entrar en vigor
verbCEFR B2
What does “entrar en vigor” mean in English?
to come into force, to take effect in a legal sense
to come into force, to take effect in a legal sense (formal; moment of legal activation — contrast surtir efecto)
Example sentences
La nueva normativa sobre protección de datos entró en vigor el primer día del año.
The new data protection regulation came into force on the first day of the year.
El acuerdo entrará en vigor una vez que todos los países firmantes lo ratifiquen.
The agreement will come into force once all the signatory countries ratify it.
La ley lleva tres años en vigor sin que nadie haya cuestionado su aplicación.
The law has been in force for three years without anyone questioning its application.
How to use it
Entrar en vigor means 'to come into force', 'to take effect' (legal and regulatory sense). It is a formal legal register collocation. Construction: entrar en vigor (intransitive, subject = law/regulation/agreement). Timing adverbs are common: 'entrar en vigor a partir de', 'a partir del momento en que entre en vigor'. Contrast with surtir efecto (to produce actual results) — entrar en vigor is the legal moment of activation, surtir efecto is the real-world impact.
Common mistake
Entrar en vigor ≠ surtir efecto. Entrar en vigor is the legal switch-on; surtir efecto is the real-world impact — often they don't coincide. Don't use *entrar en vigencia (used in some LatAm varieties but not standard in pan-Hispanic formal Spanish). The phrase is fixed: always vigor (not *fuerza or *efecto) in this legal formula.