Choosing a provider
What GDPR representative services should include, and how to tell them apart
Every provider promises the same sentence: we act as your EU representative under Article 27. The price ranges from under a hundred euros to several thousand for what reads as identical wording. The difference is not in the promise. It is in what happens on the day somebody writes.
The three shapes on the market
Almost every offer falls into one of these. None is dishonest; they solve different problems, and the mismatch is what leaves companies unhappy.
SHAPE ONE
The mailbox
Cheapest, often under €100. You get a name and an address. Requests are forwarded, sometimes late, and anything beyond forwarding is billed. Fine if you genuinely never expect contact, which is a bet, not a plan.
SHAPE TWO
The law firm
Most expensive, often thousands. You get real expertise and, usually, hourly billing on top. Excellent if you have complex processing and a budget. Heavy if all you need is to be reachable.
SHAPE THREE
The specialist service
A fixed annual fee, a real desk, an accepted mandate and proof that can be checked. What most companies outside the Union actually need, which is why it is where the market has settled.
What a complete service contains
Compare offers on this list rather than on price. Anything missing is either not offered or billed later.
| Component | What to check |
|---|---|
| Written designation | Signed by both parties, naming the territory and the tasks under Article 27(4) |
| Published contact details | Wording you can paste into your privacy notice, in the notice’s language |
| Record of processing | Maintained on your behalf and produced on request, not an extra |
| Handling of requests | Unlimited, or a stated number before charges begin |
| Response time | Committed in writing, and short enough to fit the one-month deadline |
| Languages | Whatever a data subject writes in, not only English |
| Verifiable proof | A code or register a third party can check without contacting you |
| Renewal terms | Price known in advance, and cancellation without a fight |
| Exit | Your records returned, and the designation formally ended |
How the price is built
Cheap offers are not cheaper by magic. They are cheaper because something on the list above is missing or metered. The three common structures:
Fixed annual fee
One number, whatever arrives. Predictable, and the provider carries the risk of a busy year. This only works if the provider expects few requests, which for most companies is accurate.
Low headline, metered handling
Ninety euros to sign, then a fee per request, per language, per hour. The first data subject email turns the cheapest offer into the most expensive one. Ask what request number two costs.
Ours is the first structure: from €290 for the first year, less on renewal, with requests included. We can price it that way because the volume is genuinely low for most clients, and we would rather say so than pretend requests never happen.
Warning signs
No registration number
If you cannot look the entity up in a national register, it may be a forwarding address rather than an establishment. Article 27 requires establishment.
A PDF as the only proof
A certificate nobody can verify proves that a certificate exists. Ask how a customer or an authority confirms the designation is still live today.
Silence about cancellation
If the terms are quiet about ending, expect friction. Cover you cannot leave is cover you will pay for after you stop wanting it.
What we do, stated plainly
So you can compare us against the same list rather than against our marketing.
Included
Signed designation, published wording, record of processing maintained, unlimited requests answered within two working days, eight languages, a verification code that resolves on a public register, invoices, and cancellation from your account without writing to us.
Not included
Legal advice: we are not a law firm. Drafting your privacy policy. Acting as your DPO. Representing you in proceedings. When a matter needs a lawyer we say so rather than improvise.
Questions worth asking any provider
Is the price per year or per request?
Ask for both numbers. A provider unwilling to state the second one has told you the first one is not the whole price.
Who is the legal entity, and where is it registered?
You should receive a company name and a registration number you can verify in a national register. Ours is Europe Services SE, IČ 03571785, Municipal Court in Prague, file H 1486.
How does a data subject reach the representative?
There should be a published address in the Union, monitored, with a stated response time. A contact form on a website is not the same as an address in a privacy notice.
What happens if we stop paying?
Ask when the designation ends and whether anyone is told. Cover that lapses silently while your notice still names the provider is the worst outcome.
Can we switch provider mid-year?
Yes, and it is quick. Send the current designation, we issue the new one, you update the notice. We charge switchers the renewal price rather than the first-year price.
Compare us against the list
Every item above, one fixed fee, and proof anybody can check. From €290 for the first year.
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