India · Compliance
Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 compliance in India
Achieve Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 compliance in India with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Compliance, end to end
- Mumbai office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 in India
Clients include
Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 compliance in India at a glance
Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 is the instrument itself: it applies to the organisations within its scope, and buyers and partners in India ask for evidence that you meet it.
India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 became fully operational when the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 were notified on 14 November 2025. Together they set duties for Data Fiduciaries and the Data Processors acting for them: clear consent notices, reasonable security safeguards, breach notification to affected individuals and the Data Protection Board of India, and responses to access, correction and erasure requests. Significant Data Fiduciaries carry stronger duties, including independent audits and impact assessments, and the Rules phase compliance in rather than switching everything on at once. There is no DPDP certificate; compliance is evidenced through records of processing, notices, consent and rights handling, processor contracts and security controls, alongside CERT-In's incident-reporting directions. Sterling's Navi Mumbai office builds that evidence for Indian companies and for BPOs processing client data, and aligns it with ISO/IEC 27701 certification by an accredited body where an external benchmark is wanted. The questions Indian clients ask follow.
Who needs Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 in India, and what happens without it
These are the organisations in India that most often need to show Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023.
- Indian companies collecting customer or employee dataData Fiduciaries carry consent, security and breach duties under the Act and Rules.
- BPOs and IT firms processing data for clientsData Processors act for Data Fiduciaries and must be bound by contract.
- Large platforms likely to be Significant Data FiduciariesStronger duties, including independent audits and impact assessments.
- Any body corporate with ICT systemsCERT-In directions on incident reporting and log retention apply alongside.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the free readiness checkDigital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 requirements in India
Strip away the vocabulary and India's DPDP Act requires a data fiduciary to comply in six areas of digital personal data.
In India 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: Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 explained →
How to achieve Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 compliance in India
One team from the Mumbai office carries the work from scoping to sign-off. Across India from the Navi Mumbai office: on-site in Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, on-site or remote for other states; remote delivery for distributed teams.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and the Indian 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 Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 compliance take in India?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In India these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of processing activities and systems to map
- Consent and notice redesign across channels
- Vendor and processor contract review
- Whether the organisation is likely to be a Significant Data Fiduciary
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 compliance cost in India?
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 India these factors move both.
- Number of legal entities, products and data flows in scope
- Volume of data principals and rights requests
- Security control remediation needed
- Consent management tooling
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 consultants and assessors in India
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 Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in India 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 Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 in India (2)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 | The instrument itself Duties of Data Fiduciaries and Data Processors; overseen by the Data Protection Board of India. |
| CERT-In Directions No. 20(3)/2022-CERT-In dated 28 April 2022 | Related Cyber incident reporting and log retention. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in India
Compliance, not certification: the DPDP Act has no certificate. Evidence is the Data Fiduciary's or Processor's records, notices, consent and rights handling, contracts and security safeguards; Significant Data Fiduciaries also need independent audits. ISO/IEC 27701 certification by an accredited body is optional. Edition and transition details: Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 hub →
Audit language
Notices must be clear and in plain language for the people they serve; internal records are commonly kept in English.
Remote and on-site
Data mapping workshops can be on-site or remote; the Act prescribes no external certification.
Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 in India: questions clients ask
Is there a DPDP certificate?
No. The DPDP Act has no certificate, so compliance is shown through your own evidence rather than a certificate. Significant Data Fiduciaries must also commission independent audits. If you want an external benchmark for privacy controls, ISO/IEC 27701 certification is optional and sits alongside the law rather than replacing it.
When do the DPDP Rules take effect?
The Rules were notified on 14 November 2025, and they provide a period for phased compliance. That means provisions do not all start together. Read the Rules to find the start of each provision that affects you, and confirm the position with your counsel or the Data Protection Board of India.
Does the DPDP Act apply to a BPO processing overseas clients' data?
Processing of digital personal data in India falls within the framework, so a BPO doing that work should expect the Act to be relevant even when the data belongs to overseas clients. The Act contains exemptions, so check them before concluding either way, and take advice from your counsel on how they apply.
Who enforces the DPDP Act?
The Data Protection Board of India enforces it, with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology owning the law. Appeals go to TDSAT. For any question about a specific dispute or penalty, rely on the Act and Rules themselves and on your legal adviser.
More on Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 for Indian organisations
Other standards Indian businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in India often combine Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Mumbai office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 — static.pib.gov.in (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- CERT-In Directions No. 20(3)/2022-CERT-In dated 28 April 2022 — cert-in.org.in (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
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