# GDPR Article 44 — General principle for transfers - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-44-general-principle-for-transfers - 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 44`·high·Component: **Chapter V: Transfers of Personal Data to Third Countries** ## What this control requires > Ensure personal data transfers to third countries or international organizations comply with GDPR, maintaining protection levels for data subjects. Controllers and processors must adhere to Chapter V conditions, including for onward transfers, to prevent undermining GDPR safeguards. This control addresses International Data Transfers. > > — GDPR, Article Article 44 ### In plain English Ensure personal data transfers to third countries or international organizations comply with GDPR, maintaining protection levels for data subjects. In practice, this means you can prove you conditions controllers-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. This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation. ## 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 V: Transfers of Personal Data to Third Countries**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Article Article 44) 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. - **Data.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **General.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Transfers.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **International.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** controllers, transfers, onward transfers, data subjects. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: General principle for transfers. ## 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. - [**India DPDP Act 2023 DS-008** — Data Principal Nomination Mechanism](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/india-dpdp-act-2023/ds-008-data-principal-nomination-mechanism) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) P3.2** — Consent Management for Personal Information Collection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/p3-2-consent-management-for-personal-information-collection) ## Related controls in GDPR - [**Article Article 3** — Territorial Scope](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-3-territorial-scope) - [**Article Article 48** — Transfers or disclosures not authorised by Union law](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-48-transfers-or-disclosures-not-authorised-by-union-law) - [**Article Article 14** — Information to be provided where personal data have not been obtained from the data subject](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-14-information-to-be-provided-where-personal-data-have-not-been-obtained-from-the) - [**Article Article 18** — Right to restriction of processing](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-18-right-to-restriction-of-processing) - [**Article Article 19** — Notification obligation regarding rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-19-notification-obligation-regarding-rectification-or-erasure-of-personal-data-or) - [**Article Article 10** — Processing of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-10-processing-of-personal-data-relating-to-criminal-convictions-and-offences) ## References - [European Union — GDPR](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj) - Catalogue identifier: `Article Article 44` Topics: governance riskpolicy managementprivacy 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.