diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ui/date-picker.tsx b/frontend/src/components/ui/date-picker.tsx
index 7997e69..33dce13 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ui/date-picker.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ui/date-picker.tsx
@@ -34,43 +34,6 @@ function to24Hour(h12: number, ampm: string): number {
   return isPM ? h12 + 12 : h12;
 }
 
-/** ISO string → user-friendly display: DD/MM/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY hh:mm AM */
-function isoToDisplay(iso: string, mode: 'date' | 'datetime'): string {
-  if (!iso) return '';
-  const parts = iso.split('T');
-  const dp = parts[0]?.split('-');
-  if (!dp || dp.length !== 3) return '';
-  const dateStr = `${dp[2]}/${dp[1]}/${dp[0]}`;
-  if (mode === 'date') return dateStr;
-  const tp = parts[1]?.split(':');
-  if (!tp || tp.length < 2) return dateStr;
-  const h = parseInt(tp[0], 10);
-  if (isNaN(h)) return dateStr;
-  const { hour: h12, ampm } = to12Hour(h);
-  return `${dateStr} ${pad(h12)}:${tp[1].slice(0, 2)} ${ampm}`;
-}
-
-/** User-friendly display → ISO string, or null if incomplete/invalid */
-function displayToIso(display: string, mode: 'date' | 'datetime'): string | null {
-  if (!display) return null;
-  if (mode === 'date') {
-    const m = display.match(/^(\d{1,2})\/(\d{1,2})\/(\d{4})$/);
-    if (!m) return null;
-    const d = parseInt(m[1], 10), mo = parseInt(m[2], 10), y = parseInt(m[3], 10);
-    if (mo < 1 || mo > 12 || d < 1 || d > getDaysInMonth(y, mo - 1)) return null;
-    return `${m[3]}-${pad(mo)}-${pad(d)}`;
-  }
-  const m = display.match(/^(\d{1,2})\/(\d{1,2})\/(\d{4})\s+(\d{1,2}):(\d{2})\s*(AM|PM)$/i);
-  if (!m) return null;
-  const d = parseInt(m[1], 10), mo = parseInt(m[2], 10), y = parseInt(m[3], 10);
-  if (mo < 1 || mo > 12 || d < 1 || d > getDaysInMonth(y, mo - 1)) return null;
-  let h = parseInt(m[4], 10);
-  const min = parseInt(m[5], 10);
-  if (h < 1 || h > 12 || min < 0 || min > 59) return null;
-  h = to24Hour(h, m[6]);
-  return `${m[3]}-${pad(mo)}-${pad(d)}T${pad(h)}:${pad(min)}`;
-}
-
 const MONTH_NAMES = [
   'January', 'February', 'March', 'April', 'May', 'June',
   'July', 'August', 'September', 'October', 'November', 'December',
@@ -152,12 +115,6 @@ const DatePicker = React.forwardRef<HTMLButtonElement, DatePickerProps>(
     const [hour, setHour] = React.useState(parsed?.hour ?? 0);
     const [minute, setMinute] = React.useState(parsed?.minute ?? 0);
 
-    // Input variant: user-friendly display string (DD/MM/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY hh:mm AM)
-    const [displayValue, setDisplayValue] = React.useState(() =>
-      variant === 'input' ? isoToDisplay(value, mode) : ''
-    );
-    const isInternalChange = React.useRef(false);
-
     // Refs
     const triggerRef = React.useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
     const wrapperRef = React.useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
@@ -182,18 +139,6 @@ const DatePicker = React.forwardRef<HTMLButtonElement, DatePickerProps>(
       // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
     }, [value, open]);
 
-    // Sync display string from ISO value (input variant).
-    // Skips when the change originated from the text input to avoid
-    // overwriting the user's in-progress typing.
-    React.useEffect(() => {
-      if (variant !== 'input') return;
-      if (isInternalChange.current) {
-        isInternalChange.current = false;
-        return;
-      }
-      setDisplayValue(value ? isoToDisplay(value, mode) : '');
-    }, [value, mode, variant]);
-
     // Position popup
     const updatePosition = React.useCallback(() => {
       const el = variant === 'input' ? wrapperRef.current : triggerRef.current;
@@ -484,32 +429,19 @@ const DatePicker = React.forwardRef<HTMLButtonElement, DatePickerProps>(
         )
       : null;
 
-    // ── Input variant: typeable input + calendar icon trigger ──
+    // ── Input variant: native date/datetime-local + calendar icon for custom popup ──
     if (variant === 'input') {
       return (
         <>
-          <div ref={wrapperRef} className="relative">
+          <div ref={wrapperRef} className="datepicker-wrapper relative">
             <input
               ref={inputElRef}
-              type="text"
+              type={mode === 'datetime' ? 'datetime-local' : 'date'}
               id={id}
               name={name}
               autoComplete={autoComplete}
-              value={displayValue}
-              onChange={(e) => {
-                const typed = e.target.value;
-                setDisplayValue(typed);
-                if (typed === '') {
-                  isInternalChange.current = true;
-                  onChange('');
-                  return;
-                }
-                const iso = displayToIso(typed, mode);
-                if (iso) {
-                  isInternalChange.current = true;
-                  onChange(iso);
-                }
-              }}
+              value={value}
+              onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.value)}
               onBlur={handleInputBlur}
               onKeyDown={(e) => {
                 if (open && e.key === 'Enter') {
@@ -520,7 +452,8 @@ const DatePicker = React.forwardRef<HTMLButtonElement, DatePickerProps>(
               }}
               required={required}
               disabled={disabled}
-              placeholder={placeholder || (mode === 'datetime' ? 'DD/MM/YYYY hh:mm AM' : 'DD/MM/YYYY')}
+              min={min}
+              max={max}
               className={cn(
                 'flex h-10 w-full rounded-md border border-input bg-background px-3 py-2 pr-9 text-sm ring-offset-background placeholder:text-muted-foreground focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-offset-2 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50',
                 className
diff --git a/frontend/src/index.css b/frontend/src/index.css
index 9dfb4e7..e819ade 100644
--- a/frontend/src/index.css
+++ b/frontend/src/index.css
@@ -200,6 +200,11 @@ input[type="datetime-local"]::-webkit-calendar-picker-indicator {
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 
+/* Hide native picker icon inside DatePicker wrapper (custom icon replaces it) */
+.datepicker-wrapper input::-webkit-calendar-picker-indicator {
+  display: none;
+}
+
 /* ── Form validation — red outline only after submit attempt ── */
 form[data-submitted] input:invalid,
 form[data-submitted] select:invalid,