Is there a SOC 2 equivalent in Europe?
Not a single one-to-one match. Europe's closest widely used equivalent is ISO 27001 certification. Auditors also use the ISAE 3000/3402 attestation standards, and country schemes like Germany's BSI C5 serve a similar "trust the cloud provider" purpose.
The full answer
There is no European document that maps one-to-one to SOC 2, mostly because SOC 2 is a US product — it was created by the AICPA and issued as an SSAE No. 18 attestation by licensed CPA firms. Europe leans on certifications and different attestation standards instead.
The practical equivalent most European buyers recognize is ISO 27001, the international information-security management standard. It is a certification rather than an attestation, and it is accepted worldwide, which is why many companies selling on both sides of the Atlantic hold ISO 27001 for Europe and SOC 2 for the US. ISO 27001:2022 replaced the 2013 revision, and certified organizations had to transition by October 31, 2025, per the IAF deadline.
When a customer specifically wants an attestation report like SOC 2 (a controls opinion for a period), European auditors use the international ISAE 3000 and ISAE 3402 standards, which parallel the US SSAE structure. On top of that, country and EU schemes exist — Germany's BSI C5 catalogue for cloud services is a well-known example, and an EU-wide cloud certification scheme has been developing.
For most founders the answer is pragmatic: if you already have SOC 2 and Europe asks for "the equivalent," they almost always mean ISO 27001. ISO 27001 Stage 1 + Stage 2 certification audits together start from $5,000 for companies with 1–20 employees/FTEs. Prices depend on scope and final quote. Higher tiers are illustrative planning examples, not observed market statistics or confirmed certification-body rates. Platform fees are included; surveillance, readiness, internal audits and tooling are separate. This is not a fixed-price checkout offer or the full three-year lifecycle cost.
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Related questions
Can one audit firm do SOC 2 and ISO 27001 together?
Often yes, if the firm holds both a CPA license for SOC 2 and ISO 27001 accreditation, or partners with an accredited certification body. Many providers now run a combined audit that shares evidence and fieldwork to save time.
Do I need both SOC 2 and ISO 27001?
Usually not at first. Most US startups start with SOC 2 to close deals; ISO 27001 matters more for international or enterprise buyers. Many companies eventually hold both because auditors can reuse overlapping evidence.
Do government buyers accept SOC 2?
Sometimes. State and local agencies and government contractors often accept a SOC 2 Type 2, but most federal cloud work requires FedRAMP, and defense contracts increasingly require CMMC. SOC 2 helps, yet rarely replaces those government-specific programs.
Does PCI DSS overlap with SOC 2?
Yes, they share many technical controls — access management, encryption, logging, and vulnerability management — but they don't substitute for each other. PCI DSS is a prescriptive, mandatory standard for handling cardholder data; SOC 2 is a flexible CPA attestation.
Does SOC 2 cover AI and LLM features?
Yes, indirectly. SOC 2 has no AI-specific criteria, but its technology-neutral Trust Services Criteria cover any system in your defined scope — including AI and LLM features — for security, availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, and privacy.
Does SOC 2 help with GDPR?
Partly. SOC 2 is not a GDPR certification, but a report with the confidentiality and privacy criteria demonstrates many security safeguards the GDPR expects. You still need GDPR-specific steps like lawful basis, data subject rights, and processing agreements.
Sources: ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard and IAF transition guidance; ISAE 3000/3402 international attestation standards; AuditNex ISO 27001 public planning schedule, 2026. Answer written and maintained by the AuditNex research team; last reviewed July 26, 2026. AuditNex is a marketplace — accredited firms price and scope engagements independently.