EU AI Act Timeline: What's In Force, What's Coming, and When
The EU AI Act's implementation schedule was amended in July 2026. This page reflects the current timeline as of September 2026 - the dates you need to track, and what changed from the original schedule.
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The EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) entered into force on 1 August 2024 and applies in phases. As of September 2026: prohibited practices, AI literacy obligations, and GPAI (general-purpose AI) obligations are already in force. Core transparency duties under Article 50 took effect in August 2026. In July 2026, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (the "Digital Omnibus") revised the schedule for high-risk AI systems and several other provisions - pushing some deadlines back by 12–16 months from their original dates.
Timeline - What's Already In Force
1 August 2024
1 August 2024
The AI Act enters into force.
The compliance countdown begins.
2 February 2025
2 February 2025
Prohibited AI practices (Article 5) and AI literacy obligations become applicable.
2 August 2025
2 August 2025
GPAI (general-purpose AI) model obligations become applicable.
Article 99 penalties become enforceable alongside the governance architecture.
2 August 2026
2 August 2026
Core transparency duties under Article 50 take effect. The AI Office's enforcement powers over GPAI providers become active.
What the July 2026 Digital Omnibus Changed
Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 was published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026 and amended the original implementation schedule:
- High-risk systems (Annex III, standalone) — postponed to 2 December 2027
- High-risk systems (Annex I, product-embedded, e.g. medical devices, lifts, radio equipment) - postponed to 2 August 2028
- New prohibited-practice provisions (non-consensual intimate imagery, CSAM-related prohibitions) - apply from 2 December 2026If your AI system affects people in the EU, your location doesn't exempt you.
- rticle 50(2) synthetic content marking - postponed to 2 December 2026 for systems already on the market before August 2026; systems placed on the market after that date must comply immediately
- National AI regulatory sandbox requirement — postponed from 2 August 2026 to 2 August 2027
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Frequently Asked Questions
Following the July 2026 Digital Omnibus, standalone high-risk systems (Annex III) must comply by 2 December 2027, and product-embedded high-risk systems (Annex I) by 2 August 2028.
Yes, partially. Prohibited practices, AI literacy obligations, and GPAI obligations have applied since 2025. Core transparency duties took effect in August 2026. High-risk system obligations are not yet in force.
The Commission cited the absence of finalized harmonized technical standards and delayed Article 6 classification guidance as reasons businesses due to comply from August 2026 would have faced obligations without a clear compliance roadmap.
It's possible. The current schedule reflects Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 as of September 2026; businesses should treat compliance deadlines as subject to revision rather than fixed indefinitely.
No. Conformity assessment, technical documentation, and governance processes typically take months to build. Waiting until close to the new deadlines leaves little room for correction if gaps are found.
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Please note: We do not provide any personalized investment advice, token selection guidance, or transaction recommendations. AMLzone is a compliance consultancy and project management services provider, not a Virtual Asset Advisor.