General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Complete compliance guide for companies with <200 employees. Everything you need to know about GDPR requirements, deadlines, and penalties.
1 month
+ 2 months extension
€20,000,000/violation
Up to €20,000,000 or 4% of total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher (Art. 83(5) GDPR). Lower tier: up to €10,000,000 or 2% of turnover for less severe infringements (Art. 83(4)).
No threshold
$10,000 – $50,000
12-26 weeks
Mid-Market Compliance Guide
GDPR applies to any organization processing EU residents' data, regardless of company size or location. For US companies with EU customers: you likely need GDPR compliance even if you have no EU office. The 30-day DSAR response deadline (vs 45 days in most US laws) is the most common compliance failure for mid-market companies.
Key Requirements
- Lawful basis for processing
- Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA)
- Data Processing Agreements (DPA)
- Data breach notification within 72 hours
- Appoint DPO if required
- Records of processing activities
Consumer Rights
Business Obligations
- 1.Maintain records of processing activities
- 2.Implement data protection by design and default
- 3.Conduct DPIAs for high-risk processing
- 4.Report breaches within 72 hours
- 5.Appoint DPO where required
- 6.Cross-border transfer safeguards
Exemptions
- •Purely personal/household activities
- •Law enforcement (separate directive)
- •National security activities
- •Anonymized data (outside GDPR scope)
Related Privacy Laws
PIPL
CNPersonal Information Protection Law
UK GDPR
GBUK General Data Protection Regulation
DPDP Act
INDigital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
POPIA
ZAProtection of Personal Information Act
nFADP
CHNew Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP)
LGPD
BRLei Geral de Proteção de Dados
PDPL
AEFederal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data
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See how DPAs enforce GDPR in practice
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Disclaimer: This is general information, not legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney for your specific situation. Laws and regulations may change. Last reviewed: 3/27/2026.