# GDPR Article 43 — Certification bodies - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-43-certification-bodies - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr) › Articles 41–50 - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **GDPR**·Article `Article 43`·low·Component: **Chapter IV: Controller and Processor** ## What this control requires > Accredited certification bodies with data protection expertise issue and renew GDPR certifications, ensuring independence, compliance with approved criteria, and transparent procedures for certification, reviews, and complaints. They report to supervisory authorities, who may revoke accreditation if conditions are not met. This control addresses Certification Accreditation. > > — GDPR, Article Article 43 ### In plain English Accredited certification bodies with data protection expertise issue and renew GDPR certifications, ensuring independence, compliance with approved criteria, and transparent procedures for certification, reviews, and complaints. In practice, this means you can prove you conditions controller-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters GDPR administrative fines reach the greater of €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) coordinates supervisory-authority enforcement across the EU/EEA, and DPAs publish enforcement decisions citing specific Articles. ## What an auditor looks for A DPA or privacy auditor expects: a Records of Processing Activities (RoPA) entry, a documented lawful basis, evidence the Article's data-subject right is operationalised end-to-end, a named DPO contact (where required), and Article 30 records that match what the front-end actually does. Within **Chapter IV: Controller and Processor**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Article Article 43) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Conditions.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Transparent.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Data.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Processor.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Certification.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** controller, certifications. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Certification bodies. ## Common pitfalls - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**ISO/IEC 27701:2025 A.1.2.8** — Joint PII controller](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-1-2-8-joint-pii-controller) - [**CIS Controls v8 2.6** — Allowlist Authorized Libraries](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/2-6-allowlist-authorized-libraries) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.5** — Contact with authorities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-5-contact-with-authorities) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC2.3** — External Communication on Internal Control Matters](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc2-3-external-communication-on-internal-control-matters) ## Related controls in GDPR - [**Article Article 42** — Certification](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-42-certification) - [**Article Article 24** — Responsibility of the controller](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-24-responsibility-of-the-controller) - [**Article Article 29** — Processing under the authority of the controller or processor](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-29-processing-under-the-authority-of-the-controller-or-processor) - [**Article Article 31** — Cooperation with the supervisory authority](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-31-cooperation-with-the-supervisory-authority) - [**Article Article 27** — Representatives of controllers or processors not established in the Union](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-27-representatives-of-controllers-or-processors-not-established-in-the-union) - [**Article Article 36** — Prior consultation](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-36-prior-consultation) ## References - [European Union — GDPR](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj) - Catalogue identifier: `Article Article 43` Topics: governance riskpolicy management ## Related compliance guidance - [GDPR compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr): Start with the full GDPR implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs. - [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): The security management system most EU procurement teams ask for alongside a DPA; its controls supply much of the Article 32 evidence. - [India's DPDP Act 2023: a practical compliance guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/india-dpdp-act-2023): If engineering or support teams sit in India, the same data flows are also subject to India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act.