The ChatGPT craze continues to sweep the internet like a hurricane. Unfortunately, users in some countries cannot enjoy the wonders of the chatbot because it is blocked for various reasons, including ethical, governmental, or policy concerns.
When attempting to use ChatGPT, you may encounter two issues. 1) ChatGPT access may be restricted in your country. 2) Even if you manage to access ChatGPT, your local phone number may be rejected when you try to sign up for an account. It will undoubtedly be frustrating not to have access to technology that is freely available to everyone in the world.
However, you do not need to be concerned. I’ll show you a simple method for unblocking ChatGPT. By using a reputable VPN service, you can get around your country’s restrictions. When you connect to a VPN server in a country where ChatGPT is available, you will be able to use it without restriction. In terms of account verification, I’ll show you how to purchase a virtual phone number from OnlineSIM. Let’s get started without further ado.
A quick guide to unblocking ChatGPT with a VPN:
- Visit ExpressVPN’s official website; it has servers in 94 countries.
- Select a plan that works for you by clicking the “Get ExpressVPN” button.
- Enter your email address and select a payment method.
- Once your payment has been processed, ExpressVPN will email you an activation code.
- Navigate to the “Products” menu on the ExpressVPN home page, then download and install the VPN app for your device.
- Start the app and enter the activation code you received via email.
- In the “VPN Locations” menu, search for a country where ChatGPT is available and connect to a server. (I preferred the US servers of ExpressVPN.)
A green check mark will appear over your ExpressVPN icon once your connection is established. That means you’ve virtually relocated to the United States and can use ChatGPT freely in your home country.
As you can see, by connecting to ExpressVPN’s New York servers, we can start using ChatGPT.
- ChatGPT is currently not available in Italy, Hong Kong, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and much more. You can overcome restrictions in most of these countries with a VPN connection. But Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are special cases.
With our quick guide, you can unblock ChatGPT in your country and begin using the chatbot with your existing account. However, if you do not have an account and intend to create one, I recommend that you read the entire article. Furthermore, our readers who will be using VPN for the first time will find detailed information about the working principles of VPN services as well as the reasons for ChatGPT restrictions in their country below.
Understanding the ChatGPT restriction
There could be a variety of reasons why you are unable to use ChatGPT in your country. For example, due to the United States trade embargo, ChatGPT was never officially available in countries such as Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and Sudan. Italy recently became the first European country to restrict ChatGPT, which appears to be setting a precedent for many other countries. The situation in Russia is fairly obvious, and Open AI recently added Ukraine to the list of restricted countries.
Whatever the reason, ChatGPT is not currently available in these countries. Furthermore, many countries are preparing to impose bans or restrictions on ChatGPT, according to the trend. But what if you are unaware of the status of ChatGPT in your country and attempt to use the website in a country where it is restricted?
- Statement: “The site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site.”
When you try to use ChatGPT in Ukraine, you will receive the notice shown above. When you try to use the chatbot in other countries where it is unavailable, you will see a similar message, even if it is not exactly the same.
Finally, the way these restrictions are applied in all countries is the same, and the problem is the local IP addresses we have. When ChatGPT (OpenAI) detects a user with an IP address from a restricted country, the user is automatically blocked. To get around this restriction, we need to find a way to change our IP address.
Note: If you are from Italy, you can find a detailed article on how to unblock ChatGPT here, and if you are from Hong Kong, you can find our article here.
How to unblock ChatGPT with a VPN
To unblock ChatGPT in a restricted country, we will get help from VPN services. By connecting to a VPN server, we can change our virtual location (IP address) to the server’s location and unblock ChatGPT. All we need to do is connect to a VPN server in a country where ChatGPT is available (for example, the United States).
VPNs are essentially online privacy and security tools. When we connect to a VPN server, all of our internet traffic is routed through the server. This encrypts our data and prevents it from being intercepted by a third party. Furthermore, this connection allows us to circumvent geo-restrictions by masking our local IP address and assigning us a new IP address from the server location to which we are connecting.
So far, everything has gone well. However, if you conduct an internet search for a VPN service, you will discover that the market is flooded with countless VPN services claiming to be the best. So, can any VPN service be used to unblock ChatGPT, or are there any requirements we should be aware of? Let’s look at the criteria to consider when selecting a VPN for ChatGPT and select the VPN service that will provide us with the best solution.
Choosing the best VPN for unblocking ChatGPT
First and foremost, we require a VPN service that has servers in countries where ChatGPT is available. To unblock ChatGPT, I prefer to connect to the United States, but in general, we need a VPN service with worldwide coverage.
Aside from the server location, we require an uninterrupted and fast connection. After all, we can’t concentrate on what we’re doing when we’re having connection problems. Of course, we should consider price/performance as well as features like a money-back guarantee, application compatibility, and the number of simultaneous connections allowed in our evaluation.
When I thoroughly examined all of the VPN services on the market, ExpressVPN was the VPN service that most satisfied me based on these criteria. ExpressVPN, one of the most well-known brands in the market with over thirteen years of experience, is also one of the largest in terms of coverage, operating thousands of servers in 94 countries. When you connect to ExpressVPN’s US servers from one of the countries where ChatGPT is restricted, your speed will be over 50 Mbps. The provider also supports five simultaneous connections and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
To use this service, please follow the steps below:
- Visit ExpressVPN’s official website.
- Fill in your email address and select a subscription plan.
- Use your preferred payment method to complete the transaction.
Once your payment has been processed, ExpressVPN will send you an email with an activation code. Please save that code as we will need it in the following steps.
VPN app installation
Now that you have an ExpressVPN account, you can download and install the ExpressVPN app on your device.
- Return to the ExpressVPN official website.
- From the “Products” menu, find and download the VPN app for your device.
- Install the VPN application on your device.
Allow the ExpressVPN app all of the permissions it requires during installation to avoid future issues.
Connecting to the VPN server
It’s time to change your virtual location. With a few simple clicks, we get a new IP address.
- On your device, open the ExpressVPN app.
- Log in with the activation code you received via email.
- Click the three dots to open the “VPN Locations” menu.
- Search for “United States” and connect to a server that is available. (I preferred the New York server.)
When the connection is established, a green checkmark will appear over your ExpressVPN icon. With your new US IP address, you can use ChatGPT with your existing account. You don’t have one? Don’t be concerned. In the section that follows, I’ll show you how to sign up for a ChatGPT account with a virtual phone number.
Note: You can connect to any other country where ChatGPT is available to unblock it. The United States is convenient for me because OpenAI is based there, and there are many VPN servers there.
Creating ChatGPT account
OpenAI requires users to verify their local phone numbers when creating an account. However, if ChatGPT is not available in the user’s country, the system will usually reject their phone number. To address this issue, we will purchase a one-time use virtual phone number for account verification.
- Check your connection to ExpressVPN’s United States server.
- Go to OnlineSIM at https://onlinesim.io/
- Sign up for an account and verify it via email.
Now that your account is ready, you’ll need to deposit funds into your account. You can do this with a variety of methods, but keep in mind that you will need $3 to buy a virtual phone number for ChatGPT.
- Go to the “Refill balance” tab and choose your currency, payment method, and amount to load.
Your OnlineSIM account is now funded. However, before purchasing a virtual phone number, you must first create a ChatGPT account. Your virtual number will only be active for 15 minutes. So don’t buy it right away.
- Navigate to the official ChatGPT website and select “Try ChatGPT.”
- On the next page, click “Sign up” and enter your email address.
- Set a password and confirm your account via email.
- After you enter your name and birthday, ChatGPT will ask you to verify your phone number.
You can now purchase a virtual phone number. Navigate to your OnlineSIM account and select the “Receive SMS” tab in the left panel. Search for the “United States” and “ChatGPT” there.
When you click “$3.00,” OnlineSIM will generate a virtual phone number in the United States that will be active for 15 minutes. Copy that number and paste it into ChatGPT, then click the “Send code” button. After that, ChatGPT will send an SMS code to that number. That code can be found directly below your virtual phone number on OnlineSIM’s “Receive SMS” tab.
As the last step, use the SMS code to activate your ChatGPT account and it should be ready for use. You can use your account to access the free version of the chatbot or subscribe to ChatGPT Plus.
Using ChatGPT with a VPN
We used a VPN service to unblock ChatGPT and verified our account with a virtual phone number. Let’s see how our hard work has paid off.
- Make sure you’re still connected to the ExpressVPN US server.
- Visit the ChatGPT official website at https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt.
- Login to your account.
It appears that the power of VPNs overcame ChatGPT’s restrictions.
VPNs for unblocking ChatGPT (3 Alternatives)
I demonstrated how to unblock ChatGPT using ExpressVPN, which is unquestionably a good option. However, it is not the only VPN provider you can use to circumvent ChatGPT restrictions in your country. It’s also no secret that ExpressVPN isn’t the cheapest VPN service available. If you want to try another VPN service or are looking for a cheaper alternative, I’ve listed three alternatives to ExpressVPN below.
AtlasVPN
Atlas is a new VPN service provider on the market. However, after Nord Security bought it in 2021, it experienced a growth spurt and now has over 750 servers spread across 49 different locations worldwide. Of course, US servers, which I recommend for ChatGPT, are part of AtlasVPN’s coverage. It is also worth noting that AtlasVPN specializes in streaming services.
When it comes to performance, AtlasVPN’s newness helps because, with fewer users, we can get faster speeds from its servers. In my most recent speed test, the download speed from AtlasVPN’s US servers was 72.68 Mbps.
Finally, if you are looking for an alternative to ExpressVPN due to its pricing policy, AtlasVPN is the cheapest service on our list. A single AtlasVPN account allows for an unlimited number of simultaneous connections and costs just $1.82 per month. What is more, you can try AtlasVPN risk-free as it has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is a VPN service based in Panama that is also well-known in the VPN market. This is also evident in CyberGhost’s server coverage. You can change your IP address by connecting to one of CyberGhost’s over 9000 servers spread across 91 countries. It should come as no surprise that 1422 of these servers are located in the United States.
I got a download speed of 69.14 Mbps when I ran a speed test with CyberGhost’s cutting-edge technology servers. Such a performance will undoubtedly not disappoint us.
Finally, CyberGhost’s services are reasonably priced. A single CyberGhost account can support up to 7 simultaneous connections and costs $2.11 per month. In addition, CyberGhost offers a 45-day money-back guarantee.
VeePN
VeePN is a new addition to our list of VPN alternatives. It is a Panama-based VPN service provider that has been in operation since 2017. VeePN currently has 2500 servers in 50 different locations. Although it may appear to lag behind its competitors in terms of coverage, its low price and user-friendly application make it a good choice for those new to VPN services.
In terms of performance, my speed test with VeePN’s US servers produced a download speed of 63.13 Mbps. Although VeePN’s speed performance is not inferior to that of its competitors, I must admit that my connection was unstable.
This is where VeePN shines. VeePN is one of the most cost-effective services available. VeePN accounts start at $1.67 per month and can support up to ten simultaneous connections.
Summing up the article
In this article, I showed a simple solution for our readers who are unable to access ChatGPT in their country. Whatever the reason for ChatGPT being blocked in your country, the restriction is enforced via your local IP address. To put it another way, changing your IP address is required to unblock ChatGPT.
The solution is straightforward: connect to a VPN server located in a country where ChatGPT is available. By doing so, you can get a new IP address from the server’s location and unblock ChatGPT. ExpressVPN is my top choice for unblocking ChatGPT and I connected to US servers.
After resolving this issue, I demonstrated how to verify your account with a virtual phone number purchased from OnlineSIM. For those looking for an alternative, I’ve listed three options: AtlasVPN, CyberGhost, and VeePN.
I’ve been a translator for many years. During this time, geo-restriction has always been the most problematic issue in the many countries I’ve visited. I’m here to tell you about my experience.
