GDPR – Certified Data Protection Officer

PECB credentials are internationally recognized and endorsed by many accreditation bodies, so professionals who pursue them will benefit from our recognition in domestic and international markets.

The value of PECB certifications is validated by the accreditation from the International Accreditation Service (IAS-PCB-111), the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS-No. 21923) and the Korean Accreditation Board (KAB-PC-08) under ISO/IEC 17024 – General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons. The value of PECB certificate programs is validated by the accreditation from the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB-Accreditation ID 1003) under ANSI/ASTM E2659-18, Standard Practice for Certificate Programs.

PECB is an associate member of The Independent Association of Accredited Registrars (IAAR), a full member of the International Personnel Certification Association (IPC), a signatory member of IPC MLA, and a member of Club EBIOS, CPD Certification Service, CLUSIF, Credential Engine, and ITCC. In addition, PECB is an approved Licensed Partner Publisher (LPP) from the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body (CMMC-AB) for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification standard (CMMC), is approved by Club EBIOS to offer the EBIOS Risk Manager Skills certification, and is approved by CNIL (Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés) to offer DPO certification.

All certification candidates are responsible for their own study and preparation for the examination. No specific set of courses or curriculum of study is required as part of the certification process. Likewise, the completion of a course or program of study will significantly enhance your chance of passing a PECB certification examination. To learn more about exams, competency domains and knowledge statements please go to: PECB Exam Preparation Guides. 

The exam is conducted online using the PECB Exams app
You will have the opportunity to choose a convenient date and time from the list of proposed slots.

Candidates will be required to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the certification exam. Candidates arriving late will not be given compensatory time for the late arrival and may be denied to enter the exam. All candidates are required to present a valid identity card such as a national ID card, driver’s license, or passport to the invigilator. The duration of the exam varies according to the type of examination taken (see description of the different exams for more details). Additional time can be provided to candidates taking the exam in a language different than their mother tongue (when requested by the candidates, on the exam day).

For more information about exam details, please visit  Examination Rules and Policies

Results will be communicated by email within a period of 6 to 8 weeks from your examination date. The candidate will be provided with only two possible examination results: pass or fail, rather than an exact grade. 

In case of a failure, the results will be accompanied with the list of domains where the candidate failed to fully answer the question. This can help the candidate better prepare for a retake the exam. 

To qualify for PECB credentials, candidates must not only pass the exam but also meet certain educational and professional prerequisites. Each PECB certification has specific education and a set of experience requirements. 

Candidates are required to fill out the online Certification Application Form, and fill out all other online forms (that can be accessed via their PECB online profile), including contact details of references who will be contacted to validate the candidates’ professional experience. Lastly, before the submitting the application, a candidate can choose to pay online or be billed. In case the candidate needs additional information, he/she should contact accounting@pecb.com and/or certification@pecb.com. 

The approval of the application occurs as soon as the Certification Department validates that you fulfil all the certification requirements regarding the credential you have applied for. An email will be sent to the email address you provided during your application process to communicate you application status. If approved, you will then be able to download your certificate from your member account.

PECB certifications are valid for three years. To maintain the certification, the applicant shall demonstrate every year that he/she is still performing tasks that are related to the certification. PECB Certified professionals shall annually provide PECB with the number of hours of auditing and/or implementation related tasks they have performed, along with the contact details of individuals who can validate such tasks. Additionally, certified professionals should regularly pay the annual PECB certification maintenance fees. 

A notification email is sent to our certified members, who are required to submit their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) along with the Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF) three months before the annual date of their certification. The PECB certified members will then be able to submit their CPDs by visiting their account and providing the required information for the respective certification.