EU Representative for Consultants
GDPR Article 27 compliance guide for non-EU consultants, coaches, and professional service providers serving EU clients. From €490/yr.
Key Takeaways for Consultants
- Consultants, coaches, and professional services process client personal data — GDPR applies
- Even solopreneurs and micro-businesses with EU clients need Article 27
- Client emails, contracts, project files, coaching notes — all personal data
- €490/year — 15-minute setup
Does GDPR Apply to Consultants?
Yes. Many consultants, coaches, and professional service providers believe GDPR doesn’t apply to them because they’re “just one person” or they “don’t have a website with cookies.” But GDPR is triggered by processing personal data of EU residents — regardless of business size. If you have clients in the EU, you process their names, emails, possibly financial data, and often sensitive business or personal information through your consulting or coaching engagement.
Under Article 3(2), offering services to EU residents (which includes consulting and coaching) brings you under GDPR jurisdiction. Article 27 then requires you to appoint an EU Representative.
Consultant Data Under GDPR
- Client contact data: Names, emails, phone numbers, company names (if they identify an individual)
- Contract & invoicing: Service agreements, invoices, payment records — financial personal data
- Project communications: Email threads, Slack messages, Zoom recordings, shared documents
- Coaching notes: Session notes, assessments, personal goals — often sensitive personal data
- Testimonials: Client names, photos, quotes used in marketing (requires consent)
Consultant Types Most Affected
Executive coaches & life coaches: Often work with EU clients via Zoom. Session notes, goal tracking, and personality assessments all process personal data. If you store client data in Google Drive, Notion, or a CRM, it’s GDPR-relevant.
Management & strategy consultants: B2B doesn’t exempt you. Individual contact data of EU client staff, contract details, and project deliverables all involve personal data.
Marketing & creative agencies: Serving EU clients means processing their customer data, campaign analytics, and client communication.
IT & technical consultants: Accessing EU client systems, managing data, providing support — direct personal data processing.
Online course creators: If you sell courses to EU residents, you process their enrollment data, progress data, and payment data.
Ready to get compliant?
€490/year. 15-minute setup. Active next business day.