International transfers

This subtopic discusses the international transfer of personal data under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation, Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the UK GDPR).

Assimilated law is the name given to retained EU law (‘REUL’) which remains in force after the end of 2023. The re-categorisation of REUL (and associated terms) to assimilated law reflects a change in its status and treatment under UK law, in that it is generally to be interpreted according to ordinary domestic law and principles.

From 1 January 2024, REUL is ‘assimilated’ into domestic law by virtue of the fact it is generally stripped of EU-derived interpretive effects (eg supremacy of EU law, directly effective rights, and general principles previously retained under European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018). For more information, see Practice Note: Assimilated law and News Analysis: Implications of the move to ‘assimilated’ law, and the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023, for data protection lawyers.

This Overview provides a high-level introduction to the subtopic and signposts more detailed guidance housed within it.

For an introduction to the UK GDPR, including the data protection principles, terminology,