ISO 27701 Certification
Overview of ISO/IEC 27701
ISO/IEC 27701 is an international standard. It helps create, implement, maintain, and improve a Privacy Information Management System (PIMS). It facilitates adherence to laws like the CCPA and GDPR and concentrates on controlling privacy concerns associated with Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
What is ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certification ?
ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certification is a global standard that provides the framework for Privacy Information Management System (PIMS), sometimes referred to as Personal Information Management System as it lays out the structure for Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Controllers and (PII) Processors in order to manage information privacy in your IT organization. This standard specifies various requirements for establishing, controlling, maintaining, and continually improving the Privacy Information Management System (PIMS).
It lays out a structure for Data processors and Data controllers to manage information privacy in your IT organization. This standard specifies various requirements for establishing, controlling, maintaining, and continually improving the Privacy Information Management System (PIMS).
It provides tools and techniques to organizations to implement required controls for protecting personal information. It follows a risk-based approach to identify the potential risks and select suitable controls to improve the current and future operations of the organization.
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Note:: The certification process begins with submitting a form and technical details, which are used to determine audit man-days. Our experts evaluate the information and share the cost and timelines with the client. We value your time and ensure quick responses, clear communication, and timely delivery of services.
When was ISO 27701 Certification published?
ISO 27701 Certification is an international standard that was published in the month of August 2019. This standard is the first global standard that deals with Privacy Information Management System (PIMS).
This ISO 27001 standard help an organization to implement, sustain, and continuously modify PIMS by developing the existing ISMS. This standard can be used by all types of industries regardless of their size, type, branches, or complexity.
What is the difference between ISO 27701 Certification and ISO 27001 Certification?
ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certification is the enhancement of the ISO 27001 standard.
There are basic differences between the ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certification standard and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 standard. ISO/IEC 27701:2019 sets the criteria to be a reliable standard for compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), whereas ISO 27001 standard is considered to be the most required standard for Information Security Management System (ISMS).
The primary focus of ISO/IEC 27701:2019 standard is no data protection risks, information privacy risks, whereas, ISO 27001:2022 Certification services focuses on the management of risks and security controls.
What are the main differences between ISO/IEC 27701:2019 and ISO/IEC 27701:2025?
The primary difference between ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) and ISO/IEC 27701:2025 Information Security, Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection — Privacy Information Management Systems is that the 2019 version is an extension to ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management System or ISMS), while the 2025 version is a standalone standard. This shift allows organizations to implement a PIMS independently without requiring prior ISO 27001 certification, broadening accessibility and adoption for privacy-focused programs.
Key Points –
- Accessibility of Certification: The 2019 version restricted its use to companies with an established ISMS by requiring certification for enterprises that were already ISO 27001 certified. This dependency is eliminated in the 2025 version, allowing for independent PIMS certification.
- Controls and Alignment: The 2025 version adds around 31 new controls for PII controllers and about 18 for PII processors, making it compliant with ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27002:2022. Only 29 information security measures that directly affect privacy are kept, while 52 non-privacy-related controls from the 2019 edition are removed.
- Structural Improvements: The framework is now more comprehensive for contemporary issues like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and cybersecurity thanks to new clauses that emphasize independent evaluation (Clause 9), robust resource allocation and awareness (Clause 7), and constant improvement (Clause 10).
- Transition: On October 14, 2025, the 2019 edition was withdrawn. Plans for transitions should be made by organizations having 2019 certificates, with accreditation bodies anticipated to provide guidance.
Beyond simple compliance, this development establishes ISO/IEC 27701:2025 as a strategic instrument for privacy governance, boosting competitiveness and confidence. ISO/IEC 27701 is an international standard. It helps create, implement, maintain, and improve a Privacy Information Management System (PIMS).
Why is ISO 27701 important for Organization?
The ISO/IEC 27701 standard applies to any industry, small and large, regardless of size and location. It provides a framework for data privacy that aligns with an Information Security Management System and allows an organization to establish an efficient privacy management system.
An ISO/IEC 27701 standard helps an organization avoid regulatory fines as it demonstrates compliance with laws and regulations and helps the organization in the following ways:
- Strengthens user’s trust and confidence in your Strengthens user’s trust and confidence in your organization and helps in retaining existing customers and acquiring new ones.
- Leverages your organization and provides a competitive edge
- Builds a resilient privacy management infrastructure and demonstrates organizational agility to respond to changes.
- Incorporates various laws and regulations relating to privacy and data security and complies with GDPR and other related standards.
Benefits of ISO 27701 PIMS Certification
Information privacy and GDPR conformity – ISO 27701 Certification assures that your company is complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and also allows you to use the same ISO standard for other privacy requirements and legislations.
Integrity and righteousness – Having ISO 27701 Certification can be very beneficial for your organization as it helps to conduct business processes and activities with the confidence that you have security management and risk management in your organization.
Time-Management – Achieving ISO 27701 Certification, will help your organization in time management. This will enable you to reply to different security questionnaires, comply with security legislation, and ensure individuals that your organization has risk identification and management systems in place.
Preparedness for the Data Protection Act – Achieving ISO 27701 Certification will prepare your business organization for the further evolution of the Data Protection Act (DPA). The framework for Privacy Information Management System will already be in place.
What are the Certification Requirements of ISO 27701?
The High-level Structure (HLS) of ISO 27701 Certification revolves around the principle of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. This Annex SL document consists of 10 sections, out of which the first three are introductory in nature while the rest seven are auditable and give the requirements for the implementation of ISO 27701 PIMS. The structure contains some compulsory requirements for effective implementation of the Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) in an organization.
Section 4: Context of the organization – This section includes the identification of all the processes, operations, and activities that fall under the field of ISO/IEC 27701 Certification and ensures a proper privacy management system in your organization.
Section 5: Leadership – This section emphasizes the importance of top management and auditors in the implementation process of PIMS in an organization. It clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the management in order to prevent any potential conflicts.
Section 6: Planning – This section includes planning the objectives of the current management system and analyzing the risks in order to eliminate those risks from the organization.
Section 7: Support – In this section, the organization is made aware of the tools, technologies, and resources that are required for the implementation of PIMS. This section demonstrates the requirements as per the standard around competence, awareness, maintenance, and controlling documented data or information.
Section 8: Operation – This section deals with the details of your operational processes, it checks your progress toward your objectives. The key requirement of this section is to perform risk assessment regularly.
Section 9: Performance evaluation – This section includes reviewing the management system regularly ensuring its arrangements, processes, and controls. It is also required that the management should periodically monitor all the processes, business activities, and operations undertaken for a proper privacy management system.
Section 10: Improvement – This section ensures that your privacy management system is effectively working. It ensures continual improvement in your management system to mitigate all the risks involved.
PDCA Cycle
- Plan – to think that what do we need to achieve in our organization
- Do – to execute a planned action which will help us achieve the required objective
- Check – monitor against the standards) (policies, objectives, requirements)
- Action – finally implementing what has been rechecked.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about ISO 27701 Certification
Achieving ISO 27701 Certification is not a big deal in today’s upgraded systems. There are some basic steps to become ISO 27701 Certified such as Firstly, you need to prepare all the relevant information about your company in a systematized way (It is always best and safe to hire a legal consultant). Secondly, you need to document all the relevant information about your business. Thirdly, you have to implement all the documented information in your organization. Fourthly, get ready for the internal audits which are performed prior to the certification process and then periodically after. Lastly, if the certifying body approves your management system then you will be awarded the required ISO standard.
The ISO 27701 certification cost varies from one organization to another. Basically, when you approach an internationally accredited certifying body for ISO Certification and they approve your management systems and all your processes, they will then quote an amount for the certificate. Moreover, the cost for achieving ISO certification depends mostly on your organization, such as the no. of employees in your organization, No. of branches your organization has, and many more.
ISO 21001 is an international standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization which provides management tools for organizations that offer educational products and services. It intends to help educational providers meet students requirements and needs.
Basically, an ISO Certificate is valid for three years. And during this time period of three years, a surveillance audit is conducted on an annual basis to ensure that ISO quality standards are being maintained by the organization.
The newest version of ISO 27701 Certification is ISO/IEC 27701:2025 which was published on 14th October 2025. It replaces ISO/IEC 27701:2019 which was published in the month of August 2019.
ISO 27701 Certification is an enhanced form for ISO 27001 standard for Information Security Management System (ISMS). ISO 27701 standard provides assurance that your organization is complying with General Data Privacy Regulations (GDPR) and other PII regulations. Before experiencing the benefits of ISO 27701, you must have the ISO 27001 standard set up in your organization. ISO 27701 is the extended form of ISO 27001 which has the potential to minimize risks or threats regarding privacy management systems, similarly, if your company establishes ISMS, you can demonstrate that you have an efficient and effective system for data protection.
Just because you received an ISO 27701 certification, your task is not complete. For proper functioning of the management system, you need to maintain the ISO 27701 certification. For that, your company has to continually undergo an annual surveillance audit for the period of three years. After completion of the validity period, you need to get recertified.
First of all, you need to choose an internationally accredited certification body meeting all the requirements of IAS Accreditation such as SIS CERTIFICATIONS. Then an application shall be created, where all the rights and obligations will be included and will be confidential between both the applicants and the registrar. After that, the ISO auditor will review the relevant documentation related to various procedures followed in your organization. The auditors will identify gaps, and if there are any gaps you have to prepare an action plan in order to remove these gaps. Then, there will be initial certification audits which will be followed by: Stage I – where the auditors will check the changes made in your organization according to requirements. Stage II – where the auditor will do their final audit for the certification. As the auditors will approve all your processes then they will make a report.