OptInRequired
AWS OptInRequired (Opt In Required) means the account or access key is not subscribed/opted in to the target AWS service. AWS common errors define it as "the AWS access key ID needs a subscription for the service" (HTTP 403).
Last reviewed: February 27, 2026|Editorial standard: source-backed technical guidance
What Does Opt In Required Mean?
When OptInRequired is returned, the account is not activated for the target service context, so calls fail until enablement/subscription prerequisites are completed.
Common Causes
- -Target service is not enabled (opt-in/subscription incomplete) for this AWS account.
- -New account setup skipped required service enablement before first API calls.
- -Automation assumes service availability in every account/region without checking status.
- -The request is sent from an account/partition where that service is not activated.
How to Fix Opt In Required
- 1Enable/subscribe the account for the required AWS service before retrying.
- 2Confirm service activation in the same account, partition, and region as the failing call.
- 3Wait for enablement propagation, then replay the request with the same credentials.
- 4Add explicit service-enable checks to account bootstrap and deployment workflows.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis for Opt In Required
- 1Capture service, region, account ID, and request ID from the failing response.
- 2Verify whether that service requires opt-in/activation for the target account.
- 3Compare enablement state against a known-working account and region.
- 4Audit provisioning automation for missing or failed service-activation steps.
Service Enablement Validation
- -Verify target service activation state in the exact account and region (example: service is enabled in one region but not in the region used by the failing call).
- -Inspect bootstrap prerequisites for new accounts (example: account provisioning skipped service opt-in step before first API usage).
Account Context Audit
- -Trace which credentials and account path executed the call (example: automation assumes prod account, but request runs under a newly created account missing enablement).
- -Correlate OptInRequired events with onboarding timelines (example: call fires before activation propagation finishes after enablement change).
How to Verify the Fix
- -Re-run the failing API call and confirm OptInRequired no longer appears.
- -Validate related workflows succeed in the same account and region.
- -Confirm no new opt-in failures are emitted during bootstrap checks.
How to Prevent Recurrence
- -Automate service opt-in validation during account provisioning.
- -Maintain a required-services baseline per environment and region.
- -Fail fast in deployment pipelines when service enablement is missing.
Pro Tip
- -add a preflight service-enabled gate in account bootstrap that blocks downstream deploy stages until opt-in status is verifiably active.
Decision Support
Compare Guide
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Playbook
Authorization Denial Playbook (403 / AccessDenied / PERMISSION_DENIED)
Use this playbook to triage policy-based access denials after authentication succeeds, isolate the deny layer, and apply least-privilege remediation safely.
Official References
Provider Context
This guidance is specific to AWS services. Always validate implementation details against official provider documentation before deploying to production.