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ObligationApplicablev1.0.0

Article 57: AI regulatory sandboxes

Member States must provide at least one national AI regulatory sandbox. For you this is a voluntary route: you develop, train, test and validate an innovative AI system in a controlled, supervised environment under a plan agreed with the competent authority, before placing it on the market or putting it into service.

The official source remains authoritative. This is general information about obligations and not legal advice. See this object on the map

Address and citation

This object has an address of its own that is never renamed or reused. Store the identifier in your own file, not the title or the link.

Identifier
praxikon:eu:ai-act:obligation:article-57-regulatory-sandboxes
Payload hash (sha256)
2706a2688e0c2d602f40bf5b061f6dba9310214d79ef9a74b47600c72bf69226

Citation line

Praxikon, "Article 57: AI regulatory sandboxes", praxikon:eu:ai-act:obligation:article-57-regulatory-sandboxes@1.0.0, dataset praxikon:sys:registry:dataset:ai-act-implementation-graph 2.1.0 (schema 1.4.0), effective_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z, known_at 2026-08-14T00:00:00.000Z, sha256 2706a2688e0c2d602f40bf5b061f6dba9310214d79ef9a74b47600c72bf69226
Version
1.0.0
Legal time (effective_at)
8 August 2026
Knowledge time (known_at)
8 August 2026
Closed on
Not closed
Application date
2 August 2026
Topics
innovation

Review status: Placed against the official source (8 August 2026). Next check due by 4 February 2027. The check date is the knowledge date of this version; no later recheck has been recorded.

Who must act and who is affected

On an obligation the addressee is recorded separately from the party that is merely affected. That difference decides who a supervisory authority addresses and who has work to do without the duty resting on them.

No duty holder assigned

The addressee falls outside the roles this dataset models. The duty exists, it just does not rest on a role recorded here.

Duty holder

Not recorded on this object.

Affected actor

Oversight

Not recorded on this object.

Evidence owner

Not recorded on this object.

What this object links to

Every relation appears below as a path: from the source with its locator, through the conditions and exceptions of the object carrying the relation, to the consequence. A locator belongs to a statement in the data and not to a relation, so the source is the source anchor of the carrying object.

Who is affected without being the addressee

3 of 3 shown

This role is practically affected without being the addressee: it receives the information, has to cooperate, or absorbs the consequences in its own process.

  1. Source

    Official fact on this object, with its locator.

    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689

      Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

      praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689

      Open official source

    Via

    • Condition | allRelevant where you are a provider or prospective provider of an innovative AI system that you want to develop, train, test or validate before placing it on the market or putting it into service, and you want up-front certainty about classification or about how you meet the requirements of this Regulation.
    • ExceptionParticipation is voluntary. Article 57 places the duty on the Member State to provide a sandbox, not on you to join one. A Member State may also fulfil that duty by participating in an existing sandbox with equivalent national coverage. Article 57(4) leaves other regulatory sandboxes established under Union or national law unaffected.

    As long as this exception is not ruled out, the outcome stays conditional and you have to establish it yourself.

    Consequence

What has to be done

1 of 1 shown

This is what concretely has to be done under the obligation.

  1. Source

    Official fact on this object, with its locator.

    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689

      Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

      praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689

      Open official source

    Via

    • Condition | allRelevant where you are a provider or prospective provider of an innovative AI system that you want to develop, train, test or validate before placing it on the market or putting it into service, and you want up-front certainty about classification or about how you meet the requirements of this Regulation.
    • ExceptionParticipation is voluntary. Article 57 places the duty on the Member State to provide a sandbox, not on you to join one. A Member State may also fulfil that duty by participating in an existing sandbox with equivalent national coverage. Article 57(4) leaves other regulatory sandboxes established under Union or national law unaffected.

    As long as this exception is not ruled out, the outcome stays conditional and you have to establish it yourself.

    Consequence

What has to be recorded

1 of 1 shown

This is what has to be in the file to show that the action was carried out.

  1. Source

    Official fact on this object, with its locator.

    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689

      Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

      praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689

      Open official source

    Via

    • Condition | allRelevant where you are a provider or prospective provider of an innovative AI system that you want to develop, train, test or validate before placing it on the market or putting it into service, and you want up-front certainty about classification or about how you meet the requirements of this Regulation.
    • ExceptionParticipation is voluntary. Article 57 places the duty on the Member State to provide a sandbox, not on you to join one. A Member State may also fulfil that duty by participating in an existing sandbox with equivalent national coverage. Article 57(4) leaves other regulatory sandboxes established under Union or national law unaffected.

    As long as this exception is not ruled out, the outcome stays conditional and you have to establish it yourself.

    Consequence

What keeps it in place

1 of 1 shown

This is what keeps compliance in place over time, periodic or event-driven.

  1. Source

    Official fact on this object, with its locator.

    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689

      Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

      praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689

      Open official source

    Via

    • Condition | allRelevant where you are a provider or prospective provider of an innovative AI system that you want to develop, train, test or validate before placing it on the market or putting it into service, and you want up-front certainty about classification or about how you meet the requirements of this Regulation.
    • ExceptionParticipation is voluntary. Article 57 places the duty on the Member State to provide a sandbox, not on you to join one. A Member State may also fulfil that duty by participating in an existing sandbox with equivalent national coverage. Article 57(4) leaves other regulatory sandboxes established under Union or national law unaffected.

    As long as this exception is not ruled out, the outcome stays conditional and you have to establish it yourself.

    Consequence

Public tools

1 of 1 shown

This is the public route a reader can actually use.

  1. Source

    Official fact on this object, with its locator.

    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689

      Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

      praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689

      Open official source

    Via

    • Condition | allRelevant where you are a provider or prospective provider of an innovative AI system that you want to develop, train, test or validate before placing it on the market or putting it into service, and you want up-front certainty about classification or about how you meet the requirements of this Regulation.
    • ExceptionParticipation is voluntary. Article 57 places the duty on the Member State to provide a sandbox, not on you to join one. A Member State may also fulfil that duty by participating in an existing sandbox with equivalent national coverage. Article 57(4) leaves other regulatory sandboxes established under Union or national law unaffected.

    As long as this exception is not ruled out, the outcome stays conditional and you have to establish it yourself.

    Consequence

What points at this object

Objects hanging off this obligation

4 of 4 shown

The object belongs to this obligation. The source line it hangs off sits there.

  1. Source

    This object carries no official fact of its own. The source line below sits on the obligation it hangs off; the link itself is recorded editorially.

    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689

      Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

      praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689

      Open official source

    Via

    • Condition | allApplies as soon as you decide to enter an AI regulatory sandbox as a provider or prospective provider, possibly in partnership with a deployer or another third party.
    • ExceptionArticle 58(2), point (d), requires the implementing acts to ensure access free of charge for SMEs and start-ups, subject to exceptional costs that the authority may recover in a fair and proportionate manner. The Regulation does not extend that free access to larger undertakings. Check with the authority concerned which cost regime it applies for as long as the implementing acts have not been adopted.

    As long as this exception is not ruled out, the outcome stays conditional and you have to establish it yourself.

    Relation recorded on: Apply to a sandbox and agree the sandbox plan

    Consequence

  2. Source

    This object carries no official fact of its own. The source line below sits on the obligation it hangs off; the link itself is recorded editorially.

    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689

      Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

      praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689

      Open official source

    Via

    • Condition | allApplies throughout your participation in an AI regulatory sandbox, from entry to exit or termination.
    • ExceptionThe fine shield is conditional and lapses as soon as you depart from the specific plan or from the terms and conditions of participation, or fail to follow the guidance in good faith. For other Union or national law it applies only where the authorities responsible for that law were actively involved in supervision inside the sandbox and provided guidance. Article 57(12) refers only to participating providers and prospective providers. If you take part as a deployer in partnership under Article 58(2), point (b), do not assume the protection automatically covers your own obligations.

    As long as this exception is not ruled out, the outcome stays conditional and you have to establish it yourself.

    Relation recorded on: Supervision inside the sandbox and the conditional fine shield

    Consequence

  3. Source

    This object carries no official fact of its own. The source line below sits on the obligation it hangs off; the link itself is recorded editorially.

    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689

      Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

      praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689

      Open official source

    Via

    • Condition | allApplies where you participate in or exit an AI regulatory sandbox as a provider or prospective provider. The written proof is provided only upon request; the exit report is provided by the authority on its own initiative. If you participate as a deployer in partnership under Article 58(2), point (b), the written proof remains a right of the provider or prospective provider; agree contractually that you receive a copy.
    • ExceptionPublication of the exit report through the single information platform only occurs where you and the national competent authority both explicitly agree. Access by the Commission and the Board likewise requires your agreement and remains subject to the confidentiality provisions in Article 78.

    As long as this exception is not ruled out, the outcome stays conditional and you have to establish it yourself.

    Relation recorded on: Written proof of participation and the exit report

    Consequence

  4. Source

    This object carries no official fact of its own. The source line below sits on the obligation it hangs off; the link itself is recorded editorially.

    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024/1689

      Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744

      praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689

      Open official source

    Via

    No condition or exception recorded on this object.

    Relation recorded on: Full text of Article 57

    Consequence

What this object states

Official fact

Attributable to a named primary source, with a locator. Where they differ, the official source prevails.

  • Article 57(1) requires Member States to ensure that their competent authorities establish at least one AI regulatory sandbox at national level. The text of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 as published in the Official Journal provides that the sandbox shall be operational by 2 August 2026, and that wording still stands unchanged on 9 August 2026 in the article text published by the European Commission. The timeline the European Commission publishes after the Digital Omnibus, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, entered into force on 27 July 2026 places the milestone at 2 August 2027 instead, stating "Member States should have at least one AI regulatory sandbox per country operational". The consolidated text of Article 57(1) after the Omnibus has not been verified at article level; rely on the consolidated version on EUR-Lex for the exact date. Chapter VI, which contains Article 57, is not among the exceptions in Article 113 and therefore applies since 2 August 2026. Article 57(1) further provides that the obligation may also be fulfilled by participating in an existing sandbox, in so far as that participation provides an equivalent level of national coverage. Article 57(5) defines the sandbox as a controlled environment that fosters innovation and facilitates the development, training, testing and validation of innovative AI systems for a limited time, pursuant to a specific sandbox plan agreed between the provider or prospective provider and the competent authority, before the system is placed on the market or put into service. Such sandboxes may include testing in real world conditions supervised therein. Article 57(15) requires the AI Office to make publicly available, and keep up to date, a list of planned and existing sandboxes.

    • Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689Open official source

Our interpretation

Our own reading. It can change without the law changing, and it is not the position of a supervisory authority.

  • The common mistake is to read the sandbox as a delay or an exemption. It is neither. Article 57(11) leaves the competent authority's supervisory and corrective powers fully intact and expressly empowers it to suspend your testing or your participation, temporarily or permanently, where risks cannot be effectively mitigated. A sandbox is useful for exactly one profile: you are building an AI system that is likely to fall under Annex III, you are uncertain about its classification or about how to meet Chapter III, Section 2, and you want that uncertainty resolved before you go to market. If you are purely a deployer buying a system, the sandbox is not your route: at most you can join as a partner of the provider under Article 58(2), point (b). Second trap: 2 August 2027 is a duty on the Member State, not on you. The date on this item is therefore 2 August 2026: from that moment Chapter VI applies and the route is open to you. You cannot hang your own preparation on that date, and the date says nothing about whether your national sandbox will actually have capacity by then. Third trap: people confuse the Article 57 sandbox with Article 60 real-world testing. These are two distinct routes with different conditions. Real-world testing can take place inside the sandbox (Article 57(5) and Article 58(4)) or outside it under Article 60, and the safeguards differ.

    • Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689Open official source

Recommended step

A practical step we consider appropriate. Not an obligation following from the Regulation.

  • First establish your role: only providers and prospective providers can enter on their own. Then use the AI Office's published list of planned and existing sandboxes (Article 57(15)) to find the sandbox open to you, in your Member State or jointly with others. Before you apply, state exactly which uncertainty you want resolved, ideally focused on classification under Article 6 or on a specific requirement in Chapter III, Section 2. Plan for the three-month decision period that Article 58(2), point (a), requires the implementing acts to ensure, build it into your product timeline, and ask the competent authority in writing which period it currently applies. On entry, record in writing what the sandbox plan covers, and on exit request both the written proof and the exit report.

    • Locator: Article 57(1)-(17), Article 58, Article 113; as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744praxikon:eu:ai-act:source:reg-eu-2024-1689Open official source

When this applies

  1. 1Relevant where you are a provider or prospective provider of an innovative AI system that you want to develop, train, test or validate before placing it on the market or putting it into service, and you want up-front certainty about classification or about how you meet the requirements of this Regulation.

When this does not apply

  • Participation is voluntary. Article 57 places the duty on the Member State to provide a sandbox, not on you to join one. A Member State may also fulfil that duty by participating in an existing sandbox with equivalent national coverage. Article 57(4) leaves other regulatory sandboxes established under Union or national law unaffected.

Referring to this object

Citation block

Copy this reference into your advice, article or file. The identifier, the version and the hash keep the statement findable later, even once the dataset has moved on.

Reference

Praxikon, "Article 57: AI regulatory sandboxes",
praxikon:eu:ai-act:obligation:article-57-regulatory-sandboxes@1.0.0,
dataset praxikon:sys:registry:dataset:ai-act-implementation-graph 2.1.0 (schema 1.4.0),
effective_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z, known_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z,
sha256 2706a2688e0c2d602f40bf5b061f6dba9310214d79ef9a74b47600c72bf69226,
https://www.praxikon.com/en/verkenner/obligation/article-57-regulatory-sandboxes
(https://www.praxikon.com/api/v1/obligations?id=praxikon%3Aeu%3Aai-act%3Aobligation%3Aarticle-57-regulatory-sandboxes&effective_at=2026-08-08&known_at=2026-08-08&lang=en, accessed 2026-08-25)

Short form

praxikon:eu:ai-act:obligation:article-57-regulatory-sandboxes@1.0.0 (sha256 2706a268)

BibTeX

@misc{praxikon-eu-ai-act-obligation-article-57-regulatory-sandboxes-1-0-0,
  author       = {{Praxikon}},
  title        = {Article 57: AI regulatory sandboxes},
  year         = {2026},
  version      = {1.0.0},
  number       = {praxikon:eu:ai-act:obligation:article-57-regulatory-sandboxes},
  howpublished = {AI Act Change \& Evidence Graph, dataset 2.1.0, schema 1.4.0},
  note         = {effective_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z; known_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z; sha256 2706a2688e0c2d602f40bf5b061f6dba9310214d79ef9a74b47600c72bf69226},
  url          = {https://www.praxikon.com/en/verkenner/obligation/article-57-regulatory-sandboxes},
  urldate      = {2026-08-25},
  language     = {en}
}

CSL JSON

[
  {
    "id": "praxikon:eu:ai-act:obligation:article-57-regulatory-sandboxes@1.0.0",
    "type": "dataset",
    "title": "Article 57: AI regulatory sandboxes",
    "container-title": "AI Act Change & Evidence Graph",
    "publisher": "Praxikon",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "number": "praxikon:eu:ai-act:obligation:article-57-regulatory-sandboxes",
    "URL": "https://www.praxikon.com/en/verkenner/obligation/article-57-regulatory-sandboxes",
    "language": "en",
    "issued": {
      "date-parts": [
        [
          2026,
          8,
          8
        ]
      ]
    },
    "accessed": {
      "date-parts": [
        [
          2026,
          8,
          25
        ]
      ]
    },
    "note": "dataset praxikon:sys:registry:dataset:ai-act-implementation-graph 2.1.0; schema 1.4.0; effective_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z; known_at 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z; sha256 2706a2688e0c2d602f40bf5b061f6dba9310214d79ef9a74b47600c72bf69226; retrieved_from https://www.praxikon.com/api/v1/obligations?id=praxikon%3Aeu%3Aai-act%3Aobligation%3Aarticle-57-regulatory-sandboxes&effective_at=2026-08-08&known_at=2026-08-08&lang=en; licence https://www.praxikon.com/nl/legal/terms"
  }
]

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