Map of the AI Act

Article 60: testing in real world conditions outside a sandbox

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obligation

Article 60: testing in real world conditions outside a sandbox

If you want to test an Annex III high-risk AI system with real people and real outcomes before placing it on the market, a full regime applies: a plan, prior approval by the market surveillance authority, registration, informed consent and a maximum duration.

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Article 60 on EUR-Lexguidance

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obligation

Article 60: testing in real world conditions outside a sandbox

Applies since 2026-08-02

The legal path

Source ·: Article 60 on EUR-Lex
Condition ·: Applies where you are a provider or prospective provider of an Annex III high-risk AI system and you want to test it in real world conditions outside an AI regulatory sandbox, before placing it on the market or putting it into service. If you are established outside the Union, Article 60(4), point (d), requires you to appoint a legal representative established in the Union; that is a different figure from the authorised representative under Article 22.
Exception ·: Article 60(1), third subparagraph, leaves Union and national law on real-world testing of high-risk systems related to products under the Annex I harmonisation legislation unaffected. Article 60(4), point (i), contains a law enforcement carve-out: where seeking informed consent would prevent the system from being tested, testing may proceed without consent, provided the testing and its outcome have no negative effect on the subjects and their personal data are deleted after the test. For the systems referred to in Annex III, points 1, 6 and 7, in law enforcement, migration, asylum and border control, registration runs through the secure non-public section of the EU database under Article 49(4), point (d). For the systems referred to in Annex III, point 2, Article 49(5) requires registration at national level.

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Checked on 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z · praxikon:eu:ai-act:obligation:article-60-real-world-testing

Read the map atin force now 2 Feb 2025 2 Aug 2025 27 Jul 2026 2 Aug 2026 2 Dec 2026 2 Aug 2027 2 Dec 2027 2 Aug 2028

Read at 2 Dec 2026. What did not yet apply on that date is not shown here. The transition period for machine-readable marking ends and the new prohibitions apply.

Article 60: testing in real world conditions outside a sandbox

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