Consent Managers, and has its own penalty structure. If both apply to you, map them together rather than assuming one covers the other.

Do we need to appoint an EU representative if we have no EU establishment?

Often yes, under Art. 27, if you're subject to GDPR's extraterritorial scope and don't otherwise qualify for an exemption — this is commonly missed by non-EU organizations that know about the Regulation but not this specific obligation.