EU AI Act 2026 AI Act deadlines and current status.
The AI Act does not apply all at once but in stages. With the Digital Omnibus, the EU postponed several dates in July 2026. Here are all the deadlines that matter for companies.
As of October 2026, checked against the text of the regulation. General information, not legal advice.
The current status in three sentences
- The prohibitions and the obligation to ensure AI literacy have applied since February 2025.
- The transparency obligations for chatbots, deepfakes and AI content have applied since 2 August 2026.
- The obligations for high-risk AI come only on 2 December 2027 and 2 August 2028.
All deadlines at a glance
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1 August 2024
The AI Act enters into force (Art. 113). No obligations apply yet.
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2 February 2025
General provisions, AI literacy (Art. 4) and prohibitions of certain AI practices (Art. 5).
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2 August 2025
Rules for general-purpose AI models (Chapter V), governance structures and penalties. This mainly concerns providers of large language models.
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27 July 2026
The Digital Omnibus enters into force (Regulation (EU) 2026/1744): new wording of Art. 4, postponed high-risk deadlines, relief for SMEs and small mid-cap companies.
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2 August 2026
The Act applies generally (Art. 113), in particular the transparency obligations under Art. 50.
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2 December 2026
New prohibitions for AI that generates sexualised depictions of identifiable persons without their consent or depictions of child sexual abuse (Art. 5(1), points (ba) and (bb)). By then generative AI systems that were placed on the market before 2 August 2026 must also mark their output in a machine-readable way (Art. 111(4)).
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2 December 2027
Obligations for high-risk AI under Annex III, for example in HR, education or credit assessment (Art. 113(3), point (c)). Originally 2 August 2026 was planned.
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2 August 2028
Obligations for high-risk AI in products under Annex I, for example medical devices, toys or lifts. Originally 2 August 2027 was planned.
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2 August 2030
High-risk AI intended for public authorities that was already on the market earlier must meet the requirements (Art. 111(2)).
What the Digital Omnibus changed
Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 was adopted on 8 July 2026, published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026 and has applied since 27 July 2026. These changes matter for companies:
- The obligations for high-risk AI begin 16 months (Annex III) or 12 months (Annex I) later.
- Art. 4 requires measures to promote AI literacy, but no guaranteed level.
- AI that serves exclusively user support, performance optimisation, automation, operation or quality control without a safety function is not regarded as a safety component (Art. 6(1a)).
- For penalties the interests of SMEs and small mid-cap companies must be taken into account; for small mid-cap companies the lower amount applies to fines (Art. 99(1) and (6a)).
- The prohibitions since 2025 and the start of the transparency obligations on 2 August 2026 remain unchanged.
What this means for your planning
Anyone who uses AI for texts, research, analyses or reading out documents has two things to take care of today: AI literacy in the team and, where necessary, labelling.
Anyone who uses or plans to use AI in recruitment, performance appraisal or credit assessment should use the time until December 2027. The requirements are settled, only the date has moved.
How we support you
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What is due first
We review with you which obligations already apply and begin with your team's AI literacy.
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A plan through 2027
For uses that could become high-risk, we define with you what needs to be done before the deadline.
More on AI consulting.
Frequently asked questions about the deadlines
When does the EU AI Act enter into force?
The AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024. Its obligations apply in stages, the first since 2 February 2025, most since 2 August 2026.
Has the AI Act been postponed?
In part. The Digital Omnibus postponed the obligations for high-risk AI to 2 December 2027 (Annex III) and 2 August 2028 (Annex I). Prohibitions, AI literacy and transparency obligations continue to apply as planned.
Does the labelling obligation already apply?
Yes, since 2 August 2026. Only for generative AI systems that were already on the market earlier does machine-readable marking apply from 2 December 2026 (Art. 111(4)).
What has applied since August 2026?
Since 2 August 2026 the Act applies generally. For most companies this mainly means: transparency obligations under Art. 50 in addition to AI literacy and the prohibitions.
Where do I find the official text?
On EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 and the amending Regulation (EU) 2026/1744.
Would you like to know which deadlines concern your company?
Tell us what your team uses AI for. We will reply personally, free of charge and without obligation.