Are VPNs Legal?

VPN services are legal in almost every country in the world, including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Europe.

However, you are still subject to the laws of the country you’re located in – not the laws of the country you’ve routed your internet connection through.

In other words, illegal online activity is still illegal when you’re using a VPN, regardless of the server you’re connected to.

VPN services can still provide servers (and IP addresses) in countries where VPNs are illegal or restricted. ExpressVPN, for example, lets users connect to VPN servers in Belarus and Turkey.

Using these VPN servers is perfectly legal as long as you’re not physically located in one of the 12 countries mentioned below.

This is because VPN services sometimes use virtual server locations. These servers aren’t actually located in the country they’re labeled with.

For instance, ExpressVPN’s Belarus and Turkey servers are both physically located in the Netherlands, where VPNs are legal.

Crucially, not all VPNs are created equal, and not all VPNs are safe.

Once you’ve determined that VPNs are legal in your country, you need to consider other factors that may impact your online safety.

These factors include your VPN service’s jurisdiction, logging policy, and security features. Your country’s torrenting laws and stance on digital rights are also important, even if VPN use is legal.

You should choose a verified no-logs VPN that’s been proven not to store any activity or connection logs.

VPNs are illegal in Belarus, Iraq, North Korea and Turkmenistan. The use of VPN services is heavily restricted in China, Iran, Myanmar, Oman, Russia, Turkey, and the UAE. VPN restrictions have also been introduced in Pakistan.

The countries in the table below are labeled according to the severity of their VPN laws and restrictions. ‘Extensive’ is the strictest level of restriction, followed by ‘moderate’ and ‘minor.’

Country	VPN Law	Social Media Blocks	Censorship	Surveillance
Belarus	Illegal	Moderate	Extensive	Extensive
China	Restricted	Extensive	Extensive	Extensive
Iran	Restricted	Extensive	Extensive	Extensive
Iraq	Illegal	Moderate	Moderate	Minor
Myanmar	Restricted	Extensive	Extensive	Extensive
North Korea	Illegal	Extensive	Extensive	Extensive
Oman	Restricted	Minor	Extensive	Moderate
Pakistan	Restricted	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Russia	Restricted	Moderate	Extensive	Moderate
Turkey	Restricted	Moderate	Extensive	Extensive
Turkmenistan	Illegal	Extensive	Extensive	Extensive
UAE	Restricted	Moderate	Extensive	Moderate

A table summarizing VPN laws in the 12 most restricted countries.

Here is a more detailed list of VPN laws in the 12 countries where VPNs are either illegal or most severely restricted:

1. Belarus

VPNs are illegal in Belarus.

Belarus bans VPNs as it sees them as a method to undermine the law. In February 2015, the country’s Communications Ministry ruled against the use of anonymizers like VPNs.

Tor, which enables anonymous communications and access to the Dark Web, has also been blocked in Belarus since 2016.

It’s still unclear whether the government can actually contain the expanding VPN market. For the moment, there is an unspecified fine for anyone caught using a VPN in Belarus.

2. China

Only government-approved VPNs are legal in China.

VPNs are technically legal in China. However, all VPN services have to gain approval from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) before they are allowed to operate in the country.

This often involves agreeing to conditions such as data logging, which makes the VPN pointless from a privacy perspective.

While there are suggestions that China might soon open up the VPN industry to foreign investment, using a VPN ‘without authorization’ can currently result in fines of up to 15,000 yuan (roughly $2,200). Despite this, many people still wish to use a VPN in China.

3. Iran

Only government-approved VPNs are legal in Iran.

Iran has been blocking unsanctioned VPNs since 2013, while state-sanctioned VPNs are monitored heavily.

The penalty for using a VPN that isn’t sanctioned by the Iranian government is up to one year in prison.

4. Iraq

VPNs are illegal in Iraq.

VPNs have been banned in Iraq since 2014. The government claims this ban is to keep terrorist organizations from influencing the public via social media.

Iraqi government officials still use VPNs, despite there officially being ‘no exceptions’ to the rule.

5. Myanmar

VPNs are only legal for authorized users.

Myanmar began blocking VPNs in May 2024. Since a new cybersecurity law came into effect in 2025, using a VPN without official authorization can result in a prison sentence of up to six months and a fine of at least $500.

Security forces actively enforce the law, even stopping people on the street to inspect their phones. There have been reports of individuals being arrested and fined after unauthorized VPNs were found on their devices.

Authorities also use DPI to block VPN domains and IP addresses, alongside longstanding censorship of social media and other online services.

6. North Korea

VPNs are illegal in North Korea.

North Koreans aren’t allowed to access foreign media, so it’s not surprising that VPNs are illegal.

The penalty for VPN use is unknown as North Korea is so secretive.

The country’s internet is also heavily censored, and foreign diplomats are prohibited from using it.

7. Oman

Only VPNs permitted by the Sultanate are legal in Oman.

Since 2010, Oman has banned all VPNs except those permitted by the Sultanate. These exceptions only apply to corporate VPN services, which have to apply for authorization.

All approved corporate VPN providers must keep web usage logs.

Personal VPN use is illegal in Oman to prevent citizens from bypassing internet restrictions. Attempting to circumvent these laws is punishable with a fine of $1,300.

8. Pakistan

VPNs are legal in Pakistan, but their use is now strictly regulated.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has aggressively cracked down on internet freedom.

Following a massive surge in VPN use to bypass the government’s block on X in early 2024, the PTA implemented a strict VPN licensing framework.

Under these new rules, only registered VPNs are permitted to operate, and approved providers are forced to collect user data and share it with authorities upon request.

Unregistered and free VPNs are now actively blocked by the government. The PTA claims this is to combat cybersecurity threats, but the reality is much darker. It’s a deliberate move to monitor citizen web traffic and restrict access to global social media platforms.

If you are traveling to Pakistan, I strongly advise downloading a secure VPN with advanced obfuscation technology before you arrive.

9. Russia

Only government-approved VPNs are legal in Russia.

Russia has banned unapproved VPNs to prevent access to ‘unlawful content.’ Russian ISPs enforce the ban by blocking websites that offer VPN services. However, some are still accessible.

The Russian censorship agency Roskomnadzor has now blocked nearly 500 different VPN services. They also routinely disrupt popular VPN protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard to make circumventing the firewall as difficult as possible.

The punishment for using an unapproved VPN in Russia is steep. Users face fines of 300,000 RUB (around $3,100), while service providers can be fined up to 700,000 RUB.

10. Turkey

VPNs are legal in Turkey, but their use is restricted.

The Turkish government has been restricting VPN use since 2016, justifying the crackdown as necessary to protect national security and to ‘fight terrorism.’

In 2016, 10 VPN providers and Tor were blocked in the country. While in 2023, an additional 16 apps were banned by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK).

In 2024, the Turkish government banned another 27 major VPN providers as part of sweeping censorship of social media, news sites and gaming platforms like Discord and Roblox.

11. Turkmenistan

VPNs are illegal in Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan banned VPNs in 2015 to censor foreign media. All proxies and VPN services are detected and blocked by Turkmenistan’s state-run ISP, Turkmenet.

Turkmenistan’s internet is deliberately overpriced to discourage people from using it. A monthly subscription costs $213 for 8Kbps — more than the country’s average monthly salary.

Using a VPN in Turkmenistan can bring an unspecified fine and an intimidating summons from the Ministry of National Security to have a “preventative conversation”.

12. United Arab Emirates (UAE)

VPNs are legal in the UAE, but misusing them carries massive fines.

Using a VPN in the UAE is entirely legal for legitimate purposes, such as corporate security or protecting your personal data.

However, the UAE severely punishes anyone who uses a VPN to bypass state censorship or commit cybercrimes. The government heavily restricts internet access, blocking everything from gambling websites to free VoIP services like WhatsApp and FaceTime. This is done to protect the profits of local telecom companies e& (formerly Etisalat) and du.

If you are caught using a VPN to access blocked content, hide a crime, or mask your identity for illegal activities, the consequences are incredibly severe under the 2021 Cybercrime Law.

Users face temporary imprisonment and astronomical fines ranging from AED 500,000 (around $136,000) to a staggering AED 2,000,000 (around $545,000).

I’ve discovered 16 countries where VPNs are legal but there are other significant laws restricting digital freedoms. This often includes surveillance, internet censorship, and content blocking.

The table below summarizes the laws in countries with notable internet restrictions, such as online surveillance and censorship.

Each country is labeled based on the degree of restrictions. ‘Extensive’ is the most severe, followed by ‘moderate’ and ‘minor.’

Country	VPN Law	Social Media Blocks	Censorship	Surveillance
Cambodia	Legal	Moderate	Extensive	Extensive
Cuba	Legal	Minor	Extensive	Extensive
Egypt	Legal	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Eritrea	Legal	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Ethiopia	Legal	Moderate	Extensive	Moderate
Indonesia	Legal	Moderate	Extensive	Extensive
Kazakhstan	Legal	Moderate	Extensive	Moderate
Malaysia	Legal	Moderate	Extensive	Extensive
Saudi Arabia	Legal	Moderate	Extensive	Extensive
Sudan	Legal	Moderate	Extensive	Moderate
Syria	Legal	Minor	Extensive	Extensive
Thailand	Legal	Moderate	Extensive	Extensive
Uganda	Legal	Extensive	Extensive	Moderate
Uzbekistan	Legal	Moderate	Extensive	Extensive
Venezuela	Legal	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Vietnam	Legal	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate