Is It Illegal to Use a VPN for Netflix? Can You Get Banned?

VPN Expert, BEng in Network Engineering

Updated on

02 Oct 2024

Many people use VPNs to watch streaming videos not available in their area. A good VPN lets you access content from almost anywhere. For example, if a movie is only on Netflix in a certain country, you can use a VPN to watch it.

But, some wonder if this is legal. Is streaming illegal? Can Netflix ban your account for using a VPN? Why do they ban VPN users?

If you’re okay with watching Netflix via VPN, how can you avoid a ban?

Is Watching Netflix Via VPN Illegal?

It’s hard to find a law that makes watching Netflix via VPN illegal. This is true for most countries, except a few like China and Iran. In most places, using a VPN is not against the law, and it’s okay to use it with Netflix.

While we’re not giving legal advice, it seems there’s little to no legal risk. But, that doesn’t mean Netflix agrees with it.

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Does Netflix Ban VPN Users?

Another big question is if you can get in trouble with Netflix. Does Netflix ban VPN users? This is a bit more complex.

Here’s what Netflix says in their terms of service, section 4:

“4.3. You may view the Netflix content primarily within the country in which you have established your account and only in geographic locations where we offer our service and have licensed such content. […]”

And a little further down the page:

“4.6. You also agree not to: circumvent, remove, alter, deactivate, degrade or thwart any of the content protections in the Netflix service; use any robot, spider, scraper or other automated means to access the Netflix service…”

And later in that same paragraph:

“We may terminate or restrict your use of our service if you violate these Terms of Use or are engaged in illegal or fraudulent use of the service.”

So, the short answer is, yes, using a VPN to bypass geographic restrictions on Netflix is against their Terms of Service. They can terminate your account for it. But do they? Apparently not.

There are no reports of Netflix terminating accounts or banning users for accessing restricted content via VPN. They might have the right to do so, but they don’t. Instead, they make it a bit hard to stream content with a VPN.

Instead of canceling accounts or banning users, Netflix just makes it somewhat challenging to stream content via a VPN. The worst consequence most users will ever see is that it doesn’t work. This is because Netflix mostly restricts VPN streaming by blocking VPNs. Netflix tries to discover IP addresses tied to VPNs and then blocks them. Fortunately, there are ways to beat the Netflix VPN ban.

Why Does Netflix Block VPNs?

Netflix users pay for access to the service, so you might wonder why watching Netflix via VPN is not allowed? It’s about licensing and copyright. Netflix owns some content, like Netflix Originals. The rest is licensed from content creators and studios worldwide.

The content you want might have been licensed to Netflix in one country, but to a different service in the U.S. Or, maybe no deal has been reached yet for U.S. distribution. In that case, Netflix does not have the license to show that content in the U.S. So, it doesn’t show up as an option for those viewers.

When streamers use a VPN, they can bypass that geographical limitation and watch the content. Because of this, Netflix makes an agreement with the content creators to help stop people from watching in areas where the content is not licensed.

How to Bypass the Netflix VPN Ban

With all the information available, it is up to you how you want to access Netflix. If you want to access Netflix content that is not available where you live, you will need to ensure that you find a VPN that can get around any attempts Netflix makes to block VPNs.

Here’s How to Bypass Netflix VPN Ban:

Sign up for a VPN (NordVPN recommended)
Install app on your device
Choose a VPN server in a country you wish to unblock Netflix content
Connect to that server
Sign in to Netflix
Search and stream your content
Now you removed the Netflix VPN ban!

Many high-quality VPNs now promote their ability to get around VPN bans from Netflix and other services. Here is what to look for in a VPN:

Connection Speed – Be sure the VPN offers high-speed connections fast enough for HD streaming.
Large Server Network – The more servers and locations the VPN has, the better your chances are of avoiding being blocked.
Streaming Specific Servers – The top VPNs are now providing specific servers optimized to avoid bans from streaming sites.
Privacy – Be sure to check the VPNs privacy policy. You want a VPN with a no-logs policy. Without a log of activity, there is no way your private browsing information can end up in the wrong hands.
Multiple Platforms – Most viewers don’t stream video only on their computer. Be sure the VPN works on all your streaming devices like streaming sticks and smart TVs.

VPN To Bypass Netflix VPN Ban

Conclusion

Using a VPN for Netflix is not against the law. But, Netflix doesn’t allow VPNs to get around geo-restrictions. They can ban your account, but no one has been banned yet.

Netflix wants to keep all users happy and subscribed. Even though they block VPNs, you can find ways to get past the ban. Look for a VPN that changes its IP addresses often and has servers for streaming.

Here are the best VPNs that work with Netflix: