Everyone is talking about ChatGPT and wants to explore options to put it to their best use. However, ChatGPT is not available in some countries, and where it is not, the users are getting the “OpenAI services are not available in your country” error.
Don’t get disheartened, I’ve discussed workarounds to use ChatGPT where it is not officially available.
ChatGPT is owned by an artificial intelligence research firm called OpenAI was started as a non-profit organization in 2015, and was co-founded by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and other known personalities.
The first version, ChatGPT 3 was initially launched in 2020, and then in 2021, they launched DALL-E.
ChatGPT 3 was able to answer simple questions with the help of natural language.
However, DALL-E is able to generate images based on the instructions given in text format.
All the images generated by the instructions given are unique in their own way.
The latest version, ChatGPT 4 which was launched in November 2022, is more powerful and able to perform a wide range of tasks.
The latest rumors suggest that ChatGPT 5’s training will be completed by the end of 2023 and it will be able to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
Why OpenAI services are not available in your country?
If you are trying to use ChatGPT but getting the “OpenAI services are not available in your country” error, it means ChatGPT is not available in your country.
Which simply means you are not able to log in and use ChatGPT.
This Chatbot is available in many countries but not all.
The European country, Italy has banned ChatGPT citing the reason “negative implication” on the society.
Such restrictions are imposed by the developers to avoid problems with the country’s legal & political matters and by the government to avoid access to country people’s personally identifiable information.
We have seen that in the case of TikTok. It is banned in many countries because of security and other reasons.
However, sometimes the developers restrict access to users from different countries for their personal interests.
How to fix the “OpenAI services are not available in your country” Error?
If you are getting the “OpenAI services are not available in your country (error=unsupported_country)” error, it means you would not be able to use ChatGPT WITHOUT special arrangement.
So, relax yourself, there are ways by which you can use ChatGPT even if it is not supported in your country.
Below, I have shared various ways to fix this problem.
1- Use VPN
One of the simplest fixes is to use a VPN!
By using a VPN you can pretend to be from supported countries and hence be able to use ChatGPT without any problem.
This can be done by changing your IP address (IP helps websites detect the country you are accessing the website from) to get the IP address of the country that ChatGPT is available.
For example, if you are from Italy, where ChatGPT is banned, by using a VPN, you can get an IP address of the US location that will remove restrictions and you’ll be able to use ChatGPT in Italy.
A good VPN offers speed, reliability & several GB of data transfer.
NordVPN is one of the best VPNs that I’ve been using for years (for different purposes).
While there are Free options as well but they are not good. So, there is no guarantee you’ll be able to fix this problem using a Free VPN.
If you don’t like NordVPN for any personal reasons, there are other good options available such as ExpressVPN, Surfshark, IPVanish, etc.
Try ChatGPT in Incognito Mode
You need to use this method with the combined help of VPN & Incognito Mode of your Chrome browser.
1- After the VPN is set up, Open Google Chrome.
2- Click the three dots at the top right corner of the Chrome browser.
3- Select “New Incognito Window”
4- Type Chat.openai.com, login to your account and start using ChatGPT.
Contact ChatGPT Support
The other thing you can do to fix the “OpenAI services are not available in your country” error is to contact the ChatGPT support team.
The company is still evolving and trying to make the Chatbot available to a wide audience from different countries & locations.
You can contact them and tell them about your problem.
Which countries ChatGPT is available in?
ChatGPT is available in 163 countries at the time of writing this article. These countries’ names are given below.
However, this list keeps changing.
Hence, it is advisable to check out the updated list on OpenAI’s official website.
- 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
- 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
Is ChatGPT free to use?
Yes, ChatGPT is free to use. However, they have paid version as well with added features that cost $20/ month.
What countries ChatGPT is available in?
You can find the complete list here.
How do I use ChatGPT if it is not available in your country?
ChatGPT is available in most countries but not all. Where it is not available, it can be accessed using a good VPN service.
There are a lot of great VPN services but the most reliable one is NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, etc.
How to fix “OpenAI’s API is not available in your country”?
Buy a VPN service, and turn it on. Choose the target countries to the one where ChatGPT is supported.
Once VPN is activated, go to What is My IP and check the IP address.
If it’s the one you’ve set your location to, go to chat.openai.com, log in with credentials (sign up first if you are a first-time user), and use the chatbot.
Conclusion
ChatGPT is a famous AI chatbot and everyone wants to use it. It is available to most of the countries yet people from some selected countries are restricted.
There could be any reason why they don’t allow ChatGPT in their countries but if you are living in such countries and getting the “OpenAI services are not available in your country” error, you can fix it with the help of a VPN.
One can check the list of supported countries from their official website and keep a check on it. The list keeps changing.
