IrelandCan I request a company to delete my personal data?
Yes, you can request a company to delete your personal data in Ireland under the Data Protection Act 2018, which gives you a right to erasure in certain circumstances.
What the Law Says
The Data Protection Act 2018 gives individuals in Ireland a legal right to request that organisations erase their personal data — commonly called the 'right to erasure' or 'right to be forgotten'. This right is not absolute and applies only in specific situations.
Under section 57 of the Data Protection Act 2018, a data controller must comply with a request for erasure of personal data without undue delay where one of several conditions applies — for example, if the data is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected, if consent has been withdrawn and there’s no other legal ground for processing, or if the data was processed unlawfully.
The controller must act on the request within one month of receiving it. This deadline can be extended by two further months where the request is complex or numerous, but the individual must be informed within one month of the extension and the reasons for it.
The erasure obligation does not apply if keeping the data is necessary for exercising the right of freedom of expression, for compliance with a legal obligation, for reasons of public interest in public health, for archiving in the public interest, scientific or historical research, or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
Statutory TextA data controller shall, without undue delay, erase personal data relating to a data subject where— (a) the personal data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed; (b) the data subject withdraws consent on which the processing is based and where there is no other legal ground for the processing; (c) the data subject objects to the processing and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing; (d) the personal data have been unlawfully processed; (e) the personal data have to be erased for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject; or (f) the personal data have been collected in relation to the offer of information society services referred to in Article 8(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679.
— Data Protection Act 2018, s. 57 — Right to erasure
What to Do
Make your request in writing (email or letter), clearly stating it is a 'request for erasure' under section 57 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
Include enough information for the company to identify you (e.g., full name, account number, email address).
The company must respond within one month — if they refuse, they must explain why and inform you of your right to complain to the Data Protection Commission.
If unsatisfied with the response, you may lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission at https://www.dataprotection.ie.
Sources
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JapanNot legal advice. This article is general information based on publicly available sources, written for educational purposes. Laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before acting on anything you read here. Last reviewed: 2026-06-08.