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+---
+stage: Fulfillment
+group: Provision
+info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
+---
+
+# Activate GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE) **(PREMIUM SELF)**
+
+When you install a new GitLab instance without a license, only Free features
+are enabled. To enable more features in GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE), activate
+your instance with an activation code.
+
+## Activate GitLab EE
+
+In GitLab Enterprise Edition 14.1 and later, you need an activation code to activate
+your instance.
+
+Prerequisite:
+
+- You must [purchase a subscription](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/).
+- You must be running GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE).
+- You must have GitLab 14.1 or later.
+- Your instance must be connected to the internet.
+
+To activate your instance with an activation code:
+
+1. Copy the activation code, a 24-character alphanumeric string, from either:
+   - Your subscription confirmation email.
+   - The [Customers Portal](https://customers.gitlab.com/customers/sign_in), on the **Manage Purchases** page.
+1. Sign in to your GitLab self-managed instance.
+1. On the left sidebar, expand the top-most chevron (**{chevron-down}**).
+1. Select **Admin Area**.
+1. Select **Subscription**.
+1. Paste the activation code in **Activation code**.
+1. Read and accept the terms of service.
+1. Select **Activate**.
+
+The subscription is activated.
+
+If you have an offline environment,
+[activate GitLab EE with a license file or key](license_file.md) instead.
+
+If you have questions or need assistance activating your instance,
+[contact GitLab Support](https://about.gitlab.com/support/#contact-support).
+
+When [the license expires](../administration/license_file.md#what-happens-when-your-license-expires),
+some functionality is locked.
+
+## Verify your GitLab edition
+
+To verify the edition, sign in to GitLab and select
+**Help** (**{question-o}**) > **Help**. The GitLab edition and version are listed
+at the top of the page.
+
+If you are running GitLab Community Edition, you can upgrade your installation to GitLab
+EE. For more details, see [Upgrading between editions](../update/index.md#upgrading-between-editions).
+If you have questions or need assistance upgrading from GitLab Community Edition (CE) to EE,
+[contact GitLab Support](https://about.gitlab.com/support/#contact-support).
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Cannot activate instance due to connectivity error
+
+This error occurs when you use an activation code to activate your instance, but your instance is unable to connect to the GitLab servers.
+
+You may have connectivity issues due to the following reasons:
+
+- **You have an offline environment**:
+  - Configure your setup to allow connection to GitLab servers. If connection to GitLab servers is not possible, contact your Sales Representative to request a license key. You can also contact [GitLab support](https://about.gitlab.com/support/#contact-support) if you need help finding your Sales Representative.
+- **Customers Portal is not operational**:
+  - To check for performance or service disruptions, check the Customers Portal [status](https://status.gitlab.com/).
+- **Firewall settings**:
+  - Check if your GitLab instance has an encrypted connection to `customers.gitlab.com` (with IP addresses 172.64.146.11 and 104.18.41.245) on port 443:
+
+   ```shell
+   curl --verbose "https://customers.gitlab.com/"
+   ```
+
+  - If the curl command returns a failure, either:
+    - [Configure a proxy](https://docs.gitlab.com/omnibus/settings/environment-variables.html) in `gitlab.rb` to point to your server.
+    - Contact your network administrator to make changes to the proxy.
+  - If an SSL inspection appliance is used, you must add the appliance's root CA certificate to `/etc/gitlab/trusted-certs` on the server, then run `gitlab-ctl reconfigure`.
+  
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