EU AI Act Timeline: Every Application Date from 2024 to 2030

The EU AI Act timeline runs from entry into force on 1 August 2024 to the last application date on 31 December 2030, with Article 113 staggering the rules over more than 20 dated steps. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, in force since 27 July 2026, moved the high-risk dates: Chapter III Sections 1 to 3 now apply from 2 December 2027 to Annex III systems and from 2 August 2028 to Annex I systems. As of 24 October 2026, the act applies except for those high-risk sections, two new Article 5 points and the transition deadlines still ahead.

Each date belongs to a provision, and the provision decides who must act. The EU AI Act is Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, published in the Official Journal on 12 July 2024, and its current text holds 119 numbered articles, 14 annexes and 180 recitals. This page sets out every application date and deadline of that text, the dates before the 2026 amendment as history, and the date that fits a given AI system or model.

Compiled by the AIActGuide.net Editorial Team from the Official Journal text; how we check every statement: methodology.

When Did the EU AI Act Enter into Force?

The EU AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024, the twentieth day after its publication in the Official Journal on 12 July 2024 (Article 113, first paragraph). Entry into force made the regulation part of Union law, but it did not make its obligations apply on that day. Application follows the general date of 2 August 2026 in Article 113, second paragraph, and the earlier and later dates in points (a) to (d) of its third paragraph. As a regulation, the act applies directly in every Member State without a national act bringing it into law; national laws implement or supplement it.

Is the EU AI Act in Force on 24 October 2026?

Yes: the EU AI Act is in force and, as of 24 October 2026, applies except for Article 5(1), points (ba) and (bb), the high-risk rules of Chapter III Sections 1 to 3 and the transition deadlines still ahead. Its parts stand on that date in four groups:

• Chapters I and II (since 2 February 2025): Articles 1 to 4, including AI literacy, and Article 5(1), points (a), (b) and (c) to (h).
• Governance, notified bodies, general-purpose AI models and penalties (since 2 August 2025): Chapter III Section 4, Chapters V, VII and XII and Article 78.
• General application (since 2 August 2026): Article 50 transparency, Chapters VI, VIII, IX, X, XI and XIII and the Commission fines of Article 101.
• Not yet applicable: Article 5(1), points (ba) and (bb), and Article 5(1a) and (1b), from 2 December 2026, and Chapter III Sections 1 to 3, except Article 6(5), from 2 December 2027 and 2 August 2028.

The next date is 2 December 2026, when the two new prohibitions apply and generative AI systems placed on the market before 2 August 2026 must meet the Article 50(2) marking duty (Article 111(4)). After that, no application date falls until 2 August 2027.

Every Application Date in One Table: 1 August 2024 to 31 December 2030

Twenty-one dated steps make up the EU AI Act timeline between 1 August 2024 and 31 December 2030, each set by a provision of the act as amended:

Showing 16 of 16

Article 113 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, with Articles 6(5), 43(3), 56(9), 57(1), 70, 72(3), 73(7), 77(2), 96(1)(g), 97(2), 111 and 112. After 2030: the delegation for Articles 2(13) and 30(2) runs to 27 July 2031 (computed), and Article 112(13) requires an enforcement assessment by 2 August 2031; both are reports or powers, not application dates.

The column "Before 27 July 2026" records the date that the 2024 text set, so the moved dates stay visible as history. Dates such as 2 December 2026, 1 August 2027 and 28 January 2028 did not exist before the amendment, and the high-risk rows carry the largest shift.

The Commission's AI Act Service Desk timeline shows eight milestones, from 1 August 2024 to 2 August 2028. Checked on 23 October 2026, it does not show 27 July 2026, 2 September 2027, 28 January 2028, the Article 112 reports, 2 August 2030 or 31 December 2030. Those six steps still bind the Commission, notified bodies and providers of systems already on the market.

How Article 113 Staggers Application: One Entry-into-Force Date, One General Date and Four Exceptions

Article 113 sets one entry-into-force date, one general date of application (2 August 2026) and dated exceptions in points (a) to (d) of its third paragraph. Its six parts, as amended, read:

1. First paragraph: entry into force on 1 August 2024.
2. Second paragraph: general application from 2 August 2026.
3. Point (a): Chapters I and II from 2 February 2025, except Article 5(1), points (ba) and (bb), and Article 5(1a) and (1b), which apply from 2 December 2026.
4. Point (b): Chapter III Section 4, Chapters V, VII and XII and Article 78 from 2 August 2025, except Article 101.
5. Point (c): Chapter III Sections 1, 2 and 3, except Article 6(5), from 2 December 2027 for Annex III systems (point (c)(i)) and from 2 August 2028 for Annex I systems (point (c)(ii)).
6. Point (d): Articles 102 to 110 from 27 July 2026, added by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744.

Article 6(5) is excepted from point (c), so its deadline for the classification guidelines stays 2 February 2026, while Chapter III Sections 1 to 3 are postponed. Further dates sit outside Article 113: the transition rules of Article 111, the Commission deadlines in Articles 6(5), 56(9), 72(3), 73(7) and 96(1)(g), the Member State deadlines in Articles 57(1), 70 and 77(2), and the review reports of Article 112.

The Union legislator chose a regulation, so every date applies in the same way across the Union. No Member State can bring a date forward or push it back, although Member States designate their authorities under Article 70 and lay down penalty rules under Article 99.

Dates Before and After 27 July 2026: What Moved, What Was Added, What Stayed

Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 moved four dates of the EU AI Act timeline, added seven and left the general date of 2 August 2026 unchanged, with effect from 27 July 2026:

The legislator gave its reason in recital 40 of Regulation (EU) 2026/1744: delays in harmonised standards, common specifications, Commission guidance and national competent authorities. The shift is therefore tied to the high-risk sections, not to the act as a whole. Article 50 transparency kept its date of 2 August 2026.

The amending act followed procedure 2025/0359(COD): the Commission proposal COM(2025) 836 of 19 November 2025, a political agreement on 7 May 2026, the Parliament position of 16 June 2026 and Council adoption on 29 June 2026. The Digital Omnibus on AI also changed AI literacy, added the two new prohibitions and widened the powers of the AI Office. A separate Commission proposal, COM(2025) 837, remains pending ("Awaiting committee decision" in the Parliament's legislative observatory on 24 October 2026) and does not amend Regulation (EU) 2024/1689.

The proposal had offered a stop-the-clock mechanism, under which a Commission decision plus 6 or 12 months would have set the high-risk dates. The adopted text dropped it and fixed calendar dates instead.

Enforcement Dates: When Bans, Fines and Supervision Took Effect

Three enforcement dates apply to the EU AI Act: Chapters I and II since 2 February 2025, the penalty rules of Chapter XII since 2 August 2025 and the full enforcement framework, including Commission fines for general-purpose AI model providers, since 2 August 2026. Article 5(1), points (a), (b) and (c) to (h), has prohibited the listed practices since 2 February 2025, while points (ba) and (bb) and Article 5(1a) and (1b) apply from 2 December 2026. A prohibition binds from its own date, but enforcement tools came later.

Fines for breaching those prohibitions became possible from 2 August 2025, when Chapter XII began to apply. Article 99(3) sets the maximum fine that national penalty rules must provide for: EUR 35 000 000 or 7 % of total worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher, and the EU AI Act penalties follow three tiers, with EUR 15 000 000 or 3 % (Article 99(4)) and EUR 7 500 000 or 1 % (Article 99(5)), each whichever is higher. The Commission fines providers of general-purpose AI models under Article 101, up to 3 % of total worldwide annual turnover or EUR 15 000 000, whichever is higher, from 2 August 2026; for AI systems under the AI Office's exclusive competence, Article 75c(4) applies Article 99(3) to (7) mutatis mutandis.

National market surveillance procedures under Chapter IX started on 2 August 2026. The Commission's press release IP/26/1714 of 31 July 2026 split the work: the AI Office supervises AI systems from the same provider as the general-purpose AI model and systems in very large online platforms and search engines designated under the Digital Services Act, national competent authorities supervise other AI systems, and the European Data Protection Supervisor covers Union institutions.

AI literacy under Article 4 has applied since 2 February 2025, and the Commission's AI literacy questions and answers (last update 20 October 2026) state that national market surveillance authorities supervise it from 2 August 2026. Article 4 is not listed in Article 99(4).

Commission and Member State Deadlines: Guidelines, Codes, Templates and Authorities

Twelve deadlines in the EU AI Act bind the Commission and the Member States rather than operators, and three of them passed without the deliverable in final form on the date:

The three late deliverables are the code of practice under Article 56(9), published on 10 July 2025 instead of 2 May 2025, the serious-incident guidance under Article 73(7), and the Article 6(5) classification guidelines. A late Commission deliverable does not move an operator's date.

Draft and final texts are tracked in the register of EU AI Act guidelines, which dates each Commission document. The Article 6(5) guidelines remain a draft of 19 May 2026 on 24 October 2026, and the Commission announced on 19 May 2026 that the final guidelines will be adopted by the end of 2026. That announcement is not a legal deadline.

Member States carry the remaining duties. Article 70 provides that each Member State shall establish or designate at least one notifying authority and at least one market surveillance authority, designate one market surveillance authority as single point of contact and make the contact details public by 2 August 2025, and Article 70(6) requires a report on their resources by that date and every two years after it.

Date Finder: Which Application Date Applies to Your AI System or Model

Three facts decide which date applies to an AI system or model: what it is, which route makes it high-risk, and when it was placed on the market. The table gives an orientation, not a legal assessment.

Orientation only, not a legal assessment.

High-risk AI systems follow two classification routes, and each route has its own date. The high-risk AI systems of Annex III, eight areas and 25 use cases unchanged by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, meet Chapter III Sections 1 to 3 from 2 December 2027, while Annex I products meet them from 2 August 2028.

The placing date matters for four groups: generative systems, general-purpose AI models, Annex X components and high-risk systems already on the market. The Annex I date reaches Section A products in full, while Section B products, such as machinery under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, are reached only through the provisions named in Article 2(2).

Article 111(2) covers high-risk AI systems placed on the market or put into service "before the date of application of Chapter III referred to in Article 113" only if their designs change significantly. The provision names no calendar date for that cut-off. Systems intended for use by public authorities comply by 2 August 2030, the last high-risk transition date for systems already on the market.

Which Dates Apply to Providers, Deployers, Model Providers and Member States

Each operator role meets the timeline at different dates: every provider and deployer since 2 February 2025, providers of general-purpose AI models since 2 August 2025 and deployers of Annex III systems from 2 December 2027. The AI Act roles decide the date, because Article 3(8) names six operators (provider, product manufacturer, deployer, authorised representative, importer and distributor) and each carries different articles. Since 27 July 2026, Article 4 requires providers and deployers to "take measures to support the development of AI literacy", a duty that applies from the first date.

The Article 27 impact assessment binds deployers that are bodies governed by public law or private entities providing public services, and deployers of Annex III points 5(b) and 5(c), before they deploy an Article 6(2) system other than one in Annex III point 2; Annex I systems are outside it. The EU AI Act obligations of each operator therefore start on the earliest date that matches its role and system.

The Seven Milestone Dates and Their Pages

The seven milestone dates of the EU AI Act run from 2 February 2025, when Chapters I and II began to apply, to 2 August 2028, when Chapter III Sections 1 to 3 reach Annex I systems:

Three of the seven dates had passed by 24 October 2026, and four lie ahead.

How to Plan Compliance Around the Remaining Dates

Five operator dates remain ahead as of 24 October 2026 (2 December 2026, 2 August 2027, 2 December 2027, 2 August 2028 and 2 August 2030), plus 31 December 2030 for Annex X components. Planning works backwards from the date that fits each system, in five steps:

1. Check every generative system placed before 2 August 2026 against Article 50(2) and every practice against the two new Article 5 points before 2 December 2026.
2. Record the placing date of each AI system and model, since Article 111 attaches transitions to it.
3. Classify each system under Article 6 as an Annex III or Annex I system, or neither.
4. Plan the work on Chapter III Sections 1 to 3 before the date that applies to the route.
5. Track the Commission deliverables still due, such as the final classification guidelines and the post-market monitoring template.

Steps 2 and 3 come first, because every later date depends on the placing date and the route. A full programme for providers and deployers is set out in the guide to EU AI Act compliance, which orders the work from inventory to monitoring. The programme applies the same dates as this timeline.

Annex III providers have about 13 months from 24 October 2026 to the 2 December 2027 date. Annex I providers have about 21 months to 2 August 2028.

Each obligation can be traced to a role and a date. The EU AI Act checklist sorts the obligations by role and risk class, with every deadline. A checklist entry never replaces the text of Article 113.

EU AI Act Timeline: Related Questions

Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, Articles 2, 3(8) and 113 of the act and procedure 2021/0106(COD) answer the questions on postponement, reach, operators, adoption, text version, national laws and product laws.

Was the Timeline Postponed?

The timeline was amended, not suspended: Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 moved the high-risk dates and kept 2 August 2026.

The Digital Omnibus on AI set Chapter III Sections 1 to 3 to 2 December 2027 for Annex III and 2 August 2028 for Annex I systems. The proposed stop-the-clock mechanism was not adopted.

Do the Dates Apply to Companies outside the EU?

The dates apply in the same way to providers established outside the Union that place AI systems or models on the Union market.

The EU AI Act for non-EU companies explains when Article 2 reaches them. A non-EU provider of a general-purpose AI model has been bound since 2 August 2025.

Who Has to Meet These Dates?

Six operator roles defined in Article 3(8) meet these dates, together with the Commission and the Member States.

The page on who the EU AI Act applies to sets out the material, personal and territorial scope of Article 2. Each role meets the dates of the provisions addressed to it.

Did the EU AI Act Pass, and When Was It Signed?

The EU AI Act passed: the Parliament voted on 13 March 2024, the Council adopted it on 21 May 2024, and both signed it on 13 June 2024.

The EU AI Act legislative history traces the procedure 2021/0106(COD) from the Commission proposal COM(2021) 206 of 21 April 2021. Publication followed on 12 July 2024.

Which Version of the Text Shows the Current Dates?

The consolidated text 02024R1689-20260727 shows the current dates, but it is a documentation tool without legal effect.

The EU AI Act full text sets out both Official Journal publications, which are the authentic texts. Article 113 reads there as amended with effect from 27 July 2026.

Do National Implementation Laws Have Their Own Dates?

National implementation laws carry their own entry-into-force dates, but they cannot change the dates of a directly applicable regulation.

The AI Act national competent authorities are listed per Member State with the national law and its date. A national law can designate authorities or lay down penalty rules, but the application dates stay those of Article 113.

Which Other EU Product Laws Have Dates That Interact with the Timeline?

The Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 14 January 2027 and is listed in Annex I Section B point 21.

For Section B products, the AI Act applies only through Articles 6(1), 60a and 102 to 112.

Frequently Asked Questions about the EU AI Act Timeline

When did the EU AI Act come into force?

On 1 August 2024, the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal on 12 July 2024 (Article 113, first paragraph). Entry into force did not make the obligations apply; they follow the dates of Article 113.

What is the EU AI Act effective date?

The act has two dates often called effective: entry into force on 1 August 2024 and the general date of application on 2 August 2026 (Article 113, second paragraph). Earlier and later exceptions apply to named chapters.

What is the next EU AI Act deadline?

2 December 2026. On that date Article 5(1), points (ba) and (bb), and Article 5(1a) and (1b) apply, and generative systems placed on the market before 2 August 2026 must meet Article 50(2) (Article 111(4)).

Does everything in the AI Act apply from 2 August 2026?

No. Chapter III Sections 1 to 3 apply from 2 December 2027 (Annex III) and 2 August 2028 (Annex I). Article 5(1), points (a), (b) and (c) to (h), has applied since 2 February 2025; points (ba) and (bb) and Article 5(1a) and (1b) apply from 2 December 2026.

What is the last date in the AI Act timeline?

31 December 2030, when AI components of Annex X large-scale IT systems placed on the market before 2 August 2027 must comply (Article 111(1)). Reports and powers continue to 2031, but they are not application dates.

Are the dates the same in every Member State?

Yes. The AI Act is a regulation, directly applicable in all 27 Member States, so its dates are the same everywhere. National laws implement or supplement it, for example by designating authorities and setting penalty rules.