Anthropic's Supported Regions Policy Takes Effect

What happened

The policy covers Claude.ai, Claude Code, Cowork, the API and developer platform, and Claude models offered through cloud platforms and authorized resellers. Any country or region not on the published list is unsupported; territories of listed countries are also supported, and Taiwan is on the list.

Anthropic sets out three restrictions. First, use by anyone physically located in an unsupported region, including employees of otherwise supported companies who are traveling there. Second, use by entities incorporated or headquartered in an unsupported region, along with their users and personnel, regardless of where those individuals are physically located. Third, use by entities majority-owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by people or entities in unsupported regions, along with their users or personnel, regardless of where they work.

The policy was announced on October 8 as part of a broader 2026 Usage Policy update and took effect on November 12. The ownership restriction dates to September 4, 2025, when Anthropic said it would stop selling to companies more than 50% owned, directly or indirectly, by firms headquartered in jurisdictions where its products are not permitted; the country list itself is unchanged from the version dated May 12, 2026, and the November change mainly spells out how the existing rules are enforced.

Key facts

1. Effective date: Anthropic's updated Supported Regions Policy took effect on November 12, 2026; it was announced on October 8 as part of a broader 2026 Usage Policy update.
2. Scope: Claude.ai, Claude Code, Cowork, the API and developer platform, and Claude models offered through cloud platforms and authorized resellers.
3. Three tests: Physical location in an unsupported region; incorporation or headquarters in an unsupported region; and majority ownership or control, directly or indirectly, by persons or entities in unsupported regions.
4. Not on the list: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Russia, Belarus, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Syria are not on the supported list; Taiwan is on the list, and Ukraine is listed except for Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.
5. History: The ownership restriction dates to September 4, 2025; the country list itself is unchanged from the May 12, 2026 version.
6. Not barred: The policy does not prohibit access solely because a business has Chinese investors or employs Chinese nationals; incorporation, headquarters and control structure decide.