ChatGPT Dots in the UK and Europe: When, and What to Use Now
ChatGPT dots are not available on personal Pro plans in the UK, the EEA or Switzerland, and as of October 6, 2026 OpenAI has given no date. Asked about it, Sam Altman said the EU has “a process that takes longer, and sometimes unpredictably longer.” The one legitimate way in today is a ChatGPT Business Premium seat, which gets dots in every region ChatGPT supports.
For what a dot does, see our ChatGPT dots guide. If you want an agent working this week, Carly runs in the UK and EU today.
What OpenAI has said about dots in the UK and Europe
Four statements, all from launch week:
- The help center. OpenAI’s dots help article says dots are rolling out “to Pro users in markets excluding the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK” and are “also available to Business Premium users across all supported ChatGPT regions.” The line is unchanged as of October 6.
- The release notes. The September 29 entry says Pro access “excludes the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK at launch.” The words “at launch” are the only hint the exclusion is temporary. No release note since mentions dots.
- The announcement. OpenAI’s launch post says “We plan to expand dots to more users soon,” without naming a region.
- Sam Altman. He told NBC News that OpenAI has “a great track record of getting our stuff launched in the E.U.” and that “we really want to ship all of our stuff to Europeans.”
Missing: a date, a waitlist, or the rule holding things up. Press coverage points to European rules such as the AI Act and GDPR; OpenAI hasn’t confirmed that, or explained the UK and Swiss exclusions.
The Business Premium route
Business Premium is a seat type in ChatGPT Business, OpenAI’s self-serve team plan. Here is what OpenAI’s Business billing article lists:
- Price: $125 per user per month billed monthly, or $100 billed annually (US dollars; check your local checkout price).
- Two-seat minimum per workspace, seat types mixed. The smallest workspace with a dot is one Premium plus one Standard seat ($25), so $150 a month billed monthly.
- VAT: enter your business Tax ID at checkout and the purchase is exempt from VAT.
- Training: OpenAI does not use Business workspace data to train its models by default.
It makes sense for a team already on ChatGPT at work, or a consultant with a VAT number who would pay for Pro anyway. It doesn’t for one person wanting a personal dot: you pay for a second seat, the workspace is separate from your personal ChatGPT, admins control which apps are on, and the texting beta isn’t offered in Business workspaces. For one person, Carly’s AI agents start at $35/month. More in our ChatGPT Business guide.
How long OpenAI’s past European delays lasted
OpenAI has held features back from Europe before. Each one arrived:
| Feature | Launched without Europe | Reached Europe | Wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom instructions | July 20, 2023 | August 21, 2023 (EU and UK) | About a month |
| Advanced Voice | September 24, 2024 | October 22, 2024 (EEA and Switzerland) | Four weeks |
| Sora | December 9, 2024 | February 28, 2025 (EEA, Switzerland and UK) | About 12 weeks |
| ChatGPT agent | July 17, 2025 | July 23, 2025 (Pro, EEA and Switzerland) | Six days |
| Computer History | August 13, 2026 | August 20, 2026 (Pro, EEA, Switzerland and UK) | One week |
Dates come from OpenAI’s ChatGPT release notes, OpenAI’s announcement on X for ChatGPT agent, and coverage of Sora and Advanced Voice reaching Europe.
So the range is six days to about three months, and the two recent agent features were fastest. That is precedent, not a forecast: dots do more with personal data than anything in the table, reading your connected apps in the background and forming memories from them. Any UK or EU date you see online is a guess.
VPNs and US billing addresses
The workarounds that circulate are a VPN and a US billing address. OpenAI’s Europe Terms of Use, which apply if you live in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK, require “complete and accurate billing information,” prohibit “circumventing any rate limits or restrictions,” and let OpenAI restrict or close accounts that break them. Not worth risking the account you already pay for.
What to use in the UK and Europe now
1. Carly
Carly runs in any browser and by email, with no regional gate, so it works the same in Manchester, Dublin or Munich today. It also has what a dot lacks: OpenAI’s help center says you “cannot give your dot its own standalone email address.”
Claire runs a four-person consultancy in Manchester. A client in Rotterdam CCs her scheduling agent on a thread asking for a call. Within minutes the agent reads the thread, checks all of Claire’s calendars, replies with times, books the call and logs it in HubSpot. Every Monday her finance agent checks Xero for overdue invoices and drafts the chasers for her approval.
- Every agent gets its own email address. Build AI employees for scheduling, intake or billing, and clients CC or forward to them like a colleague.
- It starts on its own. Workflows run when an email arrives, a meeting gets booked, a CRM deal changes stage or a spreadsheet row lands, usually within minutes. Recurring ones too, like a daily brief.
- All of your inboxes at once. Carly works across every Gmail and Outlook account you have, personal and work, and sees all your calendars together. Ask “check all my inboxes for anything from the Rotterdam client.”
- You choose how far each agent goes. One sends on its own, another drafts for your approval.
- The apps European businesses run on. Carly connects to thousands of apps, including Xero, FreeAgent, sevDesk and Slack.
- Scheduling included. Booking pages and group polls.
- Your data. Carly does not use your data, including Google and Microsoft data, to train AI models. Business customers subject to the EU or UK GDPR can request its Data Processing Addendum, which includes Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers to the US.
- Price. Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month, well under one Business Premium seat.
If you work in Claude, add Carly there as well: Get the Carly connector. Get started with Carly, or book a call with the team to have it set up around your accounts.
2. Claude
Anthropic sells Claude in the UK, Switzerland and across the EU. Every paid plan can run scheduled tasks, even while your computer is asleep, and Anthropic documents them as running “at the cadence you choose” rather than when something arrives. Compare options in Claude Cowork alternatives.
3. OpenClaw
The open-source agent dots get compared to. You host it, so there is no region lock, and it takes messages over WhatsApp, Slack or Telegram. You also set it up, secure it and pay for the model yourself. See what OpenClaw is.
Two names that don’t solve the Europe problem: Meta Muse is for adults in the US and Canada, and Google’s help center lists Gemini Spark as unavailable in the EEA, Switzerland and the UK. The full field is in ChatGPT dots alternatives.
FAQ
Which countries are excluded from ChatGPT dots on Pro? The European Economic Area (the 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), Switzerland and the UK. Business Premium seats get dots in all of them.
When will ChatGPT dots come to the UK and Europe? OpenAI hasn’t said. Its launch post says it plans “to expand dots to more users soon,” and Sam Altman told NBC News the EU process “takes longer, and sometimes unpredictably longer.” Past OpenAI features reached Europe between six days and about three months after launch.
Can I use a VPN to get a ChatGPT dot? OpenAI’s Europe Terms of Use, which apply if you live in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK, require accurate billing information and prohibit circumventing restrictions on the service. Breaking them puts your account at risk.
Is there a ChatGPT dots alternative that works in the UK and EU? Carly works in any browser and by email in the UK and EU, gives each agent its own email address that clients can CC, and starts on its own when mail arrives. Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. Get started with Carly.
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