EUDR Timeline: 30 December 2026, 30 June 2027 and Every Other Date in Force

The EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115) has been in force since 29 June 2023, and its obligations apply from 30 December 2026, or from 30 June 2027 for eligible micro or small operators. Which of the two dates applies to which company and product?

Article 38 of the EU Deforestation Regulation, as replaced by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, sets both dates. Timber in the Annex to the EU Timber Regulation and 18 product lines added in 2026 follow their own dates.

The rules below cover the current status, the date for each category, the EUTR timber exception, the 2027 additions, a five-question check and every dated step to 2030. The five key dates are listed below.

• 29 June 2023: entry into force (Article 38(1)).
• 30 December 2026: main application date (Article 38(2)).
• 30 June 2027: operators that are natural persons or micro or small undertakings established as such by 31 December 2024 (Article 38(3)); products in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 from 30 December 2026.
• 30 December 2027: lines added to Annex I by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102.
• 31 December 2029: end of the residual EUTR for timber produced before 29 June 2023 (Article 37(2)).

Is the EUDR Currently in Effect?

The EUDR is in force but not yet applicable: it entered into force on 29 June 2023 (Article 38(1)), and its core obligations apply from 30 December 2026. As a regulation, it is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in every Member State.

The text in force is the consolidated version of 18 September 2026, which includes Regulation (EU) 2024/3234 (in force 26 December 2024), Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 (in force 26 December 2025) and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102 (in force 18 September 2026).

Entry Into Force on 29 June 2023: What Has Applied Since Then

Entry into force fell on 29 June 2023, the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal (OJ L 150, 9.6.2023, p. 206) on 9 June 2023 (Article 38(1)). Since that day, every article outside the Article 38(2) list has applied. The two practical effects are listed below.

• Articles 1, 2, 14, 15, 25, 27 to 30 and 33 to 38 apply, including the scope rule that excludes products produced before 29 June 2023 (Article 1(2)).
• Member States had to notify the Commission of their competent authorities by 30 December 2023 (Article 14(2)).

Which Articles Apply From 30 December 2026?

Article 38(2) states that "Articles 3 to 13, Articles 16 to 24 and Articles 26, 31 and 32 shall apply from 30 December 2026". These hold the prohibition, the duties of operators, downstream operators and traders, due diligence, competent authority checks, customs controls, substantiated concerns and access to justice. Since 26 December 2025, downstream operators and traders carry no due diligence and file no due diligence statement (Article 5 as replaced by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650).

Every article of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 is set out with its current wording on the regulation page.

EUDR Application Dates by Category: Which Deadline Applies to You?

Three EUDR application dates exist: 30 December 2026 for most operators and for every downstream operator and trader, 30 June 2027 for eligible micro or small operators, and 30 December 2027 for the 18 added lines. A fourth date, 31 December 2029, ends the residual EUTR regime for old timber. The Commission counts 42 months of transition to 30 December 2026 and 48 months to 30 June 2027 (FAQ Version 5 (April 2026), 8.1).

The categories and their dates are compared below.

30 December 2026: Large and Medium Operators, Downstream Operators and Traders

Four groups apply the EUDR from 30 December 2026: operators that do not qualify under Article 38(3), every downstream operator and trader, micro or small operators placing EUTR-Annex products, and the competent authorities. Who counts as an operator, downstream operator or trader follows from Article 2, points (15), (15b) and (17).

Operators that do not qualify include large and medium undertakings and micro or small undertakings established after 31 December 2024.

30 June 2027: Is the EUDR Postponed to 2027 for Micro or Small Operators?

Only for eligible operators: Article 38(3) applies the Article 38(2) articles from 30 June 2027 "for operators, whether natural persons or micro- or small undertakings within the meaning of Article 3(1) or Article 3(2), first subparagraph, respectively, of Directive 2013/34/EU, irrespective of their legal form, who were established as such by 31 December 2024". The legal form is irrelevant: a natural person qualifies on the same terms as a company of that size.

The paragraph opens with an exception: products covered by the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 stay at 30 December 2026, whatever the size of the operator (see the EUTR-Annex section below).

The 31 December 2024 Establishment Test and Size Thresholds

The micro or small status must have existed on 31 December 2024, measured with the thresholds in force on that day. An undertaking established later, or larger on that date, applies the rules from 30 December 2026.

An undertaking is micro or small if it does not exceed at least two of three limits: balance sheet EUR 450,000 or EUR 5 million, net turnover EUR 900,000 or EUR 10 million, average employees 10 or 50 (Directive 2013/34/EU as amended by Delegated Directive (EU) 2023/2775, values on 31 December 2024). Commission Recommendation 2003/361 is not the test (FAQ 3.10, 3.13), and raised national small thresholds do not count, because Article 38(3) refers only to the first subparagraph of Article 3(2). The wider size rules are under EUDR for SMEs.

Do Downstream Operators and Traders Get the June 2027 Date?

Not under the wording of Article 38(3), which names operators only; Article 2(15), as replaced by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, excludes downstream operators from the term operator. Downstream operators and traders apply their Article 5 duties from 30 December 2026 (Article 38(2)).

The Commission considers that products placed on the market by deferred micro or small operators before 30 June 2027 also exempt the downstream operators and traders handling them (Guidance C/2026/3896, section 3). That view is non-binding (Article 15(5)). What remains for downstream operators under the EUDR is set out on their role page.

The EUTR-Annex Exception: Why Some Timber Has No 2027 Deferral Under the EU Timber Regulation

Products listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 apply the EUDR from 30 December 2026 for every operator, micro and small ones included (Article 38(3)). The Commission states it directly: "For micro- or small operators already covered by the EU Timber Regulation, the entry into application will be 30 December 2026" (COM(2026) 191 of 4 May 2026). Article 37(1) repeals the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) with effect from the same day.

Which Wood Products Are in the EUTR Annex?

The EUTR Annex lists wood headings from 4401 to 4418, pulp and paper, wooden furniture and prefabricated buildings, unchanged since 2010. The table sets them against the EUDR wood lines that the Annex does not cover.

Codes as written in the EUTR Annex (2010); current CN subheadings may differ.

EUDR Wood Lines Outside the EUTR Annex

Eight EUDR wood lines sit outside the EUTR Annex: 4402 charcoal, 4404, 4405, 4417, 4419, 4420, 4421 and ex 9401 wooden seats. For these lines, eligible micro or small operators keep the 30 June 2027 date; the full wood list is under EUDR and wood.

30 December 2027: Products Added to EUDR Annex I by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102

Eighteen Annex I lines added by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102 apply from 30 December 2027 for every operator, whatever its size. The act was adopted on 13 July 2026, published on 17 September 2026 and entered into force on 18 September 2026, but the new lines carry their own start date.

That date sits in EUDR Annex I itself, not in Article 38: each added line reads "This provision shall apply from 30 December 2027". The 18 lines are 1 cattle line (frozen cattle tongues), 1 coffee line (soluble coffee) and 16 oil-palm derivative lines, including palm soap.

Products Removed From Annex I in 2025 and 2026

Removed products need no EUDR date because they are out of scope. Printed products (ex 49) have been out since 26 December 2025 (Regulation (EU) 2025/2650); leather and hides, ex 4010, ex 4016, retreaded and used tyres, soya for sowing, and aircraft and motor-vehicle seats have been out since 18 September 2026 (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102).

How Do You Find Your EUDR Compliance Date?

Five questions find the EUDR compliance date for a product. This guide orders the check in five questions; the Commission prescribes no such order. The five questions are listed below.

1. Check whether the CN code is in Annex I as amended; an added line applies from 30 December 2027 (see the 2027 section).
2. Check whether the product was produced before 29 June 2023, which puts it outside scope except timber under Article 37 (Article 1(2)); for cattle the production date is the date of birth (FAQ 8.3).
3. Check whether the product is in the EUTR Annex; if so, 30 December 2026 applies to every operator.
4. Check whether the operator is a natural person or a micro or small undertaking established as such by 31 December 2024; if so, 30 June 2027 applies.
5. Check whether the company acts as a downstream operator or trader; if so, 30 December 2026 applies to its Article 5 duties.

The date only starts the duties; what follows is set out under EUDR compliance.

EUDR 2026: Every Date of This Year

EUDR 2026 brought the simplification review, the third Guidance edition, new system rules and the Annex I amendment, and it ends with the main application date on 30 December 2026. Two duties fall on that day besides the Article 38(2) obligations: the repeal of the EUTR (Article 37(1)) and the contingency website for outages of the information system (Article 15a of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3084, inserted by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1565). The website covers unplanned unavailability exceeding 60 minutes.

EUDR Dates After 2027: Customs Interface, Residual EUTR Timber and the 2030 Review

Four EUDR dates follow 2027: the end of the first delegation period on 29 June 2028, the customs interface by 1 December 2029, the end of the residual EUTR on 31 December 2029 and the first general review by 30 June 2030. Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 moved the interface and the review from their original date of 30 June 2028.

Every date on this page is checked against the consolidated text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 and the amending acts; see our methodology and fact-checking. Checked on 24 October 2026.

This guide explains the rules; it is not legal advice for an individual case.

How Does the EUDR Timeline Connect to the Delays, the Simplification and Stock?

The EUDR timeline gives the dates now in force; how they moved, what else changed and how old stock is treated are separate questions. Each is answered in one short section below, with the full rules on the EUDR pages that own them.

The Commission positions quoted below come from the Guidance (Official Journal C, 20 July 2026) and FAQ Version 5 (April 2026), both non-binding.

Will the EUDR Be Delayed Again?

No proposal to delay the EUDR again exists as of 24 October 2026. The dates of 30 December 2024 and 30 December 2025 were superseded before they applied, and the six-month grace period proposed in COM(2025) 652 was never adopted. Each postponement is traced under EUDR delay.

Did the 2026 Simplification Review Change Any Date?

No: the simplification review of 4 May 2026, COM(2026) 191, proposes no amendment to the Regulation. Its findings are summarised under EUDR simplification.

What Happens to Stock Placed Before 30 December 2026?

Products placed on the market before the application date, and products made entirely from them, need no due diligence statement; the Commission asks for evidence of the earlier placing (FAQ 9.1 to 9.2). The details are under EUDR transitional stock.

EUDR Timeline FAQ

Seven further timeline questions concern checks, benchmarking, registration, the cut-off date, national laws, French Guiana and software. More answers are in the EUDR FAQ.

Do Competent Authority Checks and EUDR Enforcement Start on 30 December 2026?

Yes: Articles 16 to 24 apply from 30 December 2026 (Article 38(2)), with annual check rates of at least 1 %, 3 % or 9 % by country risk class (Article 16(8) to (10)). Authorities, checks and customs are covered under EUDR enforcement.

When Did the EUDR Country Benchmarking List Take Effect?

On 26 May 2025: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093 classifies 140 countries as low risk and 4 as high risk, and every other country as standard. The classes are explained under EUDR country benchmarking.

Since When Can Operators Register in the EUDR Information System?

Since 6 November 2024; the system launched on 4 December 2024 and is free of charge (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3084, Article 18(1)). Access and roles are explained under EUDR Information System.

Does the 31 December 2020 Cut-Off Date Move With the Application Dates?

No: the cut-off date in Article 2(13) is unchanged by every amendment and is a different date from 29 June 2023. The test behind the 31 December 2020 cut-off is defined there.

Do National Penalty Laws Have to Exist Before the Dates Apply?

No: the EUDR is directly applicable; national law only designates authorities (Article 14) and lays down penalties (Article 25). The penalty rules are set out under EUDR penalties.

Does the French Guiana Proposal Change Where the EUDR Applies?

Not now: its exclusion is only proposed (COM(2026) 661, Commission, 10 September 2026), and French Guiana stays in scope. The territorial rules are under where the EUDR applies.

Do I Need EUDR Software Before 30 December 2026?

No: the only mandatory IT is the free EUDR Information System (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3084, Article 18(1)). Platforms are described under EUDR software; none is required, and the operator stays responsible.