Art. 18 GDPR · Chapter III: Rights of the data subject · Section 3: Rectification and erasure
Article 18 GDPR: Right to restriction of processing
Text as of 28 October 2026 Reviewed by Sergio Maldonado Elvira on 29 October 2026
Summary (not the official text)
The data subject has the right to restriction of processing in the four situations listed, such as while the accuracy of the data is contested. Restricted data may, with the exception of storage, be processed only with consent or for the other purposes listed in paragraph 2.
Official text
The data subject shall have the right to obtain from the controller restriction of processing where one of the following applies:
the accuracy of the personal data is contested by the data subject, for a period enabling the controller to verify the accuracy of the personal data;
the processing is unlawful and the data subject opposes the erasure of the personal data and requests the restriction of their use instead;
the controller no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of the processing, but they are required by the data subject for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims;
the data subject has objected to processing pursuant to Article 21(1) pending the verification whether the legitimate grounds of the controller override those of the data subject.
Where processing has been restricted under paragraph 1, such personal data shall, with the exception of storage, only be processed with the data subject's consent or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the Union or of a Member State.
A data subject who has obtained restriction of processing pursuant to paragraph 1 shall be informed by the controller before the restriction of processing is lifted.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Official Journal L 119, 4.5.2016, as corrected. Only the text published in the Official Journal is authentic. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu
Text as of 28 October 2026.
This is reference material, not legal advice.
Related recitals
This list is under review.
Court of Justice judgments
- C-60/22, UZ v Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Judgment of 4 May 2023ECLI:EU:C:2023:373
A failure to conclude a joint-controller arrangement or keep a record of processing does not by itself make processing unlawful or give a right to erasure or restriction.