Is it illegal to use a VPN in China? If you are travelling or moving there, this is usually the first thing you want settled.
This article covers what the law actually says, what changed in 2026, and how much it should concern you in practice.
Information as of July 2026.
Legality is only half the question – whether your VPN actually connects from China is the other half. For real-world results, see Does NordVPN Work in China?
The short answer: tourists and expatriates are not being arrested for this
Travellers and expatriates are not being arrested for using a VPN. But it is not openly permitted either.
That grey zone has been in place for more than twenty years, and it has not really moved.
The Purpose of China’s Internet Censorship
There are two reasons.
- To prevent systematic criticism about Chinese government over the internet
- To grow Chinese services by excluding foreign firms
Considering the above, if you engage in the following behavior, it is likely to be detected by the government.
- Getting overseas information by using a VPN, and extensively criticizing the government based on that information
- Giving a lot of publicity towards foreign services
- Engaging in a business of recommending VPNs not approved by the government
On the other hand, if you are engaged in behavior that the government tends to ignore, it is unlikely that your illegal use of VPNs will be detected. However, please remember that sometimes the government takes actions which generally prevents access to VPN services.
The rule that restricts VPNs dates from 1996
China amended its Cybersecurity Law in January 2026, and a number of sites reported this as “China has banned VPNs.” That is not correct.
The amendment raises penalties and adds provisions on artificial intelligence. The word VPN does not appear in it at all.
What actually restricts VPNs is a much older rule from 1996. In short, it says that any line used to connect abroad must be leased from a carrier the government has licensed.
Consumer VPN services sold outside China are not licensed under that rule — and that framework has been essentially unchanged for thirty years.
What China’s public security ministry did in 2026
In January 2026, the Ministry of Public Security published a draft of a new law. It is the first time circumvention tools have been addressed head-on.
Read closely, though, the draft targets those who build, sell or supply such tools. There is no clause penalising the people who use them.
It also remains a draft, with no confirmed timetable for becoming law.
About the reports of users being fined
In March 2026, authorities in Hubei province published two penalty decisions — fines of 200 and 500 yuan. Japanese media picked the story up as well.
Read on its own, it looks like a sudden tightening. In fact, penalties of this kind go back years.
There was a 1,000 yuan fine in Guangdong in 2018, and a 15,000 yuan fine in Nanchang in 2024. One review of 50 published cases found that roughly 80% ended in a warning or a fine.
So the accurate reading is not that VPN use has newly become illegal, but that enforcement which already existed has become visible.
Connections really are getting harder
Separately from the legal picture, the technical side has genuinely tightened.
Academic research has shown that China’s censorship system can identify VPN traffic with over 85% accuracy without inspecting the contents of the traffic at all.
That is why older VPN protocols suddenly stop connecting.
In April 2026, LetsVPN — one of the largest services used inside China — shut down its mainland service entirely.
How much should this concern you?
| Tourists and business travellers | Very little. Your real problem is the VPN not connecting, not legal trouble |
|---|---|
| Expatriates and long-term residents | Low to moderate. Corporate VPN use is routine |
| Chinese nationals living in China | Higher. Every published case has involved this group |
Five things to keep in mind
With all of the above in mind, here are five practical points.
Keep it to personal use
How seriously a case is treated depends heavily on what was being done.
In the published cases, the heavy penalties went to people who supplied tools to others or turned them into a business. Where someone was simply using a VPN themselves, the outcome was a warning or a small fine.
Promoting or distributing a service widely on social media draws attention, so it is worth avoiding.
Don’t use a VPN to earn money
Running a VPN business is an obvious risk, but so is using one to take on paid work from abroad.
In 2023, a programmer in Hebei who had been taking overseas contracts through GitHub was fined 200 yuan — and had 1.05 million yuan, equivalent to three years of income, confiscated.
In practice, the confiscation is far heavier than the fine.
Be careful what you do with what you find
Reposting overseas content straight to social media effectively announces that you are using a VPN.
Viewing is far less likely to cause problems than republishing, so it is worth treating the two differently.
Stay within local rules
Posting in China with the same assumptions you would use at home can lead to trouble you did not anticipate.
It is safer to assume that what you do through the connection matters more than the fact of using a VPN.
Avoid free VPNs
Free VPNs are hard to recommend on security, privacy or reliability grounds.
With free services that work in China, there is also no way to rule out that browsing data is being handed over.
Choose a paid service with a long track record in the country.
The single most important preparation
Sign up and install the app before you arrive in China.
From inside the country, VPN providers’ websites are blocked, and the apps have been removed from the Chinese App Store.
Once you have landed, it is too late. This is the one point every source agrees on without exception.
The Best VPN Services for Use in China
It is hard to contract with a VPN service while staying in China because it is illegal to use a VPN except those approved by the government. So, if you want to use a VPN in China, you should sign up for the services and download their app before arriving in China. In addition, you should select a VPN service which is able to get through the firewalls that the government sets up regularly to block VPNs.
Here are some excellent VPN services we recommend.
| ExpressVPN | NordVPN | SurfShark | |
| Prices | Basic: $2.49/mo Advanced: $2.99/mo Pro: $5.49/mo (2 Years + 4 Months plan, as of July 2026) | Basic: $3.49/mo Complete: $4.49/mo Prime: $7.49/mo (2 Years + 3 Months plan, as of July 2026) | Starter: $2.49/mo One: $2.79/mo One+: $4.49/mo (2 Years + 3 Months plan, as of July 2026) |
| Money-back Guarantee | 30 days (not applicable to subscriptions purchased during the sale period) | 30 days | 30 days |
| Countries | 113 (214 locations) | 149 (224 locations) | 100 (142 locations) |
| Servers | Not disclosed | 9,374 | 4,500+ |
| Maximum devices supported | Basic 10 / Advanced 12 / Pro 14 | 10 | Unlimited |
| Connection Speed | Ultra Fast | Fast | Fast |
| Security | AES-256 Kill Switch | AES-256 Kill Switch | AES-256 Kill Switch |
| Privacy | No-logging | No-logging | No-logging |
| Support | 24/7 Live Chat Support | 24/7 Live Chat Support | 24/7 Live Chat Support |
ExpressVPN: Ultra-fast Internet Speeds
| Prices | Basic: $2.49/mo Advanced: $2.99/mo Pro: $5.49/mo (2 Years + 4 Months plan, as of July 2026) |
| Money-back Guarantee | 30 days (not applicable to subscriptions purchased during the sale period) |
| Countries | 113 (214 locations) |
| Servers | Not disclosed |
| Maximum devices supported | Basic 10 / Advanced 12 / Pro 14 |
ExpressVPN offers some of the fastest internet speeds among the VPNs we have used. All VPNs may slow down your internet connection, but ExpressVPN is one of the fastest, and you rarely notice the difference. Review sites consistently rank ExpressVPN as one of the fastest VPNs. Additionally, with servers in 113 countries across 214 locations, you have a wide choice of countries to change IP addresses to. Real humans are available 24-hour live chat support to help you with setup and troubleshooting. ExpressVPN also has a no-log policy.
After you’ve registered with ExpressVPN, you can use it to easily browse the internet just by downloading their app.
- Excellent speed and stability
- Fast and user-friendly app
- Strict no-logs policy
- Wide range of server countries
- Accepts Bitcoin payments
- Slightly more expensive than competitors
- Place a high importance on internet speed
\30 day Money-Back Guarantee/
NordVPN: The Ultimate Balance of Price and Internet Speed
| Prices (standard plan) | Basic: $3.49/mo Complete: $4.49/mo Prime: $7.49/mo (2 Years + 3 Months plan, as of July 2026) |
| Money-back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Countries | 149 (224 locations) |
| Servers | 9,374 |
| Maximum devices supported | 10 |
NordVPN’s excellent service, and balance of price, internet speed, servers, and countries, has allowed it to gain the greatest market share in the world. Overall, NordVPN consistently receives great reviews from leading experts. NordVPN has 9,374 servers in 149 countries, so you also have a lot of choices for which country to change your IP address to. You can et help and advice from our friendly customer support team through email or live chat for your 24/7. And NordVPN also has a no-log policy.
After you’ve registered, you can easily browse the internet using NordVPN just by downloading their app.
- World's most popular VPN by new user subscriptions
- Large number of available servers
- Competitive pricing
- Strict no-logs policy
- User-friendly dedicated apps
- Accepts cryptocurrency payments
- Short-term plans can be relatively costly
- Want to balance price and internet speed
\30 day Money-Back Guarantee/
Surfshark: Impressive Performance with a Lower Price
| Prices (standard plan) | Starter: $2.49/mo One: $2.79/mo One+: $4.49/mo (2 Years + 3 Months plan, as of July 2026) |
| Money-back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Countries | 100 (142 locations) |
| Servers | 4,500+ |
| Maximum devices supported | Unlimited |
Surfshark offers impressive performance with a lower price. You can get Surfshark much cheaper than other services if you apply for the 24-month plan. Furthermore, Surfshark has no connection limits. So, you and your family can connect and use all your devices simultaneously. Surfshark has more than 4,500 servers in 100 countries. Just like the other VPNs, you also have a lot of choices for which country to change your IP address to. Customer support experts are there for you 24/7, if you need a helping hand with them via live chat or email. And SurfsharkVPN also has a no-log policy.
After you’ve registered, you can easily browse the internet using Surfshark by downloading their app.
- Affordable price (cheaper than NordVPN & ExpressVPN)
- Unlimited simultaneous connections (ideal for families)
- Large number of available servers
- Speeds comparable to top-tier providers
- Strict no-logs policy
- Accepts cryptocurrency payments
- Less effective at bypassing geo-restrictions
- Limited service history / Less established
- Who are budget conscious and want to want to connect with lots of devices
\30 day Money-Back Guarantee/
FAQs
What sites and apps are blocked in China?
Here are some notable examples of services blocked in China:
- All Google services (including Gmail, Google Translate, Google Search, Google Drive, Google Docs etc.)
- Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Pinterest.
- Video sharing platforms including YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitch.
- News media sites like the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
- Various other platforms such as Dropbox, GitHub, SoundCloud, Flickr, Skype, WhatsApp, Spotify, Hootsuite, Slack, and Wikipedia.
The duration of these blocks can vary, with some sites being blocked temporarily, while others are blocked permanently.
Regardless of restrictions, users in China can unblock most of these websites and apps by employing a reliable VPN service. Always remember to arrange your VPN service before entering the country for seamless internet access.
What is today’s best VPN in China?
It is ExpressVPN which stands out as the best VPN for use in China today. It’s reliable, fast, secure, and remarkably easy to set up and operate. An assurance of its no-logging policy is given by the audit conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, providing users with the confidence that their identities will be well-protected while surfing the web and streaming content in China. Moreover, ExpressVPN is unrivaled in its ability to unblock and bypass restrictions on banned websites and services. These qualities combined make ExpressVPN the prime choice for navigating the internet in China. Best VPN services for China
Conclusion
- China does not ban VPN technology, but connecting abroad over a line the government has not licensed is not permitted — and consumer VPNs sold overseas fall outside that licensing. The basis for this is a 1996 rule, not the 2026 amendment to the Cybersecurity Law. A draft law published in January 2026 addresses circumvention tools for the first time, but it targets those who build, sell or supply them rather than the people who use them, and it is still only a draft. Fines against individuals are not new either; comparable cases go back to 2018. What changed is that enforcement has become visible. In practice: keep it to personal use, don’t earn money through it, be careful what you republish, stay within local rules, and avoid free VPNs. Above all, sign up and install before you arrive — provider sites are blocked from inside China.
Sources
The legal and case references in this article are based on the following primary sources and reporting. Last verified July 2026.
- Interim Provisions on the Administration of International Networking of Computer Information Networks (State Council Order No. 195, 1996; revised 10 March 2024)
- MIIT Notice on Cleaning Up and Regulating the Internet Access Service Market (信管函〔2017〕32号)
- NPC Standing Committee decision amending the Cybersecurity Law (adopted 28 Oct 2025, in force 1 Jan 2026)
- Ministry of Public Security, draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law (published 31 Jan 2026)
- Human Rights Watch, “China: Cybercrime Bill Entrenches Censorship, Surveillance” (17 March 2026)
- Xue et al., USENIX Security 2022 — peer-reviewed study on passive identification of OpenVPN traffic
- Hubei penalty decisions, reported by Kyodo News (20 March 2026)
- Chengde case, China Digital Times (September 2023)
- LetsVPN withdrawal from mainland China, CNA (28 April 2026)