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EU AI Act Deadline Checker

When does the EU AI Act apply to your AI system? Pick how it is used and get your exact compliance deadline, a live countdown, and the obligations you must meet.

Quick answer

The EU AI Act applies in phases, not all at once. Prohibited AI practices have been banned since 2 February 2025. General-purpose AI model obligations apply from 2 August 2025. Most high-risk (Annex III) obligations and transparency duties apply from 2 August 2026. High-risk AI inside already-regulated products (Annex I) applies from 2 August 2027. The Act entered into force on 1 August 2024.

The EU AI Act phased-application calendar

Every fixed deadline in Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, in order.

  1. 2 February 2025Prohibited practices ban + AI literacy

    The Article 5 ban on prohibited AI practices and the Article 4 AI-literacy duty apply.

  2. 2 August 2025General-purpose AI (GPAI) obligations + governance

    Obligations for providers of general-purpose AI models apply, alongside the governance and penalties framework.

  3. 2 August 2026High-risk (Annex III) systems + transparency

    The bulk of the Act applies, including Annex III high-risk obligations and the Article 50 transparency duties.

  4. 2 August 2027High-risk AI in regulated products (Annex I)

    Obligations apply to high-risk AI that is a safety component of products already regulated under the Annex I harmonised legislation.

Deadlines by AI system category

A practice on the banned list (e.g. social scoring, untargeted face-scraping)

Already banned since 2 February 2025

AI uses the Act prohibits outright because they pose an unacceptable risk to fundamental rights. These cannot be placed on the EU market at all.

Article 5 — prohibited AI practices

A general-purpose / foundation AI model you provide (e.g. an LLM you train or fine-tune and distribute)

Applies from 2 August 2025

You are a provider of a general-purpose AI (GPAI) model — a model trained on broad data that can be adapted to many downstream tasks and that you make available to others.

Articles 53–55 — GPAI model obligations

AI used in a high-stakes area (hiring, credit, education, biometrics, essential services, law enforcement)

Applies from 2 August 2026

Your system is listed in Annex III as high-risk because it materially affects health, safety, or fundamental rights in a sensitive domain.

Annex III + Articles 8–27 — high-risk obligations

AI that is a safety component of an already-regulated product (medical device, machinery, vehicle, toy)

Applies from 2 August 2027

Your AI is a safety component of, or is itself, a product covered by the EU harmonised legislation in Annex I — so it already undergoes third-party conformity assessment.

Annex I + Article 6(1) — regulated-product high-risk

AI that interacts with people or generates content (chatbot, deepfake, AI-generated media)

Transparency duties apply from 2 August 2026

Your system is not high-risk but is subject to transparency duties because users should know they are dealing with AI or AI-generated content.

Article 50 — transparency obligations

Everyday business AI with no special risk (spam filter, recommendations, inventory forecasting)

No mandatory deadline

Your system carries minimal risk and has no mandatory obligations under the Act, though voluntary codes of conduct are encouraged.

Recital 165 / Article 95 — minimal risk & voluntary codes

EU AI Act deadlines — FAQ

When does the EU AI Act apply to my business?

It depends on what your AI does. Prohibited practices have been banned since 2 February 2025. General-purpose AI model obligations apply from 2 August 2025. Most high-risk obligations (Annex III) and the transparency duties apply from 2 August 2026. High-risk AI inside already-regulated products (Annex I) applies from 2 August 2027. The deadline checker above maps your system to the right date.

What is the 2 August 2026 EU AI Act deadline?

On 2 August 2026 the bulk of the EU AI Act becomes enforceable, including obligations for Annex III high-risk systems (employment, credit, education, biometrics, essential services, law enforcement) and the Article 50 transparency duties for chatbots and AI-generated content. By that date providers of high-risk systems need a risk-management system, Annex IV technical documentation, conformity assessment, CE marking and EU-database registration.

Does the EU AI Act apply to companies outside the EU?

Yes. The Act applies extraterritorially. If your AI system is placed on the EU market, put into service in the EU, or its output is used in the EU, the obligations apply regardless of where your company is based — which is why US, UK, and other non-EU providers are in scope.

How long does EU AI Act compliance take to prepare?

For a high-risk system, a realistic standing-start timeline to CE marking is roughly 9 to 18 months, covering classification, risk management, Annex IV documentation, data governance, conformity assessment and (where required) notified-body engagement. Organisations targeting the August 2026 deadline should already be in execution.

What happens if I miss the EU AI Act deadline?

Non-compliance can attract fines of up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for prohibited-practice breaches, and up to €15 million or 3% for other high-risk and GPAI breaches. National market-surveillance authorities can also order systems to be withdrawn from the market.

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Informational tool based on the public application dates of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (the EU AI Act). Not legal advice. Dates reflect the Act's phased application; always confirm against the current official text for your specific system.