Lawful data transfers outside Saudi Arabia must use one of these appropriate safeguards: 

• Adequacy decisions: Transfers to countries or entities recognized by SDAIA as having equivalent data protection. 

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs): Pre-approved contract templates (like EU SCCs) that bind both data exporter and importer under PDPL standards.  

• Binding Common Rules (BCRs): Internal rules for a group of related entities, ensuring PDPL-level protections for intra-group transfers.  

• Certificates of accreditation: Issued by SDAIA-approved bodies, certifying that the destination entity meets PDPL safeguards.

Yes. SDAIA explicitly endorses and governs these safeguards: 

• It issues adequate decisions for compliant jurisdictions.  

• On 1 Sept 2024, SDAIA published formal SCC templates and detailed BCR guidelines for personal data transfer. 

• Certification mechanisms are also approved by SDAIA, though still emerging under regulations.

Yes, but with careful adaptation: 

• SCCs and BCRs are modeled closely on GDPR versions, though SDAIA’s formulations are not interchangeable with EU versions. Contracts must follow the exact Arabic/English text approved by SDAIA without unauthorized edits.  

• Fair alignment allowed: Controllers may adopt GDPR-style clauses or codes of conduct, but these must demonstrate equivalent protections and not conflict with PDPL requirements.