FAQ DPO exam

1Do I have to meet some requirement to participate in a DPO exam call?

Yes, you do. You must accredit work or professional experience or/and training provided by a Training Entity (EF) accredited by a Certification Entity (see EF recognized by ANF AC) in accordance with the pre-requisites established in section 6.3 of the DPO-AEPD Certification Scheme, besides you must formalize the application for registration in one of the exam calls. Specifically, the AEPD Scheme establishes four possible itineraries to access as a candidate for an exam call:

5 years of experience.
3 years of experience and 60 hours of recognized training.
2 years of experience and 100 hours of recognized training.
180 hours of recognized training.

Pre-requisites must be documented. The rules established to compute them are detailed in Annex I of the DPO- AEPD Certification Scheme. Click here to download.

2How do I accredit both work and professional experience?

You must provide a certificate or statement as appropriate.
We put at your disposal useful models:

Model of work or professional certificate. Click here to download.
Model declaration for sole or autonomous microenterprise administrators. Click here to download.

3Is recognized experience prior to the entry into force of the GPDR?

Yes, it is. The DPO-AEPD Certification Scheme in its version 1.2 Annex I stipulates validity of the experience before or after the publication of the GPDR. Also, keep in mind:

Experience in the treatment of high-risk personal data will be valued twice as long as years of experience in the processing of non-high-risk personal data.
In the event that the experience is not of a full year, the experience that equals or exceeds six months will be valued as half of the annual score.
As work experience, the training provided will also be considered and, in particular, it will be valued as twice the hours of the training received.

There are other important aspects to take into account. Consult detail in Annex I of the DPO-AEPD Scheme. Click here to download.

4If I completed a university education with ETCS or LRU credits, could I calculate the amount of hours it took as pre-requisites if these credits were obtained before the GPDR comes into force?

Yes, you could.Just take into account what established in section I point A of Annex I of the AEPD Scheme. Specifically:

University training, even with internships or final degree work. But ETCS or LRU credits must have been obtained, since this is the way to compute in the Scheme.
It will only be valued for the purposes of Domains II and III, it is not computable for the purposes of Domain I.
In these cases, the candidate does not need to take a complete training program of 60, 100 or 180, only that matter needed to complete the training hours required following the criteria of the Scheme.

ECTS credits (according to the European Credit Transfer System). One credit is equivalent to 25 hours.

LRU credits (according to the University Reform Act of 1983.). One credit is equivalent to 10 hours.

5that the documentation I provide does not sufficiently accredit the pre-requisites required by the AEPD Scheme for that Itinerary?

You cannot be recognized as a candidate in the exam call. You must supplement the remaining hours to achieve the requirements of the DPO-AEPD Certification Scheme. In case of doubt about the adequacy of the pre-requisites to the chosen Itinerary, consult your Training Entity.

6What do the exam fees for DPD Certificate include?

The creation of the file and evaluation of the documentation provided by the applicant in order to determine if it can be admitted as a candidate and, where appropriate, undergo examination.
Participation in the examination call in accordance with the DPO-AEPD Certification Scheme and its corresponding evaluation. The fees allow the candidate to apply for a second call in case of suspending the first one.

7When should I pay the exam fees?

Exam fees must be paid at the time of registration. In case of a bank transfer is made, the creation of the file and its evaluation will be once the transfer confirmation takes place.

8Are there any other expenses I should know about?

Scheme, applications to participate in DPD certification exams are reviewed and evaluated to ensure compliance with the prerequisites set by the Scheme. ANF AC will communicate in writing sent by email to the applicant the suitability or not of its candidacy to the exam.

If there are formal defects that can be corrected, the company is informed of them and a deadline for correction is established.

9When am I considered a candidate for the certification exam as a Data Protection Officer?

In the event that after reviewing a file, ANF AC determines that the user does not meet any of the prerequisites required by the AEPD-DPD Scheme, ANF AC informs by email to the applicant the circumstances that prevent accepting it as a candidate. ANF AC will return the fees paid deducting the administrative expenses corresponding to the creation of the file and evaluation of documentation, the amount of such expenses is 150 euros.

We recommend that before completing the registration process we recommend that you consult your Training Center if you meet the requirements established by the AEPD-DPD Certification Scheme.

10Are fees paid refunded If I do not qualify as a candidate?

Yes, but it must be a Training Entity that has been accredited by a Certification Entity. The procedure to follow is the same and can be done telematically. You must select an Examination Room with unrestricted access to Training Centers approved by ANF AC.

11Could I submit an application at ANF AC even when I have been trained by an organization that is not recognized by it?

Yes, you could but it must be a Training Entity that has been accredited by a Certification Entity. The procedure to follow is the same and can be done telematically. You must select an Exam Room for unrestricted access to Training Centers approved by ANF AC.

12Can I cancel my registration for the exam?

You can cancel your registration for the exam, taking into account that the fee paid will be refunded minus the administration fees indicated above (150 €). If you wish to cancel your registration, please contact ANF AC by email or call. You can cancel your exam registration up to one week before the exam date.

13What happens if I do not have all the documentation to complete the registration?

If you do not have all the documentation you will not be able to complete your registration, we recommend that you do not start the process until you have all the required documents. Remember that if you exceed the deadline for registration, your application will be rejected and you will lose the amount corresponding to the processing fee.

14Is it possible to change the exam session once I have registered?

For this type of incidents contact ANF AC.

15I want to receive training to take the certification exam and become a Data Protection Officer, where can I go?

You can obtain all the information you need about Training Entities accredited by ANF AC.click here.

16What are the prerequisites to take the certification exam?

The prerequisites to sit for the certification exam are those stipulated in the AEPD-DPD Certification Scheme. You can obtain a copy of the Schematicclick here.

17If I fail the exam, can I request a review?

Yes, you can request a review. This review is free of charge and is performed by the same evaluator who issued the result. If once the review is issued you are not satisfied with the result, you have the possibility to make an appeal to the Committee of Experts. This appeal is handled by one of the experts who are part of the Committee.

The review and appeal processes are not face-to-face.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the evaluation, you can file a complaint with the Spanish Data Protection Agency.

18In the exam review or appeal process, can I access the exam I took and check the answers I missed?

No. Unfortunately, this is not possible. None of these processes is face-to-face, in order to preserve the independence of the evaluator and member of the Expert Committee in the decision-making process. No. Unfortunately this is not possible. None of these processes is face-to-face, in order to preserve the independence of the evaluator and member of the Committee of Experts in decision-making.

19Can I use the certificate of any Qualified Trust Service Provider to sign the registration form?

Yes, you could as long as the requirements established by the legislation in force in electronic signatures comparable to the handwritten are met:

a) That the signature has been prepared using a qualified electronic signature certificate.

b) That the signature has been made with a secure electronic signature creation device.

c) That the certificate issuer has an electronic signature and validation system.

d) The signature must incorporate a procedure (Qualified electronic time stamp) that guarantees validation of the certificate used in the preparation of the long-term signature.