All Deadlines at a Glance
| Date | What Applies | Key Articles | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 2024 | EU AI Act enters into force | Art. 113 | ✓ In Effect |
| 2 Feb 2025 | Prohibited practices + AI literacy | Arts. 4, 5 | ✓ In Effect |
| 2 May 2025 | GPAI codes of practice due | Chapter V | ✓ In Effect |
| 2 Aug 2025 | GPAI rules + governance + penalties | Chs. III§4, V, VII, XII | ✓ In Effect |
| 2 Aug 2026 | Majority of rules — high-risk enforcement starts | Full Reg., Annex III | Upcoming — Critical |
| 2 Aug 2027 | High-risk AI in regulated products | Art. 6(1), Annex I | Upcoming |
Detailed Timeline
1 August 2024
EU AI Act Enters into Force
The regulation was published in the Official Journal and entered into force. The 24-month countdown to full application began. At this point, no obligations were directly enforceable yet — this date simply started the clock.
Article 113
2 February 2025
Prohibited Practices + AI Literacy Apply
All 8 banned AI practices under Article 5 became enforceable — social scoring, subliminal manipulation, untargeted facial scraping, emotion recognition in workplaces and schools, biometric categorisation on sensitive attributes, and more. AI literacy obligations (Article 4) also kicked in: providers and deployers must ensure staff have sufficient understanding of the AI systems they work with. Penalties for prohibited practice violations: up to €35 million or 7% of global turnover.
Articles 4, 5 · Chapters I, II
2 May 2025
GPAI Codes of Practice Due
Codes of practice for General-Purpose AI model providers were supposed to be finalised by this date, giving providers a framework to demonstrate compliance ahead of the August 2025 enforcement. These codes cover transparency, copyright compliance, and training data documentation.
Chapter V
2 August 2025
GPAI Rules + Governance Operational
Rules for General-Purpose AI models became fully applicable. All GPAI providers must now maintain technical documentation, provide downstream provider information, comply with copyright rules, and publish training data summaries. GPAI models with systemic risk (>10^25 FLOPs) face additional obligations: adversarial testing, incident reporting, cybersecurity measures, and energy consumption reporting. Governance structures, notified body frameworks, and penalty provisions also took effect.
Chapters III§4, V, VII, XII · Article 78
2 August 2026
Majority of Rules Apply — Full Enforcement Starts
This is the deadline that matters most. All high-risk AI systems listed in Annex III must comply with the full set of requirements under Articles 8–15: risk management, data governance, technical documentation, record-keeping, transparency, human oversight, accuracy, robustness, and cybersecurity. Market surveillance authorities begin active enforcement. Deployer obligations (Article 26) are fully enforceable, including fundamental rights impact assessments (Article 27). Transparency obligations under Article 50 (chatbots, deepfakes, emotion recognition disclosure) also kick in. Penalties for non-compliance: up to €15 million or 3% of global turnover for most obligations, and up to €35 million or 7% for prohibited practices already in force.
Full Regulation · Annex III
2 August 2027
High-Risk AI in Regulated Products
The final transition period ends. High-risk AI systems used as safety components of products covered by existing EU harmonised legislation — medical devices, machinery, vehicles, toys, lifts, marine equipment — must now comply with the AI Act on top of their existing product safety regulations. This affects AI embedded in physical products under Annex I, Section B.
Article 6(1) · Annex I
Digital Omnibus Watch
The European Commission's Digital Omnibus proposal (November 2025) could conditionally push back certain high-risk AI system deadlines from August 2026 to as late as December 2027 — but only if harmonised technical standards aren't available in time. As of March 2026, this proposal is under legislative review by the European Parliament and Council. It is not enacted law.
Our recommendation: Plan for 2 August 2026 as your compliance deadline. If Omnibus relief materialises, treat it as bonus time for refinement — not a reason to delay starting. Evidence assembly, risk management system setup, and training programmes take months, not weeks.
What Applies When — By Obligation Type
| Obligation | Enforcement Date | Who It Affects | Max Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prohibited practices (Art. 5) | 2 Feb 2025 | All providers & deployers | €35M / 7% |
| AI literacy (Art. 4) | 2 Feb 2025 | All providers & deployers | €15M / 3% |
| GPAI model obligations (Arts. 51-56) | 2 Aug 2025 | GPAI model providers | €15M / 3% |
| High-risk requirements (Arts. 8-15) | 2 Aug 2026 | High-risk AI providers | €15M / 3% |
| Deployer obligations (Art. 26) | 2 Aug 2026 | High-risk AI deployers | €15M / 3% |
| Transparency (Art. 50) | 2 Aug 2026 | Chatbots, deepfakes, emotion AI | €15M / 3% |
| Harmonised product AI (Annex I) | 2 Aug 2027 | AI in regulated products | €15M / 3% |
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the EU AI Act fully apply?
Could the Digital Omnibus delay the August 2026 deadline?
What penalties apply from which date?
Which obligations are already in force?
How many days until the August 2026 deadline?
Related Resources
Need Audit-Ready Compliance Toolkits?
Templates, checklists, and evidence packs built for the August 2, 2026 deadline.
View Compliance Toolkits →Disclaimer & Sources
This page is provided for educational and informational purposes only by Move78 International Limited. It doesn't constitute legal advice. Regulatory interpretation may evolve as enforcement develops and as the Digital Omnibus proposal progresses.
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Eur-Lex) · AI Act Service Desk · EC AI Policy