Enforcement Timeline
Key dates for EU AI Act compliance
Next deadline
High-risk requirements apply124d
EU AI Act enters into force
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 enters into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal. Most provisions apply on a staggered timeline over the following 36 months.
Prohibited practices apply
Prohibitions on banned AI practices (Article 5) and AI literacy requirements (Article 4) become enforceable. Systems performing prohibited practices must cease operation in the EU.
GPAI rules apply
Obligations for providers of general-purpose AI models take effect, including documentation, copyright compliance, training data summaries, and additional obligations for models with systemic risk.
High-risk requirements apply
Full requirements for high-risk AI systems (Articles 6-15, 26-27) and transparency obligations (Article 50) become enforceable. Providers must meet risk management, data governance, documentation, record-keeping, transparency, human oversight, accuracy, and robustness requirements. Registration in the EU database and conformity assessment required before market placement.
Legacy GPAI and large-scale IT systems
Obligations apply to GPAI models already on the market before August 2025, and to high-risk AI systems that are components of large-scale EU IT systems (e.g., Schengen Information System, Visa Information System, Eurodac) listed in Annex X.
Product safety components
Obligations for high-risk AI systems that are safety components of products covered by Annex I Union harmonisation legislation (Pathway A under Article 6(1)) take full effect. These systems must comply with all high-risk requirements and undergo relevant conformity assessment procedures.