Direct answer
What does Article 62 of the AI Act say about measures for providers and deployers that are SMEs or start-ups?
Your question is about Article 62: measures for providers and deployers that are SMEs or start-ups. That obligation applies today. Whether your system actually falls under it depends on conditions you assess yourself.
You determine this yourself
- The priority access in paragraph 1, point (a), applies to SMEs, including start-ups, having a registered office or a branch in the Union, and only to the extent that they fulfil the eligibility conditions and selection criteria. The reduction of fees in paragraph 2 attaches to conformity assessments under Article 43 and to the capacity of an SME provider, including start-ups. Article 62 sits in Chapter VI, which is named in none of the three exceptions in the third paragraph of Article 113; the general date of application in the second paragraph therefore governs, 2 August 2026.
- Paragraph 1, point (a), expressly states that the priority access shall not preclude other SMEs, including start-ups, other than those referred to in that paragraph from access to the AI regulatory sandbox, provided that they also fulfil the eligibility conditions and selection criteria. Priority is therefore an order of precedence and not an exclusive right, and it releases nobody from the eligibility conditions and selection criteria.
First step: Make use of the SME facilities in Article 62.
Article 62 of the AI Act covers measures for providers and deployers that are SMEs or start-ups. Member States give SMEs, including start-ups, with a registered office or a branch in the Union priority access to the AI regulatory sandboxes, organise specific awareness raising and training activities, use or establish dedicated communication channels to provide advice and answer queries, and facilitate the participation of SMEs in the standardisation development process. When setting the fees for conformity assessment under Article 43, the specific interests and needs of SME providers are taken into account, those fees being reduced proportionately to their size, market size and other relevant indicators. The AI Office provides standardised templates, maintains a single information platform, organises communication campaigns and promotes the convergence of best practices in public procurement. This article lowers no requirement; it makes the road towards one cheaper and more accessible. This provision concerns the deployer and the provider of an AI system. This provision applies today.
This applies now
Your first actions
- Make use of the SME facilities in Article 62. Apply for priority access to the AI regulatory sandbox, use the national communication channel for questions about implementation, sign up for the standardisation process, and on a conformity assessment under Article 43 ask how the fee reduction has been applied.
Record this
General interpretation, not legal advice. Checked against Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 and the Digital Omnibus (EU) 2026/1744; the official source remains authoritative.
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