Regulatory reference
EU AI Act timeline: every deadline from 2024 to 2028
Next deadline: 2 December 2026. The added prohibitions concerning non-consensual intimate material and child sexual abuse material begin to apply. The table links every date to EUR-Lex or the European Commission.
| Date | What applies | Who it applies to | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 2024 | The AI Act entered into force. | All organisations and public authorities in scope; the transition period began. | AI Act on EUR-Lex, Article 113 |
| 2 Feb 2025 | Most prohibited-practice rules and the first AI literacy provisions began to apply. | Providers and deployers of AI systems in scope. | AI Act on EUR-Lex, Article 113(a) |
| 2 Aug 2025 | General-purpose AI (GPAI) obligations and governance apply, and Member States must have designated their national authorities. | GPAI model providers, the AI Office and Member State authorities. | AI Act on EUR-Lex, Articles 113 and 70 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | The AI Omnibus entered into force and amended the application schedule. | Providers, deployers, importers, distributors and authorities using the amended timetable. | European Commission, European Commission announcement |
| 2 Aug 2026 | General application of the Act, including Article 50 transparency. | Providers and deployers covered by the generally applicable rules; enforcement authorities. | AI Act on EUR-Lex, Article 113 |
| 2 Dec 2026 | The added bans concerning non-consensual intimate material and child sexual abuse material begin to apply. | Providers and deployers of systems covered by those prohibited practices. | AI Act on EUR-Lex, Article 113(a) |
| 2 Aug 2027 | The date the original Act set for Annex I (product-embedded) high-risk systems, and for GPAI models placed on the market before 2 Aug 2025 to comply. The Annex I date was later moved; see 2 Aug 2028. | Providers of GPAI models placed on the market before 2 August 2025. | AI Act on EUR-Lex, Articles 113 and 111(3) |
| 2 Dec 2027 | Annex III high-risk systems apply, as moved by the amendment from the original 2 Aug 2026. | Providers, deployers, importers and distributors of Annex III high-risk systems. | AI Act on EUR-Lex, Article 113(c)(i) |
| 2 Aug 2028 | Annex I (product-embedded) high-risk systems apply, as moved by the amendment from the original 2 Aug 2027. | Providers, deployers, importers and distributors of high-risk systems covered by Annex I product law. | AI Act on EUR-Lex, Article 113(c)(ii) |
Two quick answers
When did the EU AI Act enter into force?
The EU AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024, 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal on 12 July 2024.
When did the original prohibited-practice bans apply?
Most prohibited-practice rules have applied since 2 February 2025. Additional prohibitions added in 2026 apply from 2 December 2026.
How the dates are set
Article 113 of the AI Act sets when each part of it applies. It entered into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal, which is why the first date is 1 August 2024. Most of the Act then applies in stages, with the date of general application on 2 August 2026.
The prohibited practices in Article 5 and the AI literacy duty in Article 4 came first, on 2 February 2025. The rules on general-purpose AI models and the governance structure followed on 2 August 2025. Article 50, which sets transparency duties for systems that interact with people and for certain generated content, applies from the general date of 2 August 2026.
The high-risk dates
In the original text, the high-risk rules for Annex III systems applied from 2 August 2026, and the rules for AI embedded in regulated products (Annex I) from 2 August 2027. The AI Omnibus moved them: Annex III systems now apply from 2 December 2027 and Annex I products from 2 August 2028.
The amended dates appear in the consolidated AI Act on EUR-Lex. The European Commission's entry-into-force announcement also explains the change. If a compliance plan still uses 2 August 2026 for Annex III, it predates the amendment.
What changed in 2026
The AI Omnibus entered into force on 27 July 2026. It extended the Annex III high-risk deadline to 2 December 2027 and the Annex I product deadline to 2 August 2028. It also added prohibited-practice provisions that begin on 2 December 2026. These are enacted changes reflected in the consolidated regulation, not a pending proposal.
More questions about the dates
What is the next EU AI Act deadline?
The next scheduled date is 2 December 2026, when the added prohibitions concerning non-consensual intimate material and child sexual abuse material begin to apply. The next broad high-risk deadline is 2 December 2027 for Annex III systems.
When do the general-purpose AI obligations apply?
The general-purpose AI obligations and the governance rules have applied since 2 August 2025. Under Article 111(3), providers of GPAI models placed on the market before that date have until 2 August 2027 to comply.
When does Article 50 transparency apply?
Article 50 applies from the date of general application, 2 August 2026, as set by Article 113 of the AI Act.
Who enforces these dates
National authorities in each Member State enforce most of the Act, and the AI Office supervises general-purpose AI models. Who they are, and how Member States designate them, is covered in EU AI Act national authorities.