Privacy Policy

Our Commitment

As one of our valued Member (hereinafter “You”), it is always a pleasure to welcome you in our organisation. Our first priority to offer you is that you feel safe and well cared forat your home or other residence in the Algarve, wherever you are in the Algarve.

Your full satisfaction and faith in ECDE International, Lda is essential to us.

We respect our customers and consider it our highest priority to you, together with our partners in safety and care, an unprecedented and unique service in the Algarve to offer.

We recognize that privacy is part of your expectations as a Member.

Therefore, we have designed and implemented this Privacy policy to protect personal customer information which describes how ECDE uses your Personal Information on the base of ECDE’s “7 Privacy Principles” ( hereinafter “ECDE 7 Privacy Principles” ) which constitute core principles for ECDE International, Lda and which therefore apply throughout the ECDE Group (ECDE International, Lda and its subsidiaries) worldwide.

Consent to this Privacy Policy

You should read this Privacy Policy carefully before providing us with any of Your “Personal Information” (hereinafter referred to as “PI”), i.e. any information collected and recorded in any format that identifies you personally, whether directly (e.g. name) or indirectly (e.g. phone number).

This Privacy Policy is part of ECDE’s terms and conditions governing our services. By accepting said terms and conditions, you expressly consent to this Privacy Policy.

ECDE International may use Your PI for own marketing purposes. If required by applicable law, you will be requested to give your prior express consent to receive such marketing materials.

ECDE 7 Privacy Principles

The following constitute ECDE 7 Privacy Principles, which apply throughout the ECDE International Group worldwide.

1. Transparency: When collecting and processing Your PI, we will provide you with relevant information and notice, for what purposes and who are the recipients.
2. Legitimacy: We will collect and process Your PI only for the purposes which are mentioned to you in this Privacy Policy.
3. Relevance & Accuracy: We will only collect PI which is necessary for the purposes of the data processing as set out in this Privacy Policy. We will take all reasonable measures to ensure you that the PI that we have stored is accurate and up to date.
4. Storage: We will keep Your PI in accordance with local law requirements.
5. Access, Rectification and Objection: We offer you the opportunity, by appointment only, to see your PI at our office.
   For maintaining a good quality and keeping up to date “member information, we will ask you twice a year, to provide us any changes to the information.
   For change data (address / drugs / pets) that are important for delivering accurate information to the authorities, we need your signature, so you should always change this in writing.
   There is also a possibility to object to the use of your PI for marketing purposes. See below for contact information (Article 13).
6. Confidentiality & Security: We will implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect Your PI against accidental or unlawful alteration or loss, or from unauthorized use, disclosure or access.
7. Sharing & International Transfer: We may share Your PI within ECDE International or with third parties (such as emergency services) for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. We will take appropriate measures to secure such sharing and transfer.

If you have any questions about these ECDE 7 Privacy Principles, please contact ECDE Data Privacy Contact as described in section 13 of this Privacy Policy.

Our Scope

This Privacy Policy is applicable to:

1. Any data that is performed by ECDE, owned or controlled by ECDE International, Lda.
2. All websites of ECDE International, Lda and in special imergencies.com

Although this Privacy Policy does not apply to franchised organisations, ECDE International will use reasonable efforts to promote and request that the ECDE 7 Privacy Principles be implemented by the said franchisees and that the said franchisees comply with all applicable laws in processing Your PI.

What Personal Information?

As a Member of ECDE International, You may be asked, at various times, to provide PI about Yourself and Your family members, such as:

• Contact information, e.g. name, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, postal addresses, etc.
• Other personal details: date of birth; nationality;
• Partner Information: name, birth date and age;
• Personal, confidential information (physician, blood type, medications, allergies, etc.);
• Membership numbers ECDE or other partners of ECDE with whom you are logged;
• Information about your contact person in an emergency in the country of origin / home country (full name, address, phone, etc.);
• Information about your pets and your house key holder;
• Vehicle information and Vehicle insurance information;
• Your membership number for club discounts, such as AFPOP or Dutch club Algarve.

We do not knowingly collect PI from children under the age of 18, except name, date of birth and nationality as provided directly by an adult on their behalf or with adult’s permission. Please make sure that your children do not provide us with any PI without your permission, e.g. online. If you believe your child has submitted PI to us, please contact us so that we can delete such PI.

Generally, we do not knowingly collect sensitive information such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health or sex life details.

In addition, depending on the applicable law, other data than those listed above may also be considered as sensitive data:
credit card number, leisure habits, personal activities and hobbies, cultural habits, etc.

However, we may need to collect such data which may be considered as sensitive, to satisfy your request or provide you with specific services such as any disability access facilities.

In such case, if required by applicable law, we will ask you to expressly consent that we collect and process such sensitive information.

When is my Personal Information Collected?

PI may be collected in certain circumstances including without limitation as follows:

1. Filling out the registration form of ECDE International;
2. Your participation in loyalty programs and marketing campaigns, joining loyalty programs, participate in surveys about satisfaction (customer satisfaction research) E-mail subscription to a newsletter with special offers and Hot Deals;
3. The transfer of your data to third parties, Red Cross, INEM, Hospitals, Fire Police in case of an emergency;
4. Your activities on the Internet, access to the site of ECDE International (IP address, session cookies) online entry form (using special services, surveys, downloads from the website imergencies.com).

What are the Purposes?

We use Your PI for the following purposes:

1. To manage your membership:
   Managing your membership.
   Optimal management for emergency services (primary interest). Administration to manage your membership.
   Manage your accounts (additional services) ECDE Emergency Cards Management, Management regarding your pets, Making and saving the necessary legal, accounting data.
   Management of internal customer list with payment or behavioral problems.
2. To improve our services, including:
   To process your PI in ECDE’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program;
   To better understand your needs and requests;
   To tailor our products and services to better suit your desires.
3. To send you newsletters, promotions or contact you about new services or about ECDE partners.
   You can choose to unsubscribe from our Email Newsletters service by clicking a link in one of our email newsletters.
4. To secure and improve your use of ECDE Internet websites, including:
   To improve website navigation and;
   To implement security and fraud prevention means.
5. To comply with local regulations (e.g. retention of business or accounting documents).

Sharing of your Personal Information

As a company, we strive to offer you the same level of service always and everywhere.

To this end, subject to your rights set forth in section 13 below, we may have to share your PI with internal or external recipients in the following ways:

In order to offer the best possible service from ECDE International and its partners (emergency services), we are entitled to use your PI and allow authorized employees of our business units to have access to this information.

In particular, employees of ECDE International and in general, all employees of the partner organizations of ECDE International interested in information from certain categories of personal information, for example, Hospitals (medications, allergies) and veterinarians (for your pets, if necessary).

International Transfers

We may transfer for the purposes set forth in Article 7 of this Privacy Policy your Personal Information to recipients, internal or external, which may be located in countries with different levels of PI protection.

Therefore, in addition to the implementation of the present Privacy Policy, ECDE implements, appropriate measures, including contractual clauses, to secure transfer of your PI to any ECDE International entity or external recipient located in a country with a level of protection different from the one existing in the country in which the PI is collected.

Data Security

ECDE International takes appropriate technical and organisational measures, in accordance with local law requirements, to protect Your PI against accidental or unlawful destruction or accidental loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure or access.

To this end, we have implemented technical measures such as firewalls and organisational measures such as a login/efficient password system, physical protection, etc.

All information from the ECDE International database will be transferred via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt such Personal Information.

Session Cookies / External Links

ECDE International uses persistent cookies to manage your session on the ECDE’s websites and to personalize your online experience (automatic recognition, etc.).

We also collect technical information on your computer each time you open a page during your visit to our sites.

This information includes Your IP (Internet Protocol) address, the operating system used, the type of browser, the screen resolution and the origin website address, as needed.

We collect this information to improve the quality of your visit to our site and do not sell or transfer this information to third parties.

These temporary cookies are a built-in feature of the technology used. Most browsers automatically accept these cookies, but you can delete them or have them automatically refused.

As each browser is different, you should refer to the “Help” section on your browser toolbar to find out how to set your preferences regarding cookies. However, you may not be able to use certain features on our site if you choose not to accept cookies.

We may offer you advertising or links to third-parties’ websites which may collect PI about you when you view or click on their advertising or content through the use of cookies.

ECDE International cannot control this collection of information and accepts no responsibility for this collection, use or disclosure of your PI by third-party companies. You should contact these advertisers or content providers if you have any questions about their use of the PI they collect.

Your visit to these third-parties’ websites is in no way subject to this Privacy Policy. ECDE International takes no responsibility for any privacy policies or practices of any third-parties’ web sites accessible from ECDE’s websites.

Data Storage

We will store Your PI only for the time necessary for the purposes stated in this Privacy Policy, or as permitted by the applicable law.

Access and Modification

You have the right to access, modify or delete Your PI. You can also object to the processing of Your PI as described in this Privacy Policy provided that you have legitimate reasons. However, please note that if you object, we may in certain circumstances be unable to provide you with the service requested.

If You wish to exercise your rights on your PI held by ECDE International, Lda then you must contact the service manager, at +351 707 910 058 or send an e-mail to admin@ecde.org.

To object to the processing of Your PI for marketing purposes or if you encounter any problem when exercising your rights, you can contact the dedicated Data Privacy Contact of ECDE International, Lda:

ECDE International, Lda
Data Privacy Department
Advocado Dr. Gina Mendes
Rua João Augusto Jesaja – Edif. Trigueiros 8A
8700 – 254 Olhão, Portugal

In the interests of protecting the privacy of all the ECDE International Members, we will need to identify you properly prior to responding to your request.
To this end, we may request a copy of a valid identification paper such as a current driver’s license, identity card or passport.

If your PI is not accurate, complete or up to date, please provide ECDE International Data Privacy with your request for correction.

Any requests for correction will be dealt with as soon as practicable or in compliance with applicable law.
You can use the downloadable update form from our webpage imergencies.com and send it signed to, ECDE International Member Service at the following address:

ECDE International Lda
Membership Services
Apartado 1120
8700 – 281 Olhão, Portugal
E-mail: info@ecde.org
Phone: +351 707 910 058

Updates to the Privacy Policy

We may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time as indicated below.

Therefore, we invite you to read this Privacy Policy regularly.

Questions / Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how ECDE International processes your PI in general, please contact us at Membership Services as mentioned above.