How to Respond to a DSAR

The DSAR Response Process at a Glance

When someone exercises their right of access, your organization's response needs to be timely, complete, and documented. A disorganized or delayed reply is one of the most common triggers for regulatory complaints — and one of the most preventable.

Effective DSAR response is less about legal complexity and more about operational readiness. Organizations that have a defined workflow handle requests smoothly. Those that improvise each time tend to miss deadlines and overlook required information.

Here is the high-level process every organization should have in place:

1. Recognize the request — DSARs do not require any specific format. Train your team to identify them regardless of how they arrive.
2. Log it and start tracking — Record the receipt date immediately. Your statutory deadline begins the day the request arrives.
3. Verify identity — Confirm the requester is who they claim to be, proportionate to the sensitivity of the data involved.
4. Search across all systems — Personal data lives in CRMs, email, cloud storage, HR platforms, and spreadsheets. Check everywhere.
5. Review and redact — Remove third-party personal data and apply any legitimate exemptions before disclosure.
6. Compile and deliver — Provide the data along with the required supplementary information, securely and within your deadline.

Each of these steps has nuances that vary by jurisdiction and the type of requester involved.

Never Start From Scratch

Our DSAR Response Templates give you pre-built acknowledgment letters, response formats, and extension notices so you can handle any request consistently and completely.

Download the DSAR Response Templates