Email Retention Periods

How long should your organisation keep emails? See our UK business email retention guide.

Depending on the document/email type, retention periods in France range from one to 30 years. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, so you must not keep personal identifiable information longer than is absolutely necessary.

Germany’s regulations are clear and precise about most commercial documents, but are not specific about personnel records (apart from those relevant to tax – see table below). So, for employee-related information, follow GDPR and store personal data for the shortest time possible.

The rules in Poland are quite simple. Documents/emails need to be kept for periods ranging from five years to permanently. One change to note, regarding employee records: whereas in the past businesses had to keep them for  50 years, it is now just ten. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The length of time businesses need to keep most documents ranges from four weeks to permanently. Pay particular attention to employee records and data, as there are various retention periods for different types of these. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, so you must not keep personal identifiable information

Belgium has a range of laws affecting the retention of different document types. For the most part, documents can be divided into groups that must be retained for either 10, seven, five, or three years. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, and you must not keep personal identifiable information

With just a few exceptions, almost all document types need to be kept for 10 years. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, so you must not keep personal identifiable information, such as data about former employees, longer than is absolutely necessary. Retention Period Document Type/Related Emails 10 years

Compared with other European countries Monaco's retention rules are relatively simple. Remember that although Monaco is not part of the EU and did not adopt the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), Monaco-based organisations that do business with people or organisations in EU countries must comply with the GDPR. This means