Binding law · 2 December 2026
The 2 December 2026 Article 50 deadline is a limited transition, not a new general start date.
Providers of synthetic-content AI systems placed on the EU market before 2 August 2026 have until 2 December 2026 to take the necessary steps to comply with Article 50(2) marking and detection requirements.
Published and legally reviewed: 29 September 2026.
Direct answer
Article 50 generally already applies.
The general Article 50 application date was 2 August 2026. The December date is a targeted grace period for systems generating synthetic audio, image, video or text that were already placed on the market before that date.
Who should check
Providers with pre-2-August-2026 systems that generate synthetic audio, image, video or text content should document whether the transition applies.
What to test
Review machine-readable marking, detectability, technical limitations, system versions and evidence showing when the relevant system was first placed on the EU market.
Check your system
Does the 2 December transition apply to you?
Use the Article 50 Checker to distinguish the general 2 August 2026 application date from the limited transition for qualifying pre-existing synthetic-content systems.
Operational response
Treat this as an engineering and evidence deadline.
Product, engineering and legal teams should verify implementation rather than relying on policy language alone. Newer systems placed on the market on or after 2 August 2026 do not receive this particular grace period.
Primary sources
Binding text and Commission guidance
Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 — Official Journal