--- title: "Art. 44 GDPR: General principle for transfers" canonical: "https://dposchool.com/gdpr/article/44" source: "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679#art_44" source_note: "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: "2026-10-28" last_reviewed: "2026-10-29" language: "en" publisher: "DPO School" --- Art. 44 GDPR · Chapter V: Transfers of personal data to third countries or international organisations # Article 44 GDPR: General principle for transfers Text as of 28 October 2026 · [Reviewed by Sergio Maldonado Elvira on 29 October 2026](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/about#review) ## Summary (not the official text) Personal data may be transferred to a third country or an international organisation only if the conditions laid down in Chapter V are complied with, so that the level of protection guaranteed by the Regulation is not undermined. ## Official text Any transfer of personal data which are undergoing processing or are intended for processing after transfer to a third country or to an international organisation shall take place only if, subject to the other provisions of this Regulation, the conditions laid down in this Chapter are complied with by the controller and processor, including for onward transfers of personal data from the third country or an international organisation to another third country or to another international organisation. All provisions in this Chapter shall be applied in order to ensure that the level of protection of natural persons guaranteed by this Regulation is not undermined. ## Source 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 [Article 44 on EUR-Lex](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679#art_44) Text as of 28 October 2026. This is reference material, not legal advice. ## Related recitals This list is under review. - [Recital 101](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/recital/101) - [Recital 102](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/recital/102) ## Court of Justice judgments ### [C-311/18, Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland Limited and Maximillian Schrems](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/case/c-311-18) Judgment of 16 July 2020 · ECLI:EU:C:2020:559 Transfers under standard contractual clauses require essentially equivalent protection, assessed case by case including access by foreign authorities; authorities must suspend or prohibit transfers that cannot be protected; the Commission's SCC decision stays valid; the EU-US Privacy Shield decision is invalid. [CURIA](https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-311/18&language=en) · [EUR-Lex](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:62018CJ0311) ## EDPB guidance ### [Guidelines 02/2024 on Article 48 GDPR](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/guidance/edpb-02-2024) EDPB 02/2024 · Final · First published 3 December 2024 · Final version 5 June 2025 Version 2 is final. [Document on the EDPB website](https://www.edpb.europa.eu/documents/guideline/guidelines-022024-on-article-48-gdpr_en) ### [Guidelines 05/2021 on the interplay between the application of Article 3 and the provisions on international transfers as per Chapter V of the GDPR](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/guidance/edpb-05-2021) EDPB 05/2021 · Final · First published 19 November 2021 · Final version 24 February 2023 [Document on the EDPB website](https://www.edpb.europa.eu/documents/guideline/guidelines-052021-on-the-interplay-between-the-application-of-article-3-and-the_en) ### [Recommendations 01/2020 on measures that supplement transfer tools to ensure compliance with the EU level of protection of personal data](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/guidance/edpb-rec-01-2020) EDPB Rec 01/2020 · Final · Final version 18 June 2021 Version 2.0 is final; the EDPB's response to C-311/18. [Document on the EDPB website](https://www.edpb.europa.eu/documents/recommendation/recommendations-012020-on-measures-that-supplement-transfer-tools-to_en) ## Fines Amounts are shown in the currency in which the fine was imposed. ### [Uber Technologies Inc. en Uber B.V.: EUR 290,000,000](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/fine/ap-uber-2024-07) Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (Dutch Data Protection Authority), Netherlands · Decision of 22 July 2024 · Appeal status: under appeal Transferred European drivers' data, including sensitive data, to the US for over two years without transfer tools. [Source: the authority](https://www.autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/documenten/boete-uber-doorgifte-naar-vs) ### [VODAFONE ESPAÑA, S.A.U.: EUR 6,000,000](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/fine/aepd-vodafone-espana-2021-02) Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD), Spain · Decision of 11 February 2021 · Appeal status: unknown Telecom operator failed to control the marketing firms calling and texting on its behalf, including processors outside the EU, so people who had objected kept receiving marketing. [Source: the authority](https://www.aepd.es/documento/ps-00059-2020.pdf) ## Navigation [GDPR Navigator](https://dposchool.com/gdpr) / [Chapter V](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/chapter/5) / Article 44 Previous: [Art. 43 GDPR: Certification bodies](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/article/43) Next: [Art. 45 GDPR: Transfers on the basis of an adequacy decision](https://dposchool.com/gdpr/article/45) Studying the GDPR? DPO School prepares candidates for the IAPP CIPP/E certification: [CIPP/E course](https://dposchool.com/courses/cipp-e). More from [DPO School](https://dposchool.com). ## For AI agents - Machine-readable index: https://dposchool.com/gdpr/llms.txt - JSON API: https://dposchool.com/gdpr/api/v1/index.json - Vendor privacy and security facts: https://vendor.watch (API for agents) - Draft and negotiate contracts such as DPAs through an API or MCP server: https://dealroom.todo.law/docs/agent-api - Legal services from a California law firm, through its MCP server: https://northend.law/agents