Cross-border transfer
Also known as: international data transfer · onward transfer · data export
A cross-border transfer is the disclosure of personal information to an organization located outside the jurisdiction where it was collected.
It requires no physical movement of data: hosting with a cloud provider whose servers sit elsewhere, or simply letting a support team abroad access a database, counts as one.
Most regimes then require a safeguard: a decision recognising that the destination country protects adequately, a standard contractual mechanism, or an assessment showing protection remains equivalent.
This is the subject where the destination genuinely changes the answer, not merely the law being cited. Some places additionally require certain categories of data to stay local.
What it means for a small business
Most young companies do it unknowingly with their first cloud tool. The useful question is not "do I transfer" but "where are each of my suppliers' servers".
Related terms
So what actually applies to you?
A definition tells you what a term means, not what your organization must do. The assessment answers the second question — free, no credit card.
Updated September 1, 2026 · Educational definition; not legal advice.