Are you trying to access ChatGPT but getting the error message “OpenAI is not available in your country”? Worry not! You’re not alone. People in 30 countries worldwide are not able to access OpenAI’s services, such as ChatGPT, Codex, Whisper, DALLE-2, and the latest openAI language model GPT- 4.
When people in these countries try to access the OpenAI website, they get the error saying, “OpenAI’s services are not available in your country (error=unsupported_country). However, it doesn’t mean that you really can’t access OpenAI’s tools. There are many other ways, like Using a VPN, Incognito window, etc., that you can try to use ChatGPT in an unsupported country.
In this article, we’re going to discuss the main reasons for this error and how you can fix it. So, let’s get started to unlock the power of ChatGPT, irrespective of your location.
Table of Contents
What is OpenAI?
OpenAI is a San Francisco-based AI research company. If you aren’t living in the middle ages, you might have heard about ChatGPT; OpenAI is the company behind this magical application. This company was founded 8 years ago in 2015 and is owned by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and other tech giants. Initially, it was established as a non-profit organization, but 4 years after its launch, it converted into a for-profit company.
In mid-2020, OpenAI released the GPT- 3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer – 3) model that uses natural language processing to answer text prompts. Then comes DALLE-2 in the AI market from the same company in 2021 that is capable of generating images from simple text prompts.
In November 2022, the release of ChatGPT made OpneAI the most famous AI company in the world. The list of inventions by OpneAI is not limited there; in 2023, it released GPT-4 (the latest language model), and there are many more to come. There is news that Microsoft has paid USD 10 Billion to OpenAI, requesting it to integrate ChatGPT into Microsoft’s search engine, Bing.
Why is OpenAI Not Available in Your Country?
You are facing “OpenAI is not available in your country” because you’re residing in a country where OpneAI API access is restricted. Several countries don’t allow access to OpenAI API, but the reasons are still unavailable.
The restricted OpenAI API means that you can’t access the OpenAI website and any of its services. OpenAI provides access to its API to the majority of the countries in the world (About 164 countries and regions). There are about 30 territories (OpenAI unsupported countries) where open AI services are not available. The list of the blocked countries is given below:
- Afghanistan
- Belarus
- China (including Hong Kong and Macau)
- Cambodia
- Cuba
- Ethiopia
- Egypt
- Iran
- Italy
- Laos
- Libya
- Russia
- Syria
- Ukraine (Some regions)
- Vietnam
- Venezuela
- North Korea
Some of the possible reasons for this restriction might be International trade regulations, national intelligence activities, and sanctions to ensure the use of technology for only lawful activities. As per the words of the OpenAI team, the geographical diversity and equitable distribution of benefits are important to them, so they are trying to provide services to as many regions as possible.
It’s also important to note that some of the online services are sometimes blocked by Wi-Fi networks in workplaces and educational institutions if they find it distracting or bandwidth-intensive.
Also, the support of a certain service in a country is more than just flipping a switch. It involves several considerations around language support, infrastructure, customer services, and more. The company has to weigh all these factors before making a strategic decision about when and where to expand its services.
Whatever the reason is, try the methods discussed below to overcome these limitations.
OpenAI Not Available in Your Country – 4 Methods to Fix
Most of the time, OpenAI uses geo-blocking methods to restrict the website’s access to unsupported countries. If you’re facing the “openAI not available in your country” error, there are several methods to troubleshoot this issue. The 4 most convenient methods to bypass “OpenAI’s ChatGPT not available in your country” are discussed below:
Method #1: Use a VPN (Best Ever Solution)
The use of the virtual private network (VPN) is one of the best methods to fix regional limitations on any website. VPN actually modifies your IP address, thus making it appear different from your actual location.
So choose any of the super fast and reliable VPNs such as Nord VPN, Express VPN, SurfShark, or Proton VPN. Download and install your selected VPN on your device. Connect your browser with a VPN and set its location to any of the OpenAI-supported countries (USA, UK, Australia, preferably). Reload the OpenAI website and enjoy uninterrupted access.
Method #2: Use OpenAI’s Services in Incognito/Private Mode
Another method to consider to fix “OpenAI is not available in your country” is opening the OpenAI webpage in private browsing mode (Incognito) of your web browser. However, combining this method with a VPN is recommended for easy access to OpenAI. For this purpose:
- Open your browser.
- Click on the 3 dot menu in the upper right corner.
- You’ll see an option “New Incognito Window”. Open it and relaunch the ChatGPT website.
Method # 3: Use Any Other Web Browser
If you’re having issues while accessing the OpenAI website, there is a possible fix you can try. Download any other web browser that works well with OpenAI, i.e., Microsoft Bing, and try using ChatGPT in this browser.
Method # 4: Contact OpenAI’s Customer Support
OpenAI’s services are available in most of the countries globally. If you’re residing in an OpenAI-supported country but still getting the message “OpenAI is not available in your country,” you should contact the OpenAI ChatGPT support team and explain your problem. They’ll help you to find the out the real reason and how you can fix it.
List of Countries Where OpenAI Services are Available
There are about 164 countries globally where openAI services are supported. These include:
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Cabo Verde
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo (Congo-Brazzaville)
- Costa Rica
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia (Czech Republic)
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Holy See (Vatican City)
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste (East Timor)
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine (with certain exceptions)
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
FAQs
1 – Which countries allow OpenAI?
There are 164 countries in the world that allow OpenAI services. You can find the list of supported countries at https://platform.openai.com/docs/supported-countries
2 – Is OpenAI available in Saudi Arabia?
According to the latest stats, OpenAI is available in Saudi Arabia.
Conclusion
All in all, if you see an error “OpenAI is not available in your country,” worry not. You can still benefit from its services by enabling a VPN or trying to access the website in a private browser. We hope our suggestions prove valuable to you.