In this chapter
This chapter answers one question for each UAE sector: can a business in that sector buy ChatGPT Ads today, and what do Google, Microsoft, Meta and UAE regulators add to the answer? The headline finding is that UAE self-service access is open, but OpenAI's ad policies (v1.6, updated 10 September 2026) generally prohibit health services, financial services and legal services outside the US, so dental, cosmetic, hospital, legal and most finance offers cannot run in the UAE while hotels, education, retail and ordinary local services fall inside the verticals OpenAI names as open.
In brief
- OpenAI's Ads Manager lists 89 countries as "Available", including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman (read 28 October 2026). Listing confirms that a UAE legal entity can open a self-service account; it does not confirm that any category may run (OpenAI; OpenAI Help Center).
- The ad policies page is at v1.6, dated 10 September 2026, after six revisions since the v1.0 publication in March 2026 (OpenAI).
- Outside the US, OpenAI's eligibility table marks minimally invasive cosmetic procedures, hospitals and urgent care, medical testing and diagnosis, consumer medical devices, dietary supplements and disease awareness as "Not allowed"; only health software and infrastructure is "Allowed".
- Dental services have no separate row; the policy lists dental only among US health categories and says health services outside the US are "generally prohibited" (OpenAI).
- Outside the US, six financial categories are "Restricted to Select Approved Advertisers", six more are "Not allowed", and legal services are "Not allowed" (OpenAI Help Center). OpenAI says it is not accepting approval applications in certain categories.
- Individual housing rentals or sales and individual job listings are prohibited in every market (OpenAI). Alcohol, tobacco and gambling are disallowed (OpenAI).
- UAE law bans direct or indirect promotion of alcohol, tobacco and smoking in any advertisement, and requires authority approval for real estate, health, financial, education and food advertising (UAE Legislation portal).
- Google does not show ads within AI Overviews for alcohol, gambling, finance, healthcare and politics, and its alcohol policy does not list the UAE as a permitted country.
- ONS rule for nightlife: alcohol and shisha cannot be promoted, and shisha must not appear in any ad image or video, on any platform.
Check the offer and the market together
Eligibility for ChatGPT Ads is decided at three levels, and a UAE business has to pass all three. The first is the account: the advertiser's legal entity must be in a listed country to use self-service Ads Manager, and the UAE is listed as "Available" in the help-centre page read on 28 October 2026. The second is the category: OpenAI states that "A registered or licensed business is not automatically eligible for every advertising category or market". The third is the serving market: an ad "can pass review and still be ineligible to serve in its selected countries" (OpenAI Help Center). A UAE clinic with a valid DHA licence and a verified OpenAI account therefore still cannot run a treatment ad in the UAE, because its category is not allowed outside the US.
OpenAI's review covers the advertiser, the ad creative and landing page, and the placement. It states that "Most reviews are conducted through automated systems with human oversight" and that "Ads or landing pages that cannot be reviewed or evaluated by our systems are not eligible to run" (OpenAI). The standards apply to "all ad assets, including copy, images or video, and landing pages", and "approved creatives may not link to destinations that introduce disallowed content" (OpenAI). For UAE marketers this means the whole path from ad card to enquiry form is assessed, not only the words in the ad. Business verification "may take up to 7 Business days", and appeals pending for more than 7 days can be raised with OpenAI's ads support address.
During what OpenAI calls the initial test period, ads are "primarily limited to consumer verticals such as lifestyle and household goods, local services, travel and experiences, and digital products or education". Financial services, healthcare and medicine, and legal services "may be approved for approved advertisers", with approvals "reviewed manually on a case-by-case basis" (OpenAI). The same policy then narrows that possibility by market: health services, financial services and legal services outside the US are generally prohibited or prohibited (OpenAI).
What it means for UAE marketersDo not read the UAE's "Available" status as permission to advertise any lawful business. Classify the exact offer against the eligibility table first, then check the landing page, then open the account.
OpenAI eligibility by category: US and all other countries
OpenAI publishes a detailed eligibility table in its help-centre article on onboarding and policy issues, with one column for the US and one for all other countries. The UAE falls in the second column. The table below combines the help-centre rows read on 28 October 2026 with the policy page rules for categories the table does not cover. The help-centre table has no rows for alcohol, tobacco, gambling, dental, real estate, education, dating or political advertising, so those rows come from the policy page.
| Category | US | UAE and all other countries | Read or published | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health | ||||
| Minimally invasive cosmetic procedures | Allowed in table; policy page says approved advertisers case by case | Not allowed | Table c. 26 Oct 2026; policy 10 Sep 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Hospitals and urgent care | Restricted to approved advertisers | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Medical testing and diagnostics | Restricted to approved advertisers | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Dental services | Listed among US categories approved case by case | No separate row; health services outside the US "generally prohibited" | 10 Sep 2026 | OpenAI [Platform] |
| Consumer medical devices, wearables, consumer health apps | Allowed | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Dietary supplements | Allowed | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Disease awareness | Allowed | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Health insurance | Restricted to approved advertisers | Not allowed | Read 28 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Telehealth | Not allowed | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center [Platform] |
| Prescription medicines, online pharmacies, OTC medicines | Not allowed | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center [Platform] |
| Experimental care | Not allowed | Not allowed | Read 28 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Health software and infrastructure | Allowed | Allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center [Platform] |
| Invasive or high-risk procedures, unsupported treatment claims, adult sexual health, products that exploit body-image concerns | Not allowed | Not allowed | 10 Sep 2026 | OpenAI [Platform] |
| Finance | ||||
| Deposit accounts | Allowed | Restricted to select approved advertisers | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Credit cards | Restricted | Restricted to select approved advertisers | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Insurance excluding health | Allowed | Restricted to select approved advertisers | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Auto loans | Allowed | Restricted to select approved advertisers | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Mortgages | Restricted | Restricted to select approved advertisers | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Investing and brokerage | Restricted | Restricted to select approved advertisers | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Personal loans, BNPL, payments and remittances, financial planning, credit monitoring | Restricted | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Cryptocurrency | Restricted | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Credit repair, debt relief, payday loans, earned wage access | Not allowed | Not allowed | Read 28 Oct 2026 | OpenAI Help [Platform] |
| Financial software; budgeting apps and finance education | Allowed | Allowed; financial tools that do not promote financial products "generally permitted" | c. 26 Oct 2026; 10 Sep 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI [Platform] |
| Other regulated categories | ||||
| Legal services | Allowed for advertisers licensed in the jurisdiction | Not allowed | c. 26 Oct 2026; 10 Sep 2026 | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI [Platform] |
| Individual housing rentals or sales; individual job listings | Prohibited | Prohibited | 10 Sep 2026 | OpenAI [Platform] |
| Alcohol (over 0.5% ABV) and tobacco, including vaping and nicotine products | Disallowed | Disallowed | 10 Sep 2026 | OpenAI [Platform] |
| Gambling | Disallowed | Disallowed | 10 Sep 2026 | OpenAI [Platform] |
| Dating apps, sexual services, political and issue advocacy, cannabis, credit repair, debt settlement; diet pills, detox and health coaching claims | Disallowed (June 2026 version of the policy; superseded by v1.6, not re-checked) | Disallowed (June 2026 version of the policy; superseded by v1.6, not re-checked) | 4 Jun 2026 version | OpenAI [Platform] |
| Open verticals | ||||
| Lifestyle and household goods, local services, travel and experiences, digital products or education | Primary verticals in test period | Primary verticals in test period | 10 Sep 2026 | OpenAI [Platform] |
Two conflicts sit inside OpenAI's own documents. First, the policy page says US approved advertisers "may be allowed case by case" for minimally invasive cosmetic procedures, while the help-centre table marks the same US category as "Allowed". Neither statement changes the UAE position, which is "Not allowed" in both (OpenAI Help Center). Second, the policy page says "Ads for financial services outside the US are generally prohibited", while the table marks six non-US financial categories as "Restricted to Select Approved Advertisers" rather than not allowed (OpenAI; OpenAI Help Center). The draft edition of this book recorded the same tension as a qualified finding (OpenAI). Both values are shown here because neither document says it supersedes the other.
The chart below is an ONS tally of the rows itemised above, not an OpenAI statistic.
Number of OpenAI eligibility-table categories by status, health (13 rows) and finance (17 rows) as itemised in this chapter, US vs all other countries including the UAE, read 28 Oct 2026; ONS count
Source: OpenAI Help Center, Troubleshooting Common Onboarding and Policy Issues (Ads Policy Eligibility Table), read 28 Oct 2026; ONS count
Approval is not open to everyone
The restricted cells in the table do not describe a queue that any UAE advertiser can join. OpenAI states: "Certain categories are restricted to select approved advertisers only. At this time we are only working with a small group of advertisers and are not accepting applications for approval in certain policy categories" (OpenAI Help Center). It does not list which categories are closed to applications. A UAE bank or insurer looking at a "Restricted" cell should therefore treat it as unavailable until OpenAI confirms, for that account and that market, that it is an approved advertiser.
Placement rules apply on top of category rules. OpenAI does not place ads on conversations in sensitive categories, including regulated goods such as gambling or tobacco, or in "vulnerable user-model interactions": emotionally reliant contexts, "Mental and personal health conversations" and sensitive user journeys. OpenAI's January 2026 announcement had already said ads would not be eligible near health, mental health or politics; the September 2026 policy wording is the current statement. No ads are shown to users who say, or are predicted to be, under 18 (OpenAI).
ONS reading The placement exclusion matters even for the one health category that is allowed in the UAE. A health software company may be eligible to advertise, but its ads will not appear inside a user's personal health conversation. Planning should assume delivery comes from adjacent business or operational conversations, not from patients describing symptoms. ONS treats "Allowed" as permission to submit, not as a forecast of volume.
The policy changelog, v1.0 to v1.6
OpenAI's ad policy changed six times between March and September 2026. The table records each version as published on the policy page, with the industry reports that dated or described the change. The research tools used for this edition returned an older copy of the page dated 4 June 2026; the version history below comes from the page read directly in a browser on 28 October 2026, which overrides that copy (OpenAI).
| Version | Month | Change | UAE relevance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1.0 | March 2026 | Initial publication | Baseline rules; US test only at the time | OpenAI [Platform] |
| v1.1 | April 2026 | Medical, legal and financial advice contexts no longer categorically blocked from ad placement | Concerns where ads may appear, not which advertisers may buy | OpenAI [Platform] |
| v1.2 | May 2026 | Review and enforcement section added | Review covers advertiser, creative, landing page and placement | OpenAI [Platform] |
| v1.3 | July 2026 | Advertiser policies section; financial and health clarifications | Health services outside the US generally prohibited; US approved-advertiser list includes dental and cosmetic procedures. TechWyse dated the health update 15 Jul 2026 | OpenAI; TechWyse, Raghuram Sitaram [Platform] [Industry] |
| v1.4 | August 2026 | Housing and job listings | Individual property listings prohibited; affects UAE real estate. Search Engine Journal dated the update 10 Aug 2026 | OpenAI; Search Engine Journal, Matt G. Southern [Platform] [Industry] |
| v1.5 | August 2026 | Legal services permitted in the US | Legal services outside the US remain prohibited | OpenAI [Platform] |
| v1.6 | September 2026 (updated 10 Sep 2026) | Right to decline ads that conflict with advertising principles, business interests or competitive position | OpenAI may refuse an otherwise compliant ad | OpenAI [Platform] |
The v1.6 right to decline is not hypothetical. Let's Data Science, citing The Information, reported that by 10 September 2026 OpenAI had stopped accepting ads for standalone image- and audio-generation tools that compete with its own, while still allowing video generation; the restriction was communicated to partners. Policy v1.6 now reserves the right to decline ads that conflict with OpenAI's business interests or competitive position, but the specific image and audio rule is still only reported, not published. UAE software companies in generative AI should expect a commercial review in addition to a policy review.
Search Engine Journal counted four changes to the eligibility rules between March and August 2026; that count is now out of date, with six revisions after v1.0 by 10 September 2026. A category decision made in one quarter may not hold in the next.
ONS outlook The direction of change since March 2026 has been to open regulated categories first in the US, one at a time, under approved-advertiser controls. ONS expects any future opening for health, finance or legal services outside the US, if it happens, to follow the same pattern: named categories, restricted to approved advertisers, market by market. Nothing OpenAI has published says when or whether the UAE column will change. UAE health and legal clients should prepare organic and non-ChatGPT channels and re-check the table each quarter rather than wait.
What US demand shows, and why it does not transfer
Third-party trackers show that the regulated categories closed to UAE advertisers are among the fastest-growing in the US. Sensor Tower data reported by PPC Land put financial services at 2% of US ChatGPT ad spend in April 2026 and 13% in August 2026, and health and wellness at 1% and 5%. Shopping and retail fell from 37% to 21% over the same months (PPC Land on Sensor Tower).
Share of US ChatGPT ad spend by category, %, April and August 2026; US only, categories that are restricted or not allowed in the UAE included
Source: PPC Land on Sensor Tower, ChatGPT ads pass $1bn run rate as financial services spend triples, 3 Sep 2026
SE Ranking tested 50,006 US commercial prompts, collected on 23 July 2026, and found that 25.94% returned a ChatGPT ad; in the healthcare niche the rate was 28.69%, against 2.64% on Google AI Mode (Search Engine Journal). The AI Mode figure comes from a separate SE Ranking report with a different keyword set, collected 30 June 2026, so the comparison is not like for like (Search Engine Journal). These are US figures produced under US eligibility rules. They describe a market a UAE clinic cannot buy into.
Share of prompts returning an ad, %, US, 50,006 commercial prompts collected 23 Jul 2026; AI Mode figure from a separate SE Ranking report (different keywords, 30 Jun 2026), not like for like; not applicable to the UAE, where health services are not allowed
Source: Search Engine Journal on SE Ranking, OpenAI allows some health and finance ads in ChatGPT, 12 Aug 2026
What it means for UAE marketersUS case studies for clinics, lenders or law firms are not evidence of what a UAE business can do in ChatGPT. Check the column, not the headline.
Sector notes for UAE businesses
Dental clinics, including paediatric dentistry
Dental services do not appear as their own row in OpenAI's eligibility table. The policy page names "dental services" only in the list of US categories that approved advertisers may be allowed case by case, and states that "Ads for health services outside the US are generally prohibited" (OpenAI). The draft edition recorded this as a qualified finding, because it applies the broad restriction rather than a specific row (OpenAI). ONS's position is unchanged: no paid ChatGPT Ads launch for UAE dental treatment under the current rules (OpenAI). Paediatric dentistry faces a second barrier, because ads are not shown to users who say, or are predicted to be, under 18, and a parent's conversation about a child's teeth is close to the personal health conversations OpenAI excludes.
UAE rules apply to dental advertising on every channel. MOHAP's health advertisement licence covers "multiple media channels and electronic platforms in the country", with processing in "1 - 3 working days" and the licence number displayed on the material. In Dubai, DHA circular CIR-2026-00000144, issued 17 August 2026, sets standards for medical advertisement content on social media for licensed private facilities and professionals (Dubai Health Authority). Press coverage reports that the standards ban claims including "has no side effects", "100 per cent" and "immediate results", and require before-and-after images to show the same person with the same lens, unedited, with a disclaimer and written patient consent (Gulf News).
Cosmetic and aesthetic clinics
Minimally invasive cosmetic procedures are "Not allowed" outside the US (OpenAI Help Center). Separately, OpenAI does not allow "invasive or high-risk medical procedures" or health products "that exploit body-image concerns" in any market, and the June 2026 version of its policy (since superseded by v1.6) prohibited diet pill, detox and health coaching claims. A UAE aesthetic clinic therefore has no eligible treatment offer in ChatGPT Ads today (OpenAI).
Cosmetics are not cosmetic medicine. A beauty product, an ordinary salon service and a medical procedure are different offers, and the draft edition advised classifying the exact service rather than the business name (OpenAI). Lifestyle goods and local services are among OpenAI's primary verticals, so a retailer of skincare products or a non-medical salon is a different case from a clinic offering injectables. Where classification is uncertain, ONS holds the campaign and asks OpenAI for a determination. Because OpenAI reviews the landing page as well as the ad, a salon ad must not lead to pages that sell medical procedures.
Hospitals, urgent care and diagnostics
Hospitals and urgent care, and medical testing and diagnosis, are "Not allowed" outside the US (OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI). In the US the same categories are restricted to approved advertisers (OpenAI Help). A US approval does not extend to UAE serving; OpenAI states that an ad can pass review and still be ineligible in its selected countries. Telehealth, prescription medicines, online pharmacies and OTC medicines are "Not allowed" in the US and everywhere else (OpenAI Help Center). Federal Law No. 8 of 2019, Article 39, bans public advertising of prescription-only drugs in the UAE (CMS Expert Guide).
Health software and infrastructure is the only health row marked "Allowed" outside the US (OpenAI Help Center). The draft edition flagged this as a separate category that must be assessed on the actual product and is not a route for treatment advertising (OpenAI). A hospital group's patient app or booking system is still advertising the hospital's services if its ad or landing page does so.
Dubai had about 5,800 licensed healthcare facilities in 2025, up from 5,340 in 2024 (Government of Dubai Media Office citing DHA).
Real estate
Policy v1.4, added in August 2026, covers housing and job listings. "Ads for individual job listings or housing rentals or sales are prohibited" in every market; advertisers may link to listing platforms if the ad or landing page does not reference a specific listing (OpenAI). The help-centre eligibility table has no real-estate row. For UAE developers, brokers and portals, the effect is that a specific unit, building listing or rental cannot be the subject of a ChatGPT ad.
UAE law requires relevant-authority approval for real estate advertising under Article 33(10) of Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 2024 (UAE Legislation portal). Dubai real estate transactions reached AED 917bn in 2025, with over 270,000 transactions (Government of Dubai Media Office). Mortgages, which often accompany property marketing, are "Restricted to Select Approved Advertisers" outside the US (OpenAI Help Center).
Banks, insurers, lenders and fintech
The policy page says financial services outside the US are "generally prohibited", while "financial tools that do not promote financial products, such as budgeting apps and finance education, are generally permitted" (OpenAI). The table restricts deposit accounts, credit cards, non-health insurance, auto loans, mortgages and investing to select approved advertisers outside the US, and marks personal loans, BNPL, payments and remittances, financial planning, credit monitoring and cryptocurrency as "Not allowed" (OpenAI Help Center). Financial software is "Allowed" (OpenAI Help Center). Credit repair, debt relief, payday loans and earned wage access are not allowed in any market (OpenAI Help).
For UAE remittance and payments companies, a large local category, the answer is "Not allowed" (OpenAI Help Center). For UAE banks and insurers, the answer depends on whether OpenAI accepts them as select approved advertisers, and OpenAI says it is not accepting applications in certain categories. UAE law separately requires authority approval for securities and financial services advertising (UAE Legislation portal). The draft edition's planning position, account-specific confirmation before any launch, stands (OpenAI).
Law firms and legal services
Legal services were permitted in the US in policy v1.5 (August 2026), for advertisers licensed in the jurisdiction. "Ads for legal services outside of the US are currently prohibited", and the table marks the category "Not allowed" (OpenAI; OpenAI Help Center). UAE law firms, legal consultancies and document-clearing services that offer legal advice should hold any paid ChatGPT launch (OpenAI).
Education and training
"Digital products or education" is one of the verticals OpenAI names for the test period, and the draft edition rated education and training a candidate for review, subject to an adult audience, accurate claims and an eligible destination. Two conditions narrow the opportunity. Ads are not shown to users under 18, and logged-out users see ads "designed to be suitable for all ages", so school marketing reaches parents rather than pupils (OpenAI; OpenAI Help). UAE law requires relevant-authority approval for educational services advertising (UAE Legislation portal). Dubai private schools enrolled 406,563 students at the start of 2026-27 (Gulf News citing KHDA). A course that teaches a regulated subject is not the regulated service itself, but a training ad must not route visitors to a disallowed treatment or service (OpenAI).
Hotels, travel and experiences
"Travel and experiences" is a named primary vertical and the draft edition rated travel and hospitality a candidate for review, provided the complete offer and destination are eligible (OpenAI). Travel is already prominent in ChatGPT advertising: a Wired test of 500 questions found travel was the most frequent ad category (US, c. March 2026; an early-pilot snapshot), and Sensor Tower named Booking.com the top US advertiser over a 30-day period, with over 50M impressions and 700+ creatives. Travel's share of US spend rose from 5% to 11% between April and August 2026 (PPC Land on Sensor Tower).
The UAE base is large: travel and tourism contributed AED 257.3bn (USD 70bn), 13% of GDP, in 2024; there are 216,248 rooms in 1,246 hotels, with 79.2% occupancy in the first nine months of 2025 (TradeArabia citing WAM). Hotel revenue was AED 44.4bn from January to November 2025, as reported by TradeArabia citing WAM. The constraint for hotels is the end-to-end rule: approved creatives may not link to destinations that introduce disallowed content, and OpenAI's own example is a food delivery ad linking to alcohol delivery. A hotel landing page that promotes alcohol fails the same test, and UAE law bans alcohol promotion in advertising in any case (UAE Legislation portal).
Retail and ecommerce
Lifestyle and household goods are a primary vertical (OpenAI). Product-feed campaigns accept CSV or TXT files, hosted HTTPS URLs or SFTP; uploaded items lapse after two weeks, and product ads show images, titles, star ratings, prices, sale prices and brand (OpenAI Help). UAE ecommerce was AED 42.2bn in 2025, a Euromonitor figure rather than an official statistic. Retailers of regulated goods still face the category rules: dietary supplements and consumer medical devices are "Not allowed" outside the US, and vaping and nicotine products are disallowed everywhere (OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI). Food advertising requires authority approval under UAE law, which covers restaurants, cafés and food delivery as well as grocery retail (UAE Legislation portal).
Nightlife, lounges and bars
OpenAI disallows ads that "promote or facilitate the sale, use, or consumption of alcohol or tobacco", including alcoholic beverages over 0.5% ABV, cigarettes, vaping or nicotine products, and "alcohol or tobacco-focused activities". Ads are also not placed on conversations about regulated goods such as tobacco (OpenAI). UAE law, in Article 33(9) of Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 2024, states that advertisements "shall not include the promotion of alcoholic beverages, prohibited narcotic substances, tobacco" or smoking, directly or indirectly (UAE Legislation portal). Google's alcohol policy permits alcohol ads only in listed countries, and the UAE is not on the list.
ONS applies one rule to nightlife clients on every platform: alcohol and shisha cannot be promoted, and shisha must not appear in any ad image or video. The draft edition recorded that there is no indirect-promotion route around the alcohol and tobacco policy (OpenAI). This book gives no examples of alternative wording, imagery or positioning for alcohol or shisha, because none is permitted and any such example would invite a breach of both OpenAI policy and UAE law.
ONS reading ONS has managed digital marketing for Dubai nightclubs for several years, and the experience matches the written rules: platform review and UAE law treat alcohol and shisha as off-limits in ads, including in visuals. For ChatGPT Ads, where review covers copy, images, video and landing pages together, a nightlife venue should assume any alcohol or shisha reference anywhere in the path will cause rejection. ONS assesses each venue's offer on its own facts before recommending any paid AI activity, and does not plan campaigns around alcohol or shisha.
How Google, Microsoft, Meta and others treat the same sectors
The notes hold detailed sector rules for Google and few or none for the other AI platforms; gaps are marked.
| Sector | ChatGPT Ads, UAE | Google, ads within AI Overviews | Google, other placements (UAE) | Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, Perplexity, Amazon Rufus | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare (dental, cosmetic, hospitals) | Not allowed or generally prohibited | Excluded | Above or below AI Overviews under normal healthcare policy; AI Mode healthcare test is US only | No sector rule in notes | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI; Google Ads Help [Platform] [Estimate] |
| Finance | Restricted or not allowed | Excluded | Normal policy; no AI-specific rule in notes | No sector rule in notes | OpenAI Help Center; Google Ads Help [Platform] |
| Alcohol | Disallowed | Excluded | UAE not a permitted country; policy update effective 30 Sep 2026 | No sector rule in notes | OpenAI; Google Ads Help; Search Engine Roundtable [Platform] [Industry] |
| Gambling | Disallowed | Excluded | No UAE rule in notes | No sector rule in notes | OpenAI; Google Ads Help [Platform] |
| Politics | Disallowed (June 2026 version, superseded by v1.6) | Excluded | No UAE rule in notes | No sector rule in notes | OpenAI; Google Ads Help [Platform] |
| Placement availability in the UAE | Self-service listed | Not available: 12 English-language countries, UAE not listed | Above or below AI Overviews in 200+ markets | Copilot UAE controls unresolved; Perplexity not accepting new advertisers; Rufus ads US | OpenAI Help Center; Google Ads Help; Microsoft [Platform] [Industry] |
Google. Within-Overview ads are available only in English in 12 countries, and the UAE is not one of them. Ads above or below AI Overviews can appear in "all 200+ markets where AI Overviews are available", and AI Overviews are live in the UAE and in Arabic, so a UAE healthcare advertiser can appear in those positions under Google's ordinary healthcare rules. The US healthcare test inside AI Mode does not apply to the UAE (Feedbagel, 2026). A full read of Google's healthcare and medicines policy page found no UAE-specific section in the text returned; that is an absence in the fetched text, not proof that no UAE rule exists. Google's alcohol policy says advertisers "must not target" countries outside its permitted list, and Israel is the only Middle East country on the main list.
Microsoft. Microsoft Advertising launched in 34 Middle East and Africa markets including the UAE in 2022, but no Copilot-specific UAE statement was found, and the draft edition rated UAE Copilot buying controls unresolved. The notes hold no Copilot sector rules.
Meta. Meta has used Meta AI interactions to personalise content and ads since 16 December 2025. It states that sensitive topics, including health, religious views and political views, are not used for ads (Meta Newsroom). That is a rule about signals, not about which advertisers may buy. No ads inside Meta AI had launched as of Q2 2026 (Nasdaq).
Perplexity and Amazon. Perplexity stopped accepting new advertisers, and the FT reported it is winding down its advertising programme by the end of 2026 (MediaPost, 2025; Campaign). Amazon's Rufus sponsored prompts are described as generally available in the United States only (Flywheel).
UAE rules that apply on top of platform policy
UAE media, health and consumer protection rules apply to the advertiser whichever platform carries the ad.
| Rule | What it requires | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 (media regulation) | In force 1 Dec 2023; executive regulations effective 31 Oct 2024 | 2023 to 2024 | Al Tamimi & Company [Industry] |
| Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 2024, Art. 33(9) | No direct or indirect promotion of alcohol, prohibited narcotics, tobacco or smoking | Issued 10 Jun 2024 | UAE Legislation portal [Official] |
| Art. 33(10) | Relevant-authority approval for real estate; medical products, clinics, hospitals, health or pharmaceutical services; securities and financial services; educational services; food; other categories set by the Media Council | 10 Jun 2024 | UAE Legislation portal [Official] |
| Art. 33(6), 33(7), 33(2) | Ads clearly identified and separate from editorial content; financial return disclosed; no incorrect or misleading claims | 10 Jun 2024 | UAE Legislation portal [Official] |
| Art. 33 scope | Applies to individuals, entities and media institutions, including in media free zones; names no channel; does not mention AI | 10 Jun 2024 | UAE Legislation portal [Official] |
| Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025 (penalties) | Fines reported between AED 10,000 and AED 50,000 depending on the breach and repetition; sources differ (one law firm: AED 10,000, can be doubled, and AED 20,000 to 50,000 for unlicensed social media advertising; another: up to AED 10,000) | 2025 | Bird & Bird; Pinsent Masons Out-Law [Industry] |
| Advertiser Permit (UAE Media Council) | Announced 30 Jul 2025; free for the first three years; permit number displayed on accounts; own-business promotion exempt; registration deadline 31 January 2026, extended by the National Media Authority; mandatory from 1 February 2026; AED 1,000 annual fee from year four; fines reported between AED 10,000 and AED 50,000 (see row above) | 2025 to 2026 | Aletihad, citing UAE Media Council; Dubai Eye 103.8; Pinsent Masons Out-Law [Official] [Industry] |
| Permit scope | Ads on "social media platforms, websites, or apps", paid or unpaid; one-year validity, renewable | 2 Aug 2025 | Khaleej Times [Industry] |
| National Media Authority | Created by federal decree-law, replacing the Emirates Media Council, National Media Office and WAM | 18 Dec 2025 | Gulf News [Industry] |
| MOHAP health advertisement licence | Covers multiple media channels and electronic platforms; 1 to 3 working days; licence number on material; separate licences for website, social media and other channels | Read 28 Oct 2026 | MOHAP [Official] |
| Health advertising law | Federal Law No. 8 of 2019 Art. 39 bans public advertising of prescription-only drugs; Cabinet Resolution No. 7 of 2007 requires MOHAP approval; approval needed in any media including online | 8 May 2024 (law firm guide) | CMS Expert Guide [Industry] |
| DHA CIR-2026-00000144 | Standards for medical advertisement content on social media; disciplinary action for non-compliance | 17 Aug 2026 | Dubai Health Authority; Gulf News [Official] |
| DoH Abu Dhabi Circular No. 26 (2023) | Training on Abu Dhabi health media and advertising guidelines; facilities log ad materials on DoH systems | 23 Feb 2023 | Department of Health Abu Dhabi [Official] |
| Consumer protection (Federal Law 15 of 2020, amended 2023) | No claim that directly or indirectly creates a false or misleading impression; advertising and website information in Arabic as a minimum; maximum penalty AED 2,000,000 and/or two years' imprisonment | Cabinet Decision 66 of 2023 effective 14 Oct 2023 | Pinsent Masons [Industry] |
Enforcement is active. The UAE Advertising Council acted against a social media ad that made medical claims without "approval from the relevant health authorities" and initiated legal proceedings, as reported in September 2025 (Gulf News). The UAE Media Council has warned that AI depiction of national symbols or public figures "without prior official approval is a clear legal violation", and the National Media Authority said in September 2026 that "Not everything that can be generated is permitted" (Gulf News; Khaleej Times). No general AI-labelling requirement for ads was found (Khaleej Times).
The Advertiser Permit is aimed at people who publish ads through accounts. Its announcement exempts people promoting their own products or services, or those of a company they own (Aletihad, citing UAE Media Council). One press FAQ says the permit covers ads on "social media platforms, websites, or apps" (Khaleej Times). No source in this edition's research applies the permit explicitly to paid platform ads such as ChatGPT Ads or Google Ads.
ONS reading Article 33 names no channel and does not mention AI, but it is written for any published advertisement. ONS therefore assumes that an ad shown inside an AI assistant to a user in the UAE is an advertisement for the purposes of the alcohol and tobacco ban and the prior-approval categories. This is ONS's planning assumption, not a legal opinion. In practice it means that the rare health or finance advertiser who is eligible on a platform still needs the UAE approval before the ad runs, and that an agency running ads for clients should check whether its own staff need permits.
Planning positions by sector
The table converts the evidence above into ONS planning positions. "Candidate for review" is ONS guidance, not platform approval; a legitimate licence does not establish platform eligibility (OpenAI Help Center).
| Sector or offer | OpenAI status, UAE | UAE approval | ONS planning position | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental treatment, including paediatric | Health services generally prohibited | MOHAP or DHA | Do not launch; invest in organic and eligible channels | OpenAI; MOHAP [Platform] |
| Cosmetic and aesthetic procedures | Not allowed | MOHAP or DHA | Do not launch | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI [Platform] |
| Non-medical beauty or salon | Classify exact service | Depends on claims | Classify; hold if uncertain | OpenAI [Platform] |
| Hospitals, urgent care, diagnostics | Not allowed | MOHAP, DHA or DoH | Do not launch | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI [Platform] |
| Health software and infrastructure | Allowed | Check claims | Assess the exact product; not a treatment route | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI [Platform] |
| Real estate listings | Individual listings prohibited | Required | Do not advertise specific units | OpenAI; UAE Legislation portal [Platform] |
| Banking, insurance, mortgages, investing | Restricted to select approved advertisers | Required | Account-specific confirmation first | OpenAI Help Center; OpenAI; UAE Legislation portal [Platform] |
| Payments, remittances, personal loans, BNPL, crypto | Not allowed | Required | Do not launch | OpenAI Help Center [Platform] |
| Legal services | Not allowed | Not in notes | Hold launch | OpenAI [Platform] |
| Education and training | Named vertical | Required | Candidate for review; adult audience | OpenAI; UAE Legislation portal [Platform] |
| Hotels, travel, experiences | Named vertical | Not in Art. 33(10) list | Candidate for review; check full landing path | OpenAI [Platform] |
| Retail and ecommerce | Named vertical, except regulated goods | Food requires approval | Candidate for review | OpenAI; UAE Legislation portal [Platform] |
| Nightlife with alcohol or shisha | Disallowed | Promotion banned by law | Do not promote alcohol or shisha; no shisha in any visual | OpenAI; UAE Legislation portal [Platform] [Official] |
For healthcare and legal clients, the useful work while paid ChatGPT Ads are closed is accurate service information, a usable website, source-supported educational content and measurement on permitted channels: a separate scope, not a disguised paid ChatGPT campaign. Chapters 14 and 15 cover organic visibility and sector playbooks.
Gaps in the evidence
No public data. OpenAI does not list which "Restricted" categories are closed to new approval applications, or how many non-US advertisers hold approvals. A future edition should ask OpenAI's Ads Solutions team for a UAE-specific statement by category.
No public data. The notes hold no sector-by-sector ad policy for Microsoft Copilot ads, Meta AI or Perplexity for UAE advertisers, and no Google statement of which countries carry ads in AI Mode. A future edition should read Microsoft Advertising's and Meta's current healthcare, finance and alcohol policies for the UAE and Google's AI Mode country list.
No public data. No source applies the UAE Advertiser Permit, or the Article 33(10) approval requirements, explicitly to ads bought on AI platforms such as ChatGPT Ads. A future edition should seek written guidance from the National Media Authority.
Unresolved. The help-centre eligibility table and the policy page disagree on US cosmetic procedures (Allowed vs case by case) and on non-US finance (Restricted vs generally prohibited). Neither page says which prevails.
Sources for this chapter
- Adcore, "Microsoft Advertising's global expansion launches in 34 markets", 25 Sep 2022. https://www.adcore.com/blog/micosoft-advertisings-global-expansion-launches-in-34-markets/
- Al Tamimi & Company, "Media Law and Advertising Standards in the UAE", 10 Dec 2025. https://www.tamimi.com/law-update-articles/media-law-and-advertising-standards-in-the-uae-key-rules-and-restrictions/
- Aletihad, citing UAE Media Council, "UAE Media Council launches Advertiser Permit to regulate individual promotional content", 30 Jul 2025. https://en.aletihad.ae/news/uae/4594010/uae-media-council-launches-advertiser-permit-to-regulate-ind
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- Meta Newsroom, "Improving Your Recommendations on Our Apps With AI at Meta", 1 Oct 2025. https://about.fb.com/news/2025/10/improving-your-recommendations-apps-ai-meta/
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- MOHAP, "Issue/renew licence for a health advertisement", undated, read 28 Oct 2026. https://mohap.gov.ae/en/w/issue-license-/-renew-license-for-a-health-advertisement
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- UAE Legislation portal, 10 Jun 2024. https://www.uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2547/download
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