Denmark · Compliance
GDPR compliance in Denmark
Achieve GDPR compliance in Denmark with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Compliance, end to end
- Enschede office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for GDPR in Denmark
Clients include
GDPR compliance in Denmark at a glance
Act No. 502 of 23 May 2018 supplementing the GDPR (databeskyttelsesloven, the Data Protection Act) is the instrument itself: it applies to the organisations within its scope, and buyers and partners in Denmark ask for evidence that you meet it.
Denmark layers its own rule book on the GDPR: Act No. 502 of 23 May 2018, the databeskyttelsesloven, which entered into force on 25 May 2018 and applies to establishments in Denmark and to non-EU controllers who offer goods or services to people there or monitor their behaviour. Datatilsynet supervises both, advises organisations, handles complaints and inspects. There is no general certificate; what an inspection examines is your records of processing, notices, processor contracts, rights handling, breach procedures and security measures, and Datatilsynet's catalogue of measures shows the safeguards it has in mind. Sterling builds that evidence from its Enschede office and can align the work with ISO/IEC 27701 where a client wants an external benchmark from an accredited body. Questions specific to Denmark follow.
Who needs GDPR in Denmark, and what happens without it
These are the organisations in Denmark that most often need to show GDPR.
- Danish companies processing customer or employee dataThe Data Protection Act applies to processing by controllers and processors established in Denmark.
- Non-EU businesses selling to people in DenmarkThe Act also reaches controllers outside the EU that offer goods or services to people in Denmark or monitor their behaviour there.
- Processors such as SaaS, payroll and hosting providersCustomers need processor contracts and security evidence, and Datatilsynet's measures catalogue shows the kind of safeguards it expects.
- Employers running internal reporting channelsThe Whistleblower Act brings reporting data into scope for larger workplaces, with Datatilsynet running the national scheme.
- Organisations facing a complaint or inspectionDatatilsynet handles complaints and carries out inspections.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the GDPR readiness checkGDPR requirements in Denmark
Strip away the vocabulary and the GDPR requires an organisation to comply in six areas covering how it uses personal data.
In Denmark these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: GDPR explained →
How to achieve GDPR compliance in Denmark
One team from the Enschede office carries the work from scoping to sign-off. Clients in Denmark are served from Sterling's Enschede office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against GDPR and the Danish requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before any external review.
- Reviews by regulators, customers and auditorsSterling supports the reviews your regulators, customers and auditors run.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does GDPR compliance take in Denmark?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Denmark these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of processing activities and systems to map
- Number of legal entities and establishments
- Processor and international-transfer review
- Staff data, monitoring and whistleblowing arrangements
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does GDPR compliance cost in Denmark?
The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and any external assessor’s fees, which are quoted separately. In Denmark these factors move both.
- Volume of processing and data subjects
- Entities in scope
- Security remediation needed
- Whether an external data protection officer is appointed
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
GDPR consultants and assessors in Denmark
Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; your regulators, customers and auditors then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.
- Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers GDPR and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Denmark are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
- Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
- Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.
Laws and regulations that drive GDPR in Denmark (4)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) | The regulation itself Applied in Denmark with Datatilsynet as the supervisory authority. |
| Act No. 502 of 23 May 2018 supplementing the GDPR (databeskyttelsesloven, the Data Protection Act) | The instrument itself It supplements and implements the GDPR, applies to establishments in Denmark and to non-EU controllers who offer goods or services to people in Denmark or monitor their behaviour there, and entered into force on 25 May 2018. |
| Datatilsynet catalogue of security measures | Regulator guidance The Authority says its examples draw on its inspections, breach notifications, EDPB guidance and information security requirements highlighted by ISO information security standards, the national cybersecurity centre and the security requirements for state authorities. |
| Accreditation of GDPR certification bodies under the Data Protection Act | The instrument itself The Act gives Datatilsynet and the national accreditation body powers to accredit certification bodies under the GDPR's certification provisions. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Denmark
Compliance, not certification: the GDPR has no general certificate. Evidence is the controller's or processor's records of processing, notices, contracts, procedures and security measures. The Data Protection Act gives Datatilsynet and the national accreditation body powers to accredit GDPR certification bodies, and ISO/IEC 27701 is a separate optional benchmark. Edition and transition details: GDPR hub →
Audit language
Datatilsynet publishes much of its guidance in Danish, with a smaller English section. Privacy notices should suit the audience they serve; internal records can be kept in Danish or English.
Remote and on-site
Data-mapping workshops and document reviews can be on-site or remote; no external assessment is prescribed for general compliance.
GDPR in Denmark: questions clients ask
Who supervises the GDPR in Denmark?
Datatilsynet. Act No. 502 of 23 May 2018 makes the Danish Data Protection Agency responsible, in full independence, for monitoring processing covered by the Act, the GDPR and related legislation. The Agency says it advises, handles complaints and carries out inspections. For how it would view a specific processing activity, put the question to Datatilsynet or to your counsel.
Does Danish law apply to a company outside the EU?
It can. The Act covers processing of data about people located in Denmark by a controller or processor outside the EU where the activities relate to offering them goods or services, paid or free, or to monitoring their behaviour in Denmark. Whether your activities meet that test is a legal judgement, so take advice before relying on either answer.
Is there a GDPR certificate a Danish company can obtain?
Not as a general proof of compliance. The Act gives Datatilsynet and the national accreditation body powers to accredit GDPR certification bodies, but day-to-day compliance is shown through records, notices, contracts, procedures and security measures. ISO/IEC 27701 is a separate management-system option. Sterling prepares evidence and does not certify.
What does Datatilsynet's security-measures catalogue add?
Worked examples. The catalogue sets out technical and organisational measures for security of processing and says it is built on the Agency's inspections, breach notifications, EDPB guidance and security requirements highlighted by ISO standards and state authorities. It illustrates the expected level rather than prescribing a checklist, so match it to your own risk assessment.
More on GDPR for Danish organisations
Other standards Danish businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Denmark often combine GDPR with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Enschede office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) — eur-lex.europa.eu (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Act No. 502 of 23 May 2018 supplementing the GDPR (databeskyttelsesloven, the Data Protection Act) — datatilsynet.dk; retsinformation.dk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Datatilsynet catalogue of security measures — datatilsynet.dk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Accreditation of GDPR certification bodies under the Data Protection Act — datatilsynet.dk; retsinformation.dk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
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