IMDA · SS 714:2025
The Data Protection Trustmark, counted out.
The Data Protection Trustmark is Singapore's enterprise-wide certification for data protection governance, administered by IMDA together with PDPC. It goes broader and deeper than Data Protection Essentials: not just the baseline hygiene, but how your whole organisation governs personal data, evidenced and assessed. (say real: when 'we got a DPO' not enough, this is what they want to see.)
The process, in the open.
Five steps, no hidden ones. This is what happens between deciding to apply and holding the mark.
- Apply to IMDA
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A formal application to IMDA, with an application fee of S$535 including GST.
- Pick an assessment body
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You choose one of the IMDA-appointed assessment bodies. We can help you compare them; we are not one of them.
- Assessment
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Document review, an on-site visit, and remediation of anything the assessor flags. Typically 2 to 3 months of this stage.
- IMDA awards the Trustmark
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Once the assessment body reports a pass, IMDA issues the mark.
- End to end
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Typically 3 to 5.5 months from application to award, and the mark holds for 3 years.
Data Protection Essentials steps up to DPTM.
Evidence does not start over. What you assemble for Data Protection Essentials becomes the starting pack for the Trustmark assessment: the asset list, the policies, the incident plan. DPTM builds on it, it does not replace it.
The money, counted out.
Three separate costs. Nobody should discover any of them by surprise.
- The IMDA application fee: S$535 including GST. Paid to IMDA when you apply.
- The assessment body's fee, billed by them. It varies by company size, indicatively S$3,000 to S$12,000. The Enterprise Development Grant can support qualifying costs for eligible SMEs.
- Our readiness fee: published when the service launches. DPTM is a long-term wave for us, from 2027. When the price lands here, it will be one sentence, same as every other fee on this site.
Plain answers
What is the difference between DPTM and Data Protection Essentials?
Data Protection Essentials (DPE) is the baseline: cyber hygiene and data-protection basics for any SME. The Data Protection Trustmark (DPTM) is the enterprise-wide certification, run by IMDA with PDPC under SS 714:2025, and it goes broader and deeper into your data protection governance, not just the baseline controls. DPE is commonly the stepping stone; DPTM is the destination for businesses that need to show more.
How long does DPTM take?
Typically 3 to 5.5 months end to end: the IMDA application, choosing an assessment body, a 2 to 3 month assessment covering document review, an on-site visit, and remediation, then IMDA's award. The mark is valid for 3 years.
Is DPTM worth it for an SME?
For data-heavy businesses and for anyone selling into enterprise or government accounts, usually yes: DPTM is the credential procurement teams recognise for data governance. For a five-person shop with light data handling, Data Protection Essentials usually suffices first, and DPTM can wait until the business or the contracts demand it.
Ask whether DPTM is your step yet.
Thirty minutes of honest sizing advice, including a straight 'not yet' when that is the true answer.