AI Act timeline
In a nutshell
The dates on which each part of the AI Act starts to apply, from February 2025 to August 2028, updated for the Digital Omnibus.
The AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024, but its obligations arrive in phases. With the changes made by the Digital Omnibus (2026), the timeline is:
- 2 February 2025: prohibited practices and AI literacy.
- 2 August 2025: general-purpose models, national authorities and penalties regime.
- 2 August 2026: general application, including the Article 50 transparency obligations.
- 2 December 2026: ban on "nudifiers" and child sexual abuse material; synthetic-content marking for systems already on the market.
- 2 August 2027: general-purpose models placed on the market before August 2025; deadline for each country's sandbox.
- 2 December 2027: Annex III high-risk systems.
- 2 August 2028: Annex I high-risk systems (regulated products).
A later deadline does not mean you can start late: inventory, classification and documentation take months.
Read more: Full guide to the AI Act key dates: what to do before each deadline.
Reference: Art. 113 AI Act; Reglamento (UE) 2026/1744
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← Back to the glossaryUpdated: October 2026 · Informational content, not legal advice.