How to use dots from an excluded country
Legitimate routes to access dots from the EEA, Switzerland or the UK, and why a VPN is a bad idea that can cost you the account.
The legitimate route into dots from an excluded market is Business Premium, which per OpenAI reaches every region where ChatGPT is available. The other option is the Enterprise beta enabled by an administrator. A VPN is not an alternative: it is a terms violation with real suspension risk.
Why there is no VPN tutorial here
Plenty of guides about region-limited products end by explaining how to get around the restriction. We are not going to, and it is not excessive caution.
The reasons are concrete:
- It breaches OpenAI’s terms of use. Spoofing a location to reach a service that is not available in your market is exactly the kind of thing that enables a suspension.
- The risk does not scale in your favour. A suspended account can take conversations, files and projects with it, not just access to dots.
- On a company account, someone else pays. If your workspace has Business Premium, a compliance problem caused by spoofed access is a corporate security incident, not an individual prank.
- Detection is trivial. The provider sees where the account connects from over time, not just once.
And there is a simpler argument: you do not need it. The legitimate route exists and it is direct.
Option 1: Business Premium
This is the short answer for most European cases. OpenAI states that Business Premium users get dots across all supported ChatGPT regions, without the exclusion that applies to Pro.
What that means in practice:
- You need an organisation with Business Premium, not a personal account.
- The plan bills per seat, with different logic from Pro.
- If your company already uses ChatGPT Business, it is a matter of an admin confirming the rollout status.
It is why we keep saying the exclusion is a Pro exclusion, not a product one: anyone with a corporate route is not blocked.
Option 2: the Enterprise, Edu or Healthcare beta
Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare workspaces can try the beta. It ships off by default, so someone with admin permissions has to enable it.
This is the right route if you work in a large institution and want to pilot before a broad deployment.
Option 3: ChatGPT Work while you wait
It is not dots and does not pretend to be, but it is available in Europe. It covers part of the use case with scoped delegated tasks.
The underlying difference: ChatGPT Work has no cloud computer of its own and no proactive background research. You work with it, not through it. If what you need is something moving while you are not looking, it is not a replacement.
Option 4: wait
A real option, not a consolation prize. OpenAI has announced no date for the EEA, Switzerland or the UK, but it has not said the exclusion is permanent either. If you are in no hurry and have no corporate route, waiting is perfectly reasonable.
What does not work even though it looks like it does
| Idea | Why not |
|---|---|
| A permanent VPN | Breaches the terms; risks account suspension |
| Travelling to an enabled country | Availability follows the account’s market, not your momentary location |
| A new account with a foreign IP | Same terms problem, and you lose your history and context |
| Asking someone abroad to create the account | The account is in their name, with everything that implies for your data |
What you can do today
- If you have a company: ask about Business Premium. It is the shortest path.
- If you are at an institution: request the Enterprise beta from your workspace admin.
- If you are an individual with no corporate route: use ChatGPT Work for scoped delegated work and wait for the rollout.
- In every case: do not risk your account to save a few months.
This page explains legitimate alternatives, not evasion methods. If your situation requires something OpenAI’s policies do not permit, the honest answer is that we do not have one to offer.
Sources
Frequently asked questions about dots
Can I use a VPN to access dots?
We do not recommend it. Spoofing a location to reach a product that is not available may violate OpenAI's terms of use and expose your account to suspension. On a company account the risk affects the whole organisation.
What is the legitimate way in from Europe?
Business Premium: OpenAI states that plan gets dots across every region where ChatGPT is available, without the exclusion that applies to Pro.
Is there a waitlist for excluded countries?
No. OpenAI has not opened a waitlist for the EEA, Switzerland or the UK, and has not announced a date.
Is ChatGPT Work a good stand-in meanwhile?
It covers part of the use case and is available in Europe, but it is not the same thing: no computer of its own and no proactive background research.
Does travelling to an enabled country give me access?
Not necessarily. Availability is tied to the account and its market, not to your physical location at a given moment, and the rollout is also gradual per account.
Keep reading
dots in the European Union: why it is excluded
The dots exclusion across the EEA, Switzerland and the UK applies to the Pro plan only. What OpenAI said, what is reported as the reason, and the open routes.
dots by country: where it is available and where it is not
Availability table for dots by market: what OpenAI confirmed, what is excluded from Pro, and what remains unconfirmed, with sources and a verification date.
dots vs ChatGPT Tasks: how they actually differ
An honest comparison of dots and ChatGPT scheduled task features: continuity, self-directed execution and control, plus when each one is the right call.