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Regulation Tracker / EU AI Act / Chapter III · Section 4

Article 31
Requirements relating to notified bodies

Chapter III — Classification rules for high-risk AI systems, Section 4 — Notifying authorities. 12 distinct duties, powers or definitions are coded from this article, applying from 2025-08-02.

official text: EUR-Lex (consolidated 27 Jul 2026) · text © European Union (Decision 2011/833/EU) · coding CC BY 4.0 · data: obligations.json · Hugging Face · GitHub

The text

1. A notified body shall be established under the national law of a Member State and shall have legal personality.

2. Notified bodies shall satisfy the organisational, quality management, resources and process requirements that are necessary to fulfil their tasks, as well as suitable cybersecurity requirements.

3. The organisational structure, allocation of responsibilities, reporting lines and operation of notified bodies shall ensure confidence in their performance, and in the results of the conformity assessment activities that the notified bodies conduct.

4. Notified bodies shall be independent of the provider of a high-risk AI system in relation to which they perform conformity assessment activities. Notified bodies shall also be independent of any other operator having an economic interest in high-risk AI systems assessed, as well as of any competitors of the provider. This shall not preclude the use of assessed high-risk AI systems that are necessary for the operations of the conformity assessment body, or the use of such high-risk AI systems for personal purposes.

5. Neither a conformity assessment body, its top-level management nor the personnel responsible for carrying out its conformity assessment tasks shall be directly involved in the design, development, marketing or use of high-risk AI systems, nor shall they represent the parties engaged in those activities. They shall not engage in any activity that might conflict with their independence of judgement or integrity in relation to conformity assessment activities for which they are notified. This shall, in particular, apply to consultancy services.

6. Notified bodies shall be organised and operated so as to safeguard the independence, objectivity and impartiality of their activities. Notified bodies shall document and implement a structure and procedures to safeguard impartiality and to promote and apply the principles of impartiality throughout their organisation, personnel and assessment activities.

7. Notified bodies shall have documented procedures in place ensuring that their personnel, committees, subsidiaries, subcontractors and any associated body or personnel of external bodies maintain, in accordance with Article 78, the confidentiality of the information which comes into their possession during the performance of conformity assessment activities, except when its disclosure is required by law. The staff of notified bodies shall be bound to observe professional secrecy with regard to all information obtained in carrying out their tasks under this Regulation, except in relation to the notifying authorities of the Member State in which their activities are carried out.

8. Notified bodies shall have procedures for the performance of activities which take due account of the size of a provider, the sector in which it operates, its structure, and the degree of complexity of the AI system concerned.

9. Notified bodies shall take out appropriate liability insurance for their conformity assessment activities, unless liability is assumed by the Member State in which they are established in accordance with national law or that Member State is itself directly responsible for the conformity assessment.

10. Notified bodies shall be capable of carrying out all their tasks under this Regulation with the highest degree of professional integrity and the requisite competence in the specific field, whether those tasks are carried out by notified bodies themselves or on their behalf and under their responsibility.

11. Notified bodies shall have sufficient internal competences to be able effectively to evaluate the tasks conducted by external parties on their behalf. The notified body shall have permanent availability of sufficient administrative, technical, legal and scientific personnel who possess experience and knowledge relating to the relevant types of AI systems, data and data computing, and relating to the requirements set out in Section 2.

12. Notified bodies shall participate in coordination activities as referred to in Article 38. They shall also take part directly, or be represented in, European standardisation organisations, or ensure that they are aware and up to date in respect of relevant standards.

What it requires, coded

SafeLegalAI's reading of each duty in this article: who, what, from when, under which fine tier, and whether it reaches a firm, chambers, court or legal-AI vendor. Descriptive, not advice; the quoted words are the Regulation's.

  1. Art. 31(1)RequirementHigh-risk

    A notified body must be established under Member State national law and have legal personality.

    "A notified body shall be established under the national law of a Member State and shall have legal personality."
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  2. Art. 31(2)Quality managementHigh-risk

    Notified bodies must meet organisational, quality management, resource, process and cybersecurity requirements necessary to fulfil their tasks.

    "Notified bodies shall satisfy the organisational, quality management, resources and process requirements that are necessary to fulfil their tasks, as well as suitable cybersecurity requirements."
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  3. Art. 31(3)Quality managementHigh-risk

    A notified body’s structure, responsibilities, reporting lines and operation must ensure confidence in performance and conformity assessment results.

    "The organisational structure, allocation of responsibilities, reporting lines and operation of notified bodies shall ensure confidence in their performance, and in the results of the conformity assessment activities that the notified bodies conduct."
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  4. Art. 31(4)RequirementHigh-risk

    Notified bodies must remain independent from the high-risk AI provider, other economically interested operators and provider competitors.

    "Notified bodies shall be independent of the provider of a high-risk AI system in relation to which they perform conformity assessment activities. Notified bodies shall also be independent of any other operator having an economic interest in high-risk AI systems assessed, as well as of any competitors of the provider. This shall"
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  5. Art. 31(5)RequirementHigh-risk

    A conformity assessment body, top management and assessment personnel must avoid direct involvement, representation and activities conflicting with independence or integrity.

    "Neither a conformity assessment body, its top-level management nor the personnel responsible for carrying out its conformity assessment tasks shall be directly involved in the design, development, marketing or use of high-risk AI systems, nor shall they represent the parties engaged in those activities. They shall not engage in any activity that"
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  6. Art. 31(6)Quality managementHigh-risk

    Notified bodies must organise and operate to safeguard independence, objectivity and impartiality, and document procedures applying impartiality principles.

    "Notified bodies shall be organised and operated so as to safeguard the independence, objectivity and impartiality of their activities. Notified bodies shall document and implement a structure and procedures to safeguard impartiality and to promote and apply the principles of impartiality throughout their organisation, personnel and assessment activities."
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  7. Art. 31(7)Record keepingHigh-risk

    Notified bodies must maintain documented confidentiality procedures and bind staff to professional secrecy for information obtained in conformity assessment tasks.

    "Notified bodies shall have documented procedures in place ensuring that their personnel, committees, subsidiaries, subcontractors and any associated body or personnel of external bodies maintain, in accordance with Article 78, the confidentiality of the information which comes into their possession during the performance of conformity assessment activities, except when its disclosure is"
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.
    See
    Art. 78

  8. Art. 31(8)RequirementHigh-risk

    Notified bodies must have activity procedures that account for provider size, sector, structure and AI-system complexity.

    "Notified bodies shall have procedures for the performance of activities which take due account of the size of a provider, the sector in which it operates, its structure, and the degree of complexity of the AI system concerned."
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  9. Art. 31(9)RequirementHigh-risk

    Notified bodies must take out appropriate liability insurance unless the Member State assumes or bears the conformity-assessment liability.

    "Notified bodies shall take out appropriate liability insurance for their conformity assessment activities, unless liability is assumed by the Member State in which they are established in accordance with national law or that Member State is itself directly responsible for the conformity assessment."
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  10. Art. 31(10)RequirementHigh-risk

    Notified bodies must be capable of carrying out their Regulation tasks with professional integrity and competence in the specific field.

    "Notified bodies shall be capable of carrying out all their tasks under this Regulation with the highest degree of professional integrity and the requisite competence in the specific field, whether those tasks are carried out by notified bodies themselves or on their behalf and under their responsibility."
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  11. Art. 31(11)RequirementHigh-risk

    Notified bodies must have sufficient internal competence and permanent administrative, technical, legal and scientific personnel for relevant AI-system assessments.

    "Notified bodies shall have sufficient internal competences to be able effectively to evaluate the tasks conducted by external parties on their behalf. The notified body shall have permanent availability of sufficient administrative, technical, legal and scientific personnel who possess experience and knowledge relating to the relevant types of AI systems, data and"
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.

  12. Art. 31(12)Cooperation with authoritiesHigh-risk

    Notified bodies must participate in Article 38 coordination and engage with, or stay current on, relevant European standardisation organisations.

    "Notified bodies shall participate in coordination activities as referred to in Article 38. They shall also take part directly, or be represented in, European standardisation organisations, or ensure that they are aware and up to date in respect of relevant standards."
    Who
    Notified body
    From
    (Art. 113(b))
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Notified-body infrastructure; indirect relevance to legal-AI vendors seeking or relying on high-risk conformity assessment.
    See
    Art. 38

Cite

Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Article 31 (Requirements relating to notified bodies), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, consolidated text of 27 July 2026, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/2026-07-27/eng#art_31 — text © European Union; only the Official Journal is authentic. Coding: SafeLegalAI (published by Cognesio LLP), "EU AI Act, structured", safelegalai.com/regulation/eu-ai-act/article-31, accessed 2026-09-08, CC BY 4.0.