The Role of an EU Representative in the US
Updated: August 2025
Why does a US business need an EU GDPR representative? Operating a business in the United States requires a specific understanding of data privacy rules. When your reach extends to customers within the European Union, a different and more stringent set of regulations comes into play: the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
This regulation is not just a suggestion; it’s a legal requirement for any global company, including those in the US, that handles the personal information of people residing in the EU.
This article explains the necessity of appointing an EU GDPR representative and how this role is fundamental for compliance, market access, and building customer trust.
Key Takeaways
Representation is a Legal Mandate: Under Article 27 of the GDPR, if your US business processes personal data of individuals located in the EU, you are legally required to appoint an EU-based representative. This is not optional for companies with a significant European customer base.
Your Representative is a Local Point of Contact: An EU GDPR representative acts as the direct liaison between your US company and European data protection authorities. They also serve as the contact for EU residents who wish to exercise their data privacy rights, bridging the geographical and regulatory gap.
Compliance Builds Trust and Unlocks Markets: Appointing a representative helps your business avoid significant fines. It also demonstrates a commitment to data privacy that can build trust with customers worldwide and is a prerequisite for accessing the large EU market.
The Role of EU GDPR Representative Services in the US
The US is no stranger to data protection regulation, although there’s no single comprehensive law that applies to all data and all organisations. In a global market, however, US law isn’t the only show in town. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a unified and comprehensive data privacy regulation that applies throughout all 27 member states of the EU and the additional three members of the EEA. If you do business with EU or EEA citizens and store or process their data, you’re bound by it.
In this blog post, we’ll consider what that means for your business, and we’ll explore how having your own EU GDPR consultant can help you understand and comply with a very different set of data privacy laws.
Do you need an EU GDPR representative?
If you collect, process or store the personal data of EU or EEA citizens in any significant (i.e. not incidental) way, as most businesses will, yes. That’s according to Article 27 of the GDPR. The regulation applies to all “data subjects who are in the Union,” which means it doesn’t apply to EU citizens living outside the EU, but it does apply to anyone of any nationality living in the EU.
As the EU GDPR has a pan-global effect, it applies to companies everywhere, including in the US. That means you’ll need to appoint a GDPR rep.
What does an EU GDPR Representative do?
Think of the EU GDPR rep as a member of your team on the ground in Brussels (or Budapest or Bratislava). They are the point of contact for regulatory or supervisory data privacy authorities in EU member states. They’re also the first point of contact for data subjects in EU states who wish to exercise their data privacy rights.
They handle inquiries, requests, and other communications related to data protection matters on behalf of your organisation.
Beyond their communication role, the job of a European representative for GDPR includes:
Facilitating data subject rights: The GDPR gives data subjects certain rights in respect of their data, including the right to access, rectify and erase their data. When a data subject makes such a request, the GDPR rep plays a pivotal role in facilitating the request, starting with its translation.
Liaising with supervisory authorities: The GDPR EU representative liaises with authorities, ensuring that your organisation’s data processing activities align with the GDPR’s regulatory framework.
Improving privacy standards: An EU GDPR rep will build an understanding of how an individual’s data flows through your organisation. They will then use that understanding to help make your processing more secure.
Ensuring compliance: The GDPR is an evolving regulation, and we can expect it to evolve further in the coming years. An EU GDPR consultant helps non-EU organisations understand and meet their compliance obligations now and in the future. They stay abreast of changes and help your organisation monitor and implement them in line with best practice.
They also maintain records of processing activities, conduct data protection impact assessments, and ensure that the necessary documentation is in place to demonstrate continued compliance with the GDPR.
Benefits of working with a GDPR EU representative
Avoid fines: If you’re processing EU-based data, appointing an EU representative under GDPR Article 27 is the law, and there are potentially serious consequences for any organisation failing to meet the requirements of the regulation.
Access the EU market: The EU is a vast market. Access to that market matters, and the quid pro quo for access is to assign an EU GDPR representative.
Build global trust: The EU GDPR is about as robust a data privacy regulation as you’ll currently find globally. Meeting its requirements says a lot about your organisation’s approach to data privacy, not just in the EU, but at home and elsewhere. When 87% of Americans say they would not do business with a company if they had concerns about its security practices, appointing a GDPR rep is simply sound business sense.
Make compliance easy: Few US businesses are data privacy experts. Even fewer are experts in the data privacy requirements of other territories. That can make compliance with GDPR feel daunting. Data subject requests become messy. Regulator requests become terrifying. But with the third-party GDPR services of a representative, you have someone on your side who understands the GDPR.
GDPR consultancy services from GDPR local
With our GDPR services, you don’t have to worry about whether your data privacy processes are compliant with EU law – you’ll know they are.
Find the right EU GDPR rep for you now, get data protection advice or, for questions about your next steps, call +1 303 317 5998.
FAQs
1. How do I know if my US business needs an EU GDPR representative? If your company collects, processes, or stores the personal data of people who are physically in the European Union on a non-incidental basis, you are required to appoint a representative. The regulation applies based on the location of the individual, not their citizenship.
2. What are the main responsibilities of an EU GDPR representative? The representative serves as your official point of contact for EU supervisory authorities and individuals regarding their data rights. Their duties include managing communications, facilitating data subject requests (like access or deletion), maintaining records of processing activities, and helping your organisation stay current with evolving GDPR requirements.
3. What happens if my company fails to appoint an EU representative? Failure to comply with the requirement to appoint a representative can lead to serious consequences, including substantial fines imposed by EU authorities. Beyond financial penalties, non-compliance can damage your company’s reputation and act as a barrier to doing business within the European Union.