The EU AI Act arrives in stages.
The next one lands 2 December 2026.
The Digital Omnibus moved the high-risk deadlines — and most of what is written online still shows the old dates. This page is generated from one verified dataset, checked against the legislation in the EU's Official Journal, and updated the moment a date moves. If it says a date here, it is the current law.
Every EU AI Act date and deadline
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What changed
The EU AI Act entered into force. Nothing became due that day — its obligations apply in stages from the dates below.
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What changed
The Digital Omnibus was adopted, deferring the high-risk deadlines to December 2027 and August 2028.
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Already in force
Article 50 transparency duties and enforcement powers for national regulators.
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You are here
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Upcoming
High-risk obligations for Annex III systems — including AI used in recruitment, credit scoring, education and essential services.
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Upcoming
High-risk obligations for Annex I systems — AI embedded in products already covered by EU product safety law.
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What this means for your business
Using AI tools today?
Transparency duties and regulator enforcement powers are the earliest wave — and they cover ordinary businesses using ordinary AI tools, not just the companies building them. If your team uses AI that EU customers or staff encounter, this wave is yours.
AI in recruitment, credit or education?
Those are Annex III high-risk uses. The Digital Omnibus bought you time — it did not remove the obligations. Risk classification, human oversight procedures and documentation take months to build properly, not weeks.
Getting the dates wrong is its own risk
Penalties scale to the breach: up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover, whichever is LOWER for a small or medium business — in practice 7% of turnover for prohibited practices, and up to €15 million or 3% of global annual turnover, whichever is LOWER for a small or medium business — in practice 3% of turnover for high-risk violations. Planning against out-of-date deadlines means paying for compliance twice — or discovering an obligation after it applies.
EU AI Act dates, answered.
What are the EU AI Act deadlines?
The Act applies in stages. Still to come: 2 December 2026 — New prohibitions, and Article 50(2) marking of synthetic content. 2 August 2027 — Every Member State must have an AI regulatory sandbox running. 2 December 2027 — High-risk obligations for Annex III systems — including AI used in recruitment, credit scoring, education and essential services. 2 August 2028 — High-risk obligations for Annex I systems — AI embedded in products already covered by EU product safety law. Already in force: 2 August 2025 — Obligations for general-purpose AI models. 2 August 2026 — Article 50 transparency duties and enforcement powers for national regulators.
What is the EU AI Act enforcement date?
There is no single date — the Act applies in stages. National regulators' enforcement powers came in this wave: Article 50 transparency duties and enforcement powers for national regulators. Already in force — since 2 August 2026. The remaining obligations follow on the dates listed above.
When does the EU AI Act apply to my business?
If your business uses AI that customers or staff in the EU encounter, the earliest wave already reaches you: Article 50 transparency duties and enforcement powers for national regulators. Already in force — since 2 August 2026. If you use AI in recruitment, credit scoring, education or essential services, those are high-risk uses under Annex III, and their obligations apply from 2 December 2027.
What did the Digital Omnibus change?
The Digital Omnibus was adopted, deferring the high-risk deadlines to December 2027 and August 2028. High-risk obligations for Annex III systems now apply from 2 December 2027, and for Annex I systems — AI built into products already covered by EU product safety law — from 2 August 2028. Much of what is published online still shows the dates it replaced — every date on this page is the current one.
What are the fines under the EU AI Act?
Up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover, whichever is LOWER for a small or medium business — in practice 7% of turnover for prohibited practices, and up to €15 million or 3% of global annual turnover, whichever is LOWER for a small or medium business — in practice 3% of turnover for high-risk violations.
Get the framework that answers these dates
Fixed-price EU AI Act compliance frameworks in plain English — risk classification, policies, human oversight procedures and the documentation regulators expect. From £497.