When does EUDR apply?

From 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators, downstream operators and traders, and for micro and small operators handling products already covered by the EU Timber Regulation. Most other qualifying micro and small operators, downstream operators and traders have until 30 June 2027. These dates were set by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650.

Has the EUDR deadline been delayed?

Yes, more than once. The regulation entered into force in June 2023 with application originally set for the end of 2024. It has since been postponed twice by amending regulations. The current dates are 30 December 2026 and 30 June 2027.

Will EUDR be delayed again?

Nobody outside the EU institutions can answer that, and any page that tells you otherwise is guessing. What can be said is that each postponement so far has moved the application date without touching the deforestation-free cut-off date, and without reducing the evidence an operator has to hold.

Did the deforestation-free cut-off date change when the deadlines moved?

No. The cut-off is 31 December 2020 and has not moved through any of the postponements. Land deforested after that date produces non-compliant commodities regardless of when the obligation to file begins.

What is the difference between entry into force and application?

Entry into force is when the regulation becomes law. Application is when its obligations start to bite. EUDR entered into force in 2023 but its core obligations apply from the 2026 and 2027 dates. The gap is the preparation window.

Does the later date for small enterprises mean they can ignore EUDR until 2027?

No. First confirm that the statutory 30 June 2027 date applies to you; micro and small operators handling EUTR-covered products remain on the 30 December 2026 date. Even where the later date applies, a larger customer may request geolocation and legality evidence earlier to meet its own obligations.

Scope & timing

EUDR delay and timeline: current 2026 and 2027 deadlines

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) applies from 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators, downstream operators and traders, and for micro and small operators handling products covered by the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). Most other qualifying micro and small operators, downstream operators and traders have until 30 June 2027. The deforestation-free cut-off remains 31 December 2020.

We checked these dates against official EU sources on 14 August 2026. Use the table below to find the deadline that applies to you.

Which EUDR deadline applies to you?

Check your products first

If they were already covered by the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), your deadline is 30 December 2026, even if your business is micro or small.

For all other products

Check whether your business qualified as micro or small by 31 December 2024. You must stay within at least two of the three limits below.

Micro and small businesses must meet at least two of the three limits shown for their size.
Business size	Balance sheet total	Net turnover	Average employees
Micro	No more than€450,000	No more than€900,000	No more than10
Small	No more than€5 million	No more than€10 million	No more than50

Micro or small by the cut-off

30 June 2027

Applies when the EUTR exception does not apply.

All other businesses

30 December 2026

This is the general application date.

Member States may use higher financial limits for small businesses, up to €7.5 million for the balance sheet total and €15 million for net turnover. Check the accounting rules in the country where your business is established before relying on the later date.

The dates in order

31 December 2020

Deforestation-free cut-off

Never moved

Land deforested after this date produces non-compliant commodities. This date has never moved and is not affected by any postponement.

29 June 2023

Entry into force

Never moved

Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 became law. Obligations did not start here — this is the date from which the regulation exists.

30 December 2026

General application date

Postponed

The main obligations apply to large and medium operators, downstream operators and traders. This is also the date for micro and small operators handling products already covered by the EU Timber Regulation.

30 June 2027

Later date for qualifying micro and small operators

Postponed

Most other micro and small operators established as such by 31 December 2024 receive the additional six months. The category follows the EU accounting rules, and the EUTR product exception still applies.

What the postponements actually changed

What moved

The application dates, twice. The regulation entered into force in June 2023 with application originally set for the end of 2024, was postponed by a first amending regulation, and was postponed again by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 to the dates above.

What did not move

The 31 December 2020 cut-off, the core deforestation-free and legality requirements, and the penalty framework. For legal persons, Member States must provide for a maximum fine level of at least 4% of total annual Union-wide turnover; that is not a minimum fine for every infringement.

Why that distinction is the whole planning problem

Postponement moves the filing date, not the evidence date. A commodity harvested from land cleared in 2022 is non-compliant whether you file in 2024 or 2027. Delay buys time to collect and verify evidence. It does not change what the evidence has to show.

EUDR deadline history

Stage	General date	Later micro/small date	Legal basis
Original EUDR	30 December 2024	30 June 2025	Regulation (EU) 2023/1115
First postponement	30 December 2025	30 June 2026	Regulation (EU) 2024/3234
Current timeline	30 December 2026	30 June 2027	Regulation (EU) 2025/2650

Across both postponements, the deforestation-free cut-off remained 31 December 2020.

Planning against the date that binds you

Establish which date binds you

Large and medium, or a qualifying micro or small operator — the categories follow EU accounting rules rather than headcount alone. Also check the EUTR product exception and whether the undertaking met the statutory establishment condition before planning around 30 June 2027.

Work backwards from your suppliers, not from your own date

Where your due diligence requires production geolocation, collecting complete and usable data across the supplier base can be the longest part of implementation. Work backwards from evidence readiness rather than treating the legal application date as the project start date.

Treat the customs dependency as part of the deadline

Where a DDS reference is required for customs, it must be available before release for free circulation or export. Allow time for submission, validation and exception handling rather than treating the shipment date as the filing date.

Do not plan for another postponement

Two postponements make another feel plausible, but that is not a planning assumption. Until an amending law is adopted, plan against the dates currently in force and use any additional time to close evidence and system gaps.

Why a 2027 deadline can still require action in 2026

Most qualifying micro and small operators come into scope on 30 June 2027, six months after the general application date. But that later date does not cover EUTR products, and it does not prevent a customer from requesting evidence earlier.

A large operator may need production geolocation and legality evidence from its suppliers before it can complete its own EUDR due diligence. The customer’s December 2026 implementation plan can therefore create an earlier commercial data deadline for suppliers.

If you supply a larger operator, ask when it will freeze supplier data, test submissions in the acceptance environment and begin rejecting incomplete records. That operational date may matter sooner than your statutory date.

Common questions

When does EUDR apply?: From 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators, downstream operators and traders, and for micro and small operators handling products already covered by the EU Timber Regulation. Most other qualifying micro and small operators, downstream operators and traders have until 30 June 2027. These dates were set by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650.
Has the EUDR deadline been delayed?: Yes, more than once. The regulation entered into force in June 2023 with application originally set for the end of 2024. It has since been postponed twice by amending regulations. The current dates are 30 December 2026 and 30 June 2027.
Will EUDR be delayed again?: Nobody outside the EU institutions can answer that, and any page that tells you otherwise is guessing. What can be said is that each postponement so far has moved the application date without touching the deforestation-free cut-off date, and without reducing the evidence an operator has to hold.
Did the deforestation-free cut-off date change when the deadlines moved?: No. The cut-off is 31 December 2020 and has not moved through any of the postponements. Land deforested after that date produces non-compliant commodities regardless of when the obligation to file begins.
What is the difference between entry into force and application?: Entry into force is when the regulation becomes law. Application is when its obligations start to bite. EUDR entered into force in 2023 but its core obligations apply from the 2026 and 2027 dates. The gap is the preparation window.
Does the later date for small enterprises mean they can ignore EUDR until 2027?: No. First confirm that the statutory 30 June 2027 date applies to you; micro and small operators handling EUTR-covered products remain on the 30 December 2026 date. Even where the later date applies, a larger customer may request geolocation and legality evidence earlier to meet its own obligations.

Reference

EUDR: the operator’s working reference

Scope, the obligation in order, and what one DDS can hold.

Due diligence

What the Due Diligence Statement requires

The statement itself, and why geolocation is the part that takes the time.

Submission system

Access the EUDR Information System in TRACES NT

Production and acceptance links, registration steps, and the roles that need an account.

Sources and currency

Editorial owner: Invaritech. Last reviewed against primary sources on 14 August 2026. EUDR has been amended and delayed more than once — confirm the current position against the official sources below before acting. This is an operational reference, not legal advice.

Governing instruments: Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650. Commission Implementing Regulations (EU) 2024/3084 and (EU) 2026/1565.