Compliance Timeline

The EU AI Act applies in phases. Different obligations become enforceable on different dates, giving organisations time to prepare.

1 August 2024

Entry into Force

Passed

The EU AI Act enters into force — 20 days after publication in the Official Journal on 12 July 2024. The clock starts for all phased application deadlines.

Art. 1 Art. 2 Art. 113

2 February 2025

Prohibited AI Practices Apply

Passed

Chapter II (Article 5) prohibition on unacceptable-risk AI systems takes effect. Systems using subliminal manipulation, social scoring, real-time biometric surveillance, predictive crime profiling, and facial recognition scraping must cease immediately.

Art. 5

2 August 2025

GPAI Model Rules Apply

Passed

Chapter V obligations for General-Purpose AI model providers (Articles 51–56) come into force. All GPAI providers must have technical documentation, copyright policies, and training data summaries in place. Providers of systemic-risk models also need adversarial testing and incident reporting.

Art. 51 Art. 52 Art. 53 Art. 54 Art. 55 Art. 56

2 August 2026

Core Obligations Apply (High-Risk + Transparency)

Approaching

Main body of the AI Act applies. High-risk AI system obligations (Chapters III–IV) take effect. Providers must have quality management systems, technical documentation, conformity assessments, and EU database registrations. Transparency obligations for chatbots and synthetic content (Article 50) also apply.

Art. 6 Art. 9 Art. 10 Art. 11 Art. 13 Art. 14 Art. 15 Art. 17 Art. 43 Art. 47 Art. 49 Art. 50 Art. 71 Art. 72 Art. 73

2 August 2027

Annex I Product AI Rules Apply

Upcoming

High-risk AI systems embedded in products covered by Union harmonisation legislation (Annex I) — such as machinery, medical devices, and vehicles — must comply. These have a 3-year transition period from entry into force.

Art. 6

Note: Dates are based on the EU AI Act entering into force on 1 August 2024 (Regulation EU 2024/1689). All dates shown are EU-law deadlines and may vary for specific transitional provisions. This is for informational purposes only — not legal advice.