Google Ads has revised its Legal Requirements policy guidance with the addition of new advertising and marketing self-regulatory codes. The list of countries now includes Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and South Africa. Search Engine Land reported on the change on 23 September 2026.
The update provides advertisers with added guidance on regional advertising rules in six international markets. It makes no changes to how Google’s own advertising policies are applied and Google is clear that it is advertisers’ responsibility to be aware of and follow local rules.
What Google Updated
Google keeps a reference list of advertising codes. They are issued by local advertising regulatory bodies, industry associations and other organizations, and the list compiles them all in one place for advertisers running campaigns in a variety of countries.
On September 22, Google announced the list has been updated with additional codes for the six countries. This update is contained within the Legal Requirements policy guidance, and Google has published a separate note titled Update to Legal Requirements Policy (September 2026) describing it.
The Six Countries Added
The new codes impact six countries, and each of them now has additional advertising and marketing self-regulatory codes on Google’s reference list. The countries are Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, and South Africa.
Search Engine Land notes that the codes described as self-regulatory, which implies that they are developed by advertising oversight agencies and industry groups and are not necessarily dictated by law. They may affect the policies of individual advertisers in the relevant countries. Additionally, the article does not give specific details about the content of any of the codes.
Why Advertisers Have More to Consider
Search Engine Land provides background on why this change matters. Advertisers targeting several countries have more than just Google’s advertising policies to be aware of. Their campaigns also need to abide by any applicable local laws or regulations
And where relevant, they must also follow any industry or advertising self-regulatory codes. It’s this third layer that the latest additions to Google’s list speak to. An advertiser who already takes care to follow Google’s policies and local laws now has to factor in additional relevant codes for these six countries.
Three Layers of Rules for Multi-Country Campaigns
The report describes a set of requirements.
- The first is Google’s own advertising policies.
- The second is the applicable local laws and regulations in the target countries.
- The third, where relevant, consists of industry or advertising self-regulatory codes that local bodies and associations publish.
The Google list deals with the third item. It compiles the self-regulatory codes for the benefit of advertisers who want to review them all in one place. The first two items remain in their place, and an advertiser that operates in multiple countries has to consider all three.
The List Does Not Replace Google Ads Policies
The report’s critical takeaway is that the list does not replace Google’s existing Ads policies; the advertisers should still adhere to Google’s policies as well as legal rules existing in each of the locations targeted by the campaign.
In other words, the new codes are meant to supplement the existing set of rules and obligations applicable to the advertisers. An advertiser cannot use the list as a substitute for following Google’s instructions or consider Google’s guidelines as a replacement for regulations in any given jurisdiction; both must be followed.
Advertisers Stay Responsible
In the text, Google emphasizes that the list is not the complete description of all local legal requirements. The list serves only as a reference to what an advertiser should know about a particular country. Advertisers are solely responsible for researching any rules that are applicable to the area where their business operates, or to areas they advertise to. Search Engine Land highlights this by presenting this idea as the summary of the update to advertisers. Google is providing more information on local compliance, and the responsibility for researching it is assigned to the advertiser.
In simple terms, Google provides this list as an option, but not as a guarantee. And an advertiser would be neglecting one of the key points mentioned in this update if they used only the list and not doing the research that Google deems necessary.
Compliance Beyond the Home Country
Search Engine Land highlights the importance of geography. International campaigns may result in compliance responsibilities in addition to the advertiser’s country of origin. Thus, companies that operate in one country but target another will be beholden to the rules of the latter. This shows that the location of the advertiser is not a deciding factor in what rules they will have to follow. The audience’s location is also a determining factor. A company based in one market can be subjected to the requirements of any market in which its advertisements appear.
Before Expanding Into a New Market
According to the article, an individual that would be expanding their businesses targeting on another market needs to first go through the advertising rules before starting up or expanding their marketing efforts there. Before launching-time, not after.
And for any advertisers considering the opportunity to do any research on any of the six countries that were updated in this report, this list is a good beginning (or according to Google, not the only one they should consider going through, since they stated the list wasn’t exhaustive) before they actually go and do their research themselves.
Expansion Is More Than a Media Buying Decision
Search Engine Land includes a note it’s reading between the lines. Geographic expansion isn’t just a media-buying decision. When they look at choosing which new country to target with Google Ads, most will consider it to be a function of their budget and reach. As the report reveals, they should also consider the compliance questions it raises.
As advertisers expand their presence on Google Ads and target new countries, local advertising standards can impact what they can say, offer and communicate to their audience. That’s because those three areas are the three areas of an ad that a local advertising standard can touch. What a given ad says about its product, what it offers and how it communicates to its audience can all fall under the jurisdiction of local advertising standards.
Regulated Industries Face More Exposure
The report states this is especially true for regulated industries. Advertisers in regulated industries have a distinct reason to look over local advertising standards in particular, while expanding their ad targeting into a new country.
The source does not name which industries it refers to, and does not describe any regulation in particular: it states the point generally that an advertiser in a regulated industry has a greater reason to look into local standards before expanding their ad targeting.
The point is valid for advertisers in any industry, but the report specifically highlights regulated ones as the group that has the most to investigate.
Who Should Pay Attention
The report suggests that this is specifically the case for regulated industries. Advertisers operating in sectors subject to regulation have a particular interest in reviewing local advertising standards, and, in particular, extending their advertising focus to a new country.
The report specifies neither the industries nor the regulation; rather, it suggests that the advertiser considering an expansion has particular grounds for reviewing local advertising standards.
The recommendation holds true for advertisers in any industry, but the report specifically points to those in regulated industries as having particular grounds for such a review.
Where to Find the Details
In Search Engine Land, Google directs its users to two separate pages within the Google Ads Help Center under the “Dig deeper” links. The first one is the Update to Legal Requirements Policy (September 2026), a document that describes the change in policy. The second link leads to Google’s list of advertising codes, which houses the codes relevant to each country and is the source of information on local legal requirements.
Advertise in any of the six countries referenced in the article to begin researching. Since Google notes that its list is not exhaustive, the codes it includes are a reference point for the requirements rather than an exhaustive description of each market.
The Bottom Line
Search Engine Land provides a brief summary of the update. Google gives advertisers a richer set of local compliance references, but it’s up to the advertisers to know the regulations in each market they advertise in.
The summary is close to the guidance that Google published itself. The list of references is expanding, but the company is upholding its policy that the advertiser is the one that should research each country it wants to run ads in, and nothing in this update negates that responsibility.
FAQs
Q 1: What did Google update?
Google Ads has revised its policy guidance on Legal Requirements. It has incorporated the self-regulatory codes of advertising and marketing for six countries, to its reference list of local advertising codes.
Q 2: Which countries were added?
The additions cover Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and South Africa.
Q 3: When did Google announce the update?
Google said on September 22 that the list had been updated with additional codes for the six countries. Search Engine Land reported on it on September 23.
Q 4: Who issues the codes on the list?
The list includes codes issued by local advertising bodies, industry groups and other organizations.
Q 5: Does the list replace Google’s Ads policies?
No. Ads are still required to adhere to Google Policies plus the laws of all regions in which they are broadcast.
Q 6: Is the list a full guide to local law?
No. The company warns that the list is not a comprehensive summary of local rules.
Q 7: Who is responsible for following local rules?
Advertisers are. They must research the rules that apply where their businesses operate and wherever their ads are targeted.
Q 8: Can a campaign create obligations outside the advertiser’s home country?
Yes. Search Engine Land states that campaigns from international markets may trigger obligations for advertisers outside the country where the advertiser is located.
Q 9: What should advertisers do before entering a new market?
The report says a business should review the applicable advertising rules before launching or expanding campaigns in that market.
Q 10: How can local standards affect an ad?
They can affect what advertisers can claim, promote and communicate, particularly in regulated industries.
