diff --git a/packages/apify/src/actor.ts b/packages/apify/src/actor.ts
index 870a5977eb..fe8dc4e4e1 100644
--- a/packages/apify/src/actor.ts
+++ b/packages/apify/src/actor.ts
@@ -1374,6 +1374,10 @@ export class Actor<Data extends Dictionary = Dictionary> {
      * ```
      * { useApifyProxy: false }
      * ```
+     *
+     * As part of the init process, we verify the configuration by checking the proxy status endpoint.
+     * This can make the init slower, to opt-out of this, use `checkAccess: false` (defaults to `true`).
+     *
      * @ignore
      */
     async createProxyConfiguration(
@@ -1383,7 +1387,8 @@ export class Actor<Data extends Dictionary = Dictionary> {
     ): Promise<ProxyConfiguration | undefined> {
         // Compatibility fix for Input UI where proxy: None returns { useApifyProxy: false }
         // Without this, it would cause proxy to use the zero config / auto mode.
-        const { useApifyProxy, ...options } = proxyConfigurationOptions;
+        const { useApifyProxy, checkAccess, ...options } =
+            proxyConfigurationOptions;
         const dontUseApifyProxy = useApifyProxy === false;
         const dontUseCustomProxies = !proxyConfigurationOptions.proxyUrls;
 
@@ -1393,7 +1398,7 @@ export class Actor<Data extends Dictionary = Dictionary> {
 
         const proxyConfiguration = new ProxyConfiguration(options, this.config);
 
-        if (await proxyConfiguration.initialize()) {
+        if (await proxyConfiguration.initialize({ checkAccess })) {
             return proxyConfiguration;
         }
 
@@ -2183,6 +2188,9 @@ export class Actor<Data extends Dictionary = Dictionary> {
      * ```
      * { useApifyProxy: false }
      * ```
+     *
+     * As part of the init process, we verify the configuration by checking the proxy status endpoint.
+     * This can make the init slower, to opt-out of this, use `checkAccess: false` (defaults to `true`).
      */
     static async createProxyConfiguration(
         proxyConfigurationOptions: ProxyConfigurationOptions & {
diff --git a/packages/apify/src/proxy_configuration.ts b/packages/apify/src/proxy_configuration.ts
index bb55c963aa..16a0545a99 100644
--- a/packages/apify/src/proxy_configuration.ts
+++ b/packages/apify/src/proxy_configuration.ts
@@ -65,6 +65,12 @@ export interface ProxyConfigurationOptions
         ProxyConfigurationOptions,
         keyof CoreProxyConfigurationOptions | 'tieredProxyConfig'
     >[];
+
+    /**
+     * As part of the init process, we verify the configuration by checking the proxy status endpoint.
+     * This can make the init slower, to opt-out of this, use `checkAccess: false` (defaults to `true`).
+     */
+    checkAccess?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -256,8 +262,11 @@ export class ProxyConfiguration extends CoreProxyConfiguration {
      *
      * You should use the {@apilink createProxyConfiguration} function to create a pre-initialized
      * `ProxyConfiguration` instance instead of calling this manually.
+     *
+     * As part of the init process, we verify the configuration by checking the proxy status endpoint.
+     * This can make the init slower, to opt-out of this, use `checkAccess: false`.
      */
-    async initialize(): Promise<boolean> {
+    async initialize(options?: { checkAccess?: boolean }): Promise<boolean> {
         if (this.usesApifyProxy) {
             if (!this.password) {
                 await this._setPasswordIfToken();
@@ -280,7 +289,9 @@ export class ProxyConfiguration extends CoreProxyConfiguration {
                 }
             }
 
-            return this._checkAccess();
+            if (options?.checkAccess !== false) {
+                return this._checkAccess();
+            }
         }
 
         return true;
diff --git a/test/apify/proxy_configuration.test.ts b/test/apify/proxy_configuration.test.ts
index 917e4d45bb..3418699ed1 100644
--- a/test/apify/proxy_configuration.test.ts
+++ b/test/apify/proxy_configuration.test.ts
@@ -567,6 +567,11 @@ describe('Actor.createProxyConfiguration()', () => {
         const proxyUrl = proxyUrlNoSession;
         const url = 'http://proxy.apify.com/?format=json';
         gotScrapingSpy.mockResolvedValueOnce({ body: status } as any);
+        const checkAccessSpy = vitest.spyOn(
+            ProxyConfiguration.prototype,
+            // @ts-ignore protected method
+            '_checkAccess',
+        );
 
         const proxyConfiguration =
             await Actor.createProxyConfiguration(basicOpts);
@@ -582,6 +587,7 @@ describe('Actor.createProxyConfiguration()', () => {
         expect(proxyConfiguration.hostname).toBe(hostname);
         // @ts-expect-error private property
         expect(proxyConfiguration.port).toBe(port);
+        expect(checkAccessSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
 
         expect(gotScrapingSpy).toBeCalledWith({
             url,
@@ -591,6 +597,37 @@ describe('Actor.createProxyConfiguration()', () => {
         });
     });
 
+    test('disabling `checkAccess`', async () => {
+        const status = { connected: true };
+        const proxyUrl = proxyUrlNoSession;
+        const url = 'http://proxy.apify.com/?format=json';
+        gotScrapingSpy.mockResolvedValueOnce({ body: status } as any);
+        const checkAccessSpy = vitest.spyOn(
+            ProxyConfiguration.prototype,
+            // @ts-ignore protected method
+            '_checkAccess',
+        );
+
+        const proxyConfiguration = await Actor.createProxyConfiguration({
+            ...basicOpts,
+            checkAccess: false,
+        });
+
+        expect(proxyConfiguration).toBeInstanceOf(ProxyConfiguration);
+        // @ts-expect-error private property
+        expect(proxyConfiguration.groups).toBe(groups);
+        // @ts-expect-error private property
+        expect(proxyConfiguration.countryCode).toBe(countryCode);
+        // @ts-expect-error private property
+        expect(proxyConfiguration.password).toBe(password);
+        // @ts-expect-error private property
+        expect(proxyConfiguration.hostname).toBe(hostname);
+        // @ts-expect-error private property
+        expect(proxyConfiguration.port).toBe(port);
+        expect(checkAccessSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(gotScrapingSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
     test('should work without password (with token)', async () => {
         process.env.APIFY_TOKEN = '123456789';
         const opts: Dictionary = { ...basicOpts };