As of August 2026, ChatGPT ads (OpenAI Ads) are open to advertisers in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, plus the 31 European markets added on August 24, 202612. Türkiye is not among the announced markets; a Türkiye-based business cannot open an account on ads.openai.com and run campaigns. This is not an error or an approval delay; it is the result of OpenAI’s deliberate, phased rollout. Whether you have access is determined by the business information entered when the account is created.
This post is not a setup guide. It first clarifies the questions: who has access, what determines that access, which industries are excluded from the start, and what someone without access can do today. The technical side of campaign and measurement setup is the subject of separate posts.
Who Can Advertise Right Now
Advertiser access is geographically limited, but the list is growing fast. OpenAI started its pilot in the US in February 2026 and then expanded with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand1. In the US, the self-serve Ads Manager opened to advertisers of every size on May 5, 2026; the minimum spend requirement was dropped, and the recommended CPC was stated as $3 to $53. On August 24, 2026, the platform opened to 31 European markets: the announcement names Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Austria, without publishing the full list2.
The critical detail of the European rollout is the shape of the access. Advertisers reach ChatGPT Ads first through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team, agency partners, and technology partners; self-serve access through Ads Manager arrives later in the same quarter2. In other words, the US “open an account, build a campaign” flow does not apply in Europe on day one.
It is important not to conflate two separate notions of “access”:
- Advertiser access: The country of the business that can build campaigns and pay. Currently four countries plus 31 European markets.
- Display access: The user side where ads appear. The test started in the US with Free and Go users on February 9, 2026, and after the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, display is starting in the European markets as well42. Note that the display list is broader than the advertiser list: ads appear in the UK, but advertiser access is not there yet.
Both are expanding gradually, but not at the same pace. Türkiye is currently on neither list.
The platform itself also changed shape over six months. Bidding started with CPM, added CPC, and now includes conversion-optimized cost per click (oCPC). Geo-targeting and custom audiences were added on the targeting side, and the OpenAI Pixel, Conversions API, and third-party measurement integrations on the measurement side2. That points to the channel moving from an impression-selling placement toward a performance channel that can be optimized against conversion goals, which raises the stakes on the measurement setup.
| Dimension | Status (August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Advertiser countries | US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and 31 European markets (Aug 24, 2026) |
| Türkiye advertiser access | None |
| Access path in Europe | OpenAI sales team, agency and technology partners; self-serve later |
| Self-serve Ads Manager | Open to all sizes in the US (May 5, 2026), pending in Europe |
| Minimum spend | Dropped (US) |
| Bidding models | CPM, CPC, oCPC (conversion-optimized CPC) |
| Targeting | Geo-targeting, custom audiences |
| Measurement | OpenAI Pixel, Conversions API, third-party measurement integrations |
| Display plans | Free and Go (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Education ad-free) |
| Display test start | February 9, 2026 (US) |
What Determines Eligibility: The Ads Manager Form
Access is not tied to a separate application or invitation process; it depends on the business information entered when the account is created. Two fields are critical:
- Business location: The country where the business is based. A location outside the eligible countries blocks campaign setup or approval.
- Activity category: The business’s industry. If an excluded category is selected, ads are not approved.
So eligibility is determined by the declaration in the form.
Which Categories Are Excluded
Even if the location is eligible, not every industry can advertise. The currently approved categories are consumer goods, lifestyle products, household goods, local services, travel and experiences, digital products, and education5.
The excluded categories are clear:
- Dating and sexual content
- Health claims
- Alcohol and tobacco
- Healthcare services
- Financial and legal services
- Gambling
- Political content
There is a nuance on the finance, health, and legal side: OpenAI allows approved advertisers in these categories on a case-by-case basis, gradually, through manual review5. So it is not entirely closed, but it is not automatic either; an application and manual approval are required. On the display side, ads also do not appear near sensitive topics such as health, mental health, and politics4.
What Can Be Done From Türkiye Today
The lack of access is not a reason to ignore the topic. There are three concrete paths:
Setup on behalf of an organization or client that has access. Many measurement and analytics professionals in Türkiye already work for US or global clients. The European rollout widened that pool noticeably: setup work for a client based in Germany, the Netherlands, or Spain is now possible. When advertiser access belongs to the client’s organization, running the campaign and measurement setup through that account is possible. What matters is not the location of whoever does the setup, but the location of the advertising business.
Preparing the measurement infrastructure in advance. OpenAI Ads measurement rests on the JavaScript pixel and Conversions API pair, and this shares the same principles as an existing server-side tracking setup: event taxonomy, hashed identity matching, browser-to-server dedup. Building this infrastructure before the channel opens means not starting from scratch when access arrives. With oCPC in play, that preparation is no longer optional: conversion optimization only works to the extent that clean conversion signal reaches the platform.
Same principle, new channel
OpenAI Ads Conversions API rests on the same logic as Meta CAPI and GA4 Measurement Protocol: server-side, more reliable, independent of browser restrictions. For a team with a server-side tracking setup, OpenAI Ads measurement is not a new paradigm but another application of a familiar pattern.
Tracking the channel with evaluation data. The ChatGPT ad pilot crossed a $100 million annualized revenue run rate in about six weeks in March 20266. Since the February US pilot, eight more markets were added, followed by 31 European markets in a single move2. That pace makes it worth understanding now how the channel works and where measurement breaks, so nobody is caught unprepared when access opens in Türkiye. Businesses without access can register their interest at openai.com/advertisers to be informed when the channel opens7.
When access opens, or when a campaign starts for a client that has access, the real difference will show in whether the setup is ready. A team that builds the measurement side in advance starts working with real conversion data from the channel’s first day.
Footnotes
- Testing ads in ChatGPT (OpenAI) and OpenAI to expand ChatGPT ads to new markets, test multi-advertiser placements (Search Engine Land): advertiser access started in the US and expanded with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. ↩ ↩2
- ChatGPT Ads expands across Europe (OpenAI, August 19, 2026) and ChatGPT Ads are expanding to 31 European countries (Search Engine Land): the August 24, 2026 rollout to 31 European markets, initial access through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team plus agency and technology partners, self-serve Ads Manager access deferred, oCPC, geo-targeting, custom audiences, third-party measurement integrations, and display limited to the Free and Go plans. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
- New ways to buy ChatGPT ads (OpenAI) and ChatGPT ads expand with self-serve buying (Search Engine Land): the May 5, 2026 self-serve Ads Manager beta, the removal of the previous $50,000 minimum spend requirement, and the recommended CPC of $3 to $5. ↩
- Ads in ChatGPT (OpenAI Help Center) and Testing ads in ChatGPT (OpenAI): the display test started on February 9, 2026 in the US with Free and Go users. Ads are not shown in accounts under 18 or near sensitive topics such as health, mental health, and politics. ↩ ↩2
- Ad policies (OpenAI): approved and excluded ad categories; the gradual opening of finance, health, and legal categories via case-by-case manual review. ↩ ↩2
- OpenAI ads pilot tops $100 million in annualized revenue in under 2 months (CNBC, March 26, 2026): the ChatGPT ad pilot reached a $100 million annualized revenue run rate in roughly six weeks in the US. ↩
- Ads in ChatGPT (OpenAI Help Center): “If you’re a business interested in advertising in ChatGPT, you can submit your interest at openai.com/advertisers to stay informed.” ↩
- 01 Advertiser access expanded to 31 European markets on August 24, 2026, on top of the previous four countries (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand). Türkiye is not among the announced markets.
- 02 Access in Europe is not self-serve at first: it runs through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team, agency partners, and technology partners, with self-serve Ads Manager access deferred.
- 03 Bidding moved beyond CPM and CPC to conversion-optimized cost per click (oCPC), alongside geo-targeting and custom audiences.
- 04 Eligibility is set by the business location and category entered in the Ads Manager account; the decision follows the information in the form.
- 05 Excluded categories: dating, alcohol, tobacco, healthcare, financial, legal, gambling, political content. Finance, health, and legal open gradually via case-by-case manual approval.
- 06 Concrete path from Türkiye: set up campaigns and measurement (pixel + Conversions API) infrastructure on behalf of a client or organization that has access.
+ Can I advertise on ChatGPT from Türkiye?
As of August 2026, no. OpenAI Ads advertiser access covers the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the 31 European markets added on August 24, 2026; Türkiye is not among the announced markets. A Türkiye-based business cannot open a self-serve account on ads.openai.com and run campaigns. The only practical path is to work on behalf of an organization or client that has access.
+ Is the new European access self-serve?
Not at first. In the August 24, 2026 European rollout, access runs through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team, agency partners, and technology partners. Self-serve access through Ads Manager was announced for later in the same quarter. For a European business, the practical path right now is to work through an agency or technology partner.
+ What determines ChatGPT ad access?
The business information entered in the ads.openai.com Ads Manager account. Location (the country where the business is based) and activity category are the two main fields that determine eligibility. If an ineligible location or an excluded category is entered, access or campaign approval is not granted.
+ Which industries cannot advertise on ChatGPT?
Excluded categories: dating and sexual content, health claims, alcohol and tobacco, healthcare services, financial and legal services, gambling, political content. Finance, health, and legal categories open gradually via case-by-case manual approval; not automatic.
+ Which users see ChatGPT ads?
Display started with logged-in adult users on the Free and Go plans in the US, and the European rollout stayed on Free and Go as well; Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education accounts remain ad-free. Ads are not shown in accounts under 18, and ads do not appear near sensitive topics such as health, mental health, and politics.
+ What can I do now while I don't have access?
Set up the measurement infrastructure in advance. The OpenAI Ads JavaScript pixel and Conversions API setup, the event taxonomy, and the browser-to-server dedup logic let you be ready when access opens or when a campaign starts for a client that has access. This infrastructure rests on the same principles as an existing server-side tracking setup.