Cannot add a UK region Sql Server to my subscription

Gareth A 20 Reputation points
2026-06-03T13:31:43.84+00:00

I'm getting an error when I try to create an Azure Aql Server located in the UK with my Azure subscription.
Error: "Your subscription does not have access to create a server in the selected region."

I've been able to create other resources situated in the UK fine, it's just the Sql Server.
Any ideas why?

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Answer accepted by question author
Manoj Kumar Boyini 19,590 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-06-04T02:35:21.0266667+00:00

Hi @Gareth A

It looks like you’re hitting a RegionDoesNotAllowProvisioning error when trying to spin up an Azure SQL server in a UK region. Even though you can create other resource types there, SQL servers have their own regional quotas and provisioning restrictions. Here’s what you can try:

Double-check the exact UK region

  • Azure currently has “UK South” and “UK West.”
    • Run az account list-locations --query "[?contains(displayName,'UK')]" to see which regions your subscription sees.
    Try an alternate UK region 
    - If you picked UK South, switch to UK West (or vice versa) in the portal or your deployment template.

   - Some regions temporarily hit capacity limits for SQL servers.
  1. Request region access for Microsoft.Sql/servers
    • In the Azure Portal go to Help + support → + New support request or follow https://portal.azure.com/#create/Microsoft.Support
    • Issue type: Service and subscription limits (quotas)
    • Scope: your subscription
    • Details: “Enable provisioning of Microsoft.Sql servers in UK South (or UK West)”
    • Submit and wait for Microsoft to lift the restriction.
    Check and increase your vCore/DTU quotas
    • If it’s a capacity issue rather than a pure region block, you may need to bump your SQL vCore or DTU limits.
      • Same support workflow: Service and subscription limits → request quota increase for SQL Database.
      Verify after change 
      - Retry creation in the portal or via CLI: az sql server create --name --resource-group --location --admin-user --admin-password

   - Or use az resource show --resource-group --name

Hope that helps! Let me know which UK region you’re targeting and whether opening the support request gets you past the error.

Reference list:

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  1. AI answer

    2026-06-03T13:31:57.5333333+00:00

    The error indicates that the subscription currently has restricted access for creating Azure SQL Database servers in that UK region, even though other resource types work there.

    For Azure SQL, this typically happens for one of two reasons:

    1. Subscription not registered with the SQL resource provider
      • If the subscription is not registered with the SQL resource provider, region-specific errors like this can appear.
      • Register the provider for the subscription, then retry the deployment.
      • Use one of these methods:
        • Azure PowerShell: 
                 Register-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.Sql
        • Azure CLI: 
                 az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Sql
        • Or via Azure portal under Subscriptions → [your subscription] → Resource providers, then find and register the SQL provider.
    2. Region access / capacity or regional constraint
      • Some regions enforce access policies or capacity limits for new SQL servers. When that happens, the error explicitly tells to choose another region or open a support request.
      • The documented guidance for similar SQL and database capacity/region errors is:
        • If possible, deploy the SQL server in a different region.
        • If there is a business requirement to use that UK region, open a support request with Issue type: Service and subscription limits (quotas) and request access for that region for Azure SQL.

    Summary of recommended steps:

    1. Ensure the SQL resource provider is registered for the subscription.
    2. Retry creating the Azure SQL server in the desired UK region.
    3. If the same error persists, either:
      • Choose another region, or
      • Open an Azure support request under Service and subscription limits (quotas) and request region access for Azure SQL in that UK region.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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