Every EU AI Act obligation, mapped to the date it triggers and what to have ready. Bookmark it. We keep it current.
Status as of July 12, 2026: These dates reflect the Digital Omnibus on AI, adopted by Parliament (June 16) and Council (June 29, 2026) and awaiting Official Journal publication. The deferred dates bind on entry into force, three days after publication. Until then, August 2, 2026 formally stands. Every major firm is treating the new dates as the planning baseline.
Coming up
Date | Status | What changes | ✅ Do this |
|---|---|---|---|
Aug 2, 2026 | Imminent | Article 50 transparency applies: chatbot disclosure, deepfake labeling, emotion-recognition notice. AI Office gains GPAI enforcement powers, fines up to €15M or 3% of turnover. Not moved by the Omnibus. | Your live deadline. Every user-facing system must disclose it's AI. Every generative output must be labelable. Don't stand down for the high-risk delay. |
Dec 2, 2026 | Upcoming | Article 50(2) machine-readable marking due for pre-Aug-2 generative systems. Two new Article 5 bans take effect: nudifier/NCII tools and AI-generated CSAM, fines up to €35M or 7%. | Ship watermarking or provenance on legacy generative products. Add safeguards against non-consensual intimate content. |
Aug 2, 2027 | Upcoming | National AI regulatory sandboxes must be operational. Pre-Aug-2025 GPAI models must reach full compliance. | Legacy GPAI grace period ends. Close gaps on pre-2025 foundation models you rely on. |
Dec 2, 2027 | Upcoming | Standalone high-risk obligations (Annex III) apply: recruitment, credit scoring, education, essential services, biometrics. Moved from Aug 2, 2026 (+16 months). | Use the runway, don't bank it. Conformity assessment and human-oversight design take months. |
Aug 2, 2028 | Upcoming | High-risk obligations for AI embedded in regulated products (Annex I): medical devices, machinery. Moved from Aug 2, 2027 (+12 months). | Align AI Act conformity work with your existing sectoral certification cycle. |
Already in force
Date | Status | What changed | ✅ Confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
Aug 1, 2024 | In force | AI Act entered into force. Staged application begins. | Baseline set. Your compliance clock runs from here. |
Feb 2, 2025 | In force | Article 5 prohibited practices apply. Article 4 AI literacy duty begins. | Confirm no banned use cases in your stack. Document staff AI-literacy measures. |
Aug 2, 2025 | In force | GPAI model obligations, governance structure, and penalty framework live. | Building or fine-tuning GPAI? Technical docs, copyright policy, and training-data summary should already exist. |
Intelligence & Compliance. This is a compliance reference, not legal advice.