OpenAI announces intermediary approval rules effective November 20
Services offering direct model access need prior approval; integrating models into an app alone does not trigger this requirement.
Announced October 21, 2026, the policy update takes effect November 20, not immediately. The exact time and timezone are unspecified.
Model-access intermediaries must obtain prior review and approval. Merely using OpenAI models to power application features does not trigger this requirement.
This is policy news, not a web, app or API feature launch. No new plan, price or Traditional Chinese capability is announced; applicability to individual third-party services is unknown. Not tested here; not legal advice.
https://openai.com/policies/usage-policies/
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/supported-countries
Model-access intermediaries must obtain prior review and approval. Merely using OpenAI models to power application features does not trigger this requirement.
This is policy news, not a web, app or API feature launch. No new plan, price or Traditional Chinese capability is announced; applicability to individual third-party services is unknown. Not tested here; not legal advice.
https://openai.com/policies/usage-policies/
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/supported-countries
Usage conditions
- Hong Kong
- Status refers to OpenAI's direct API: Hong Kong is not listed. This announcement does not expand regional access; other providers require separate checks.
- Macau
- Status refers to OpenAI's direct API: Macau is not listed. This announcement does not expand regional access; other providers require separate checks.
- Taiwan
- Taiwan is listed for direct API access, subject to account and service conditions. This does not approve individual intermediary services. Accounts not tested.
Official source: OpenAI: Broad access through consistent standards