【2023】Is it Legal to Use a VPN in China?

In China, it is illegal to use VPNs except those approved by the government. This law applies to companies and corporations rather than individuals. So, it is unlikely that your personal use of VPNs will be detected. Continue reading to learn more about VPN usage in China.

The Best VPN Services for use in China

• ExpressVPN: Recommended for those who need higher internet speed
• NordVPN: Recommended for those who want to balance price and internet speed
• SurfShark: Recommended for those on a budget

Table of Contents

• Is it legal to use a VPN in China?
• Why are internet restrictions so strong in China?
• Four rules for using a VPN in China
  • 1. Use it only for personal use, and don’t publicize it
  • 2. Don’t spread information from overseas unnecessarily
  • 3. Avoid content that is critical of the government
  • 4. Avoid using free VPNs
• The best VPN services for use in China
  • ExpressVPN: Ultra-fast Internet Speeds
  • NordVPN: The Ultimate Balance of Price and Internet Speed
  • Surfshark: Impressive Performance with a Lower Price
• Conclusion

Is it legal to use a VPN in China?

Officially, the government has banned the use of internet lines not approved by the government. So, general VPN services are illegal because they are not approved by the government. On the other hand, when you use a VPN approved by the government, you will notice that popular websites like LINE and Facebook are not available in China.

If your illegal use of VPNs is detected, you can receive fines or prison sentences. But there are almost no cases of individuals being prosecuted for illegal personal use of VPNs. This law applies to companies and corporations rather than individuals.

We, the administrators of this site, always use a VPN while staying in China. And we know many acquaintances in China who use VPNs to access websites such as YouTube. But we have never heard of any individuals who have gotten punished. So, we think that it is unlikely that your personal use of VPNs will be detected.

Why are internet restrictions so strong in China?

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.

Four rules for using a VPN in China

There are four rules for using a VPN in China.

1. Use it only for personal use, and don’t publicize it
2. Don’t spread information from overseas unnecessarily
3. Avoid content that is critical of the government
4. Avoid using free VPNs

1. Use it only for personal use, and don’t publicize it

Considering the reasons for the restrictions, if you use a VPN only for personal use, it is unlikely that this will be detected, because the government doesn’t crack down on merely personal use. However, it is likely that your use will be detected if you recommend the use of a VPN extensively on social media to your friends and others.

2. Don’t spread information from overseas unnecessarily

You shouldn’t spread information from overseas unnecessarily. For example, don’t share YouTube videos you’ve watched on social media because the government will notice that you are using illegal VPNs.

3. Avoid content that is critical of the government

There are more than a few foreign media outlets which are critical of the Chinese government. Some of this content is not reported in China. If you report or engage in this kind of criticism of the government, your use of an illegal VPN may be detected.

4. Avoid using free VPNs

There are free VPNs. But we don’t recommend free VPNs in terms of privacy and security because we don’t know how free VPNs manage our log traffic data. In addition, your online activity, such as personal information and traffic data, is likely to conveyed if you use a free VPN.

If you use VPN services, we recommend paid services with experience operating in China like ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

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 what we think are some excellent VPN services.

As of August, 2022

ExpressVPN: Ultra-fast Internet Speeds

ExpressVPN has some of the fastest internet speeds of the VPNs we have used. ExpressVPN is consistently found by review sites to be one of the fastest VPNs. Furthermore, they have more than 5,200 servers in 94 countries, so you have a lot of choices for which country to change your IP address to. We have confirmed that you can even connect to servers in China, where restrictions are strong.

After you’ve registered with ExpressVPN, you can use it to easily browse the internet just by downloading their app.

As of August, 2022

Ideal for those who:

• Place a high importance on internet speed
• Want a stable connection from China

▼Official Site▼

Visit ExpressVPN

\30 day Money-Back Guarantee/

NordVPN: The Ultimate Balance of Price and Internet Speed

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 more than 5,400 servers in 59 countries, so you also have a lot of choices for which country to change your IP address to. We also have confirmed that you can even connect to servers in China, where restrictions are strong.

After you’ve registered, you can easily browse the internet using NordVPN just by downloading their app.

As of August, 2022

Ideal for those who:

• Want to balance price and internet speed
• Want to use the VPN with the greatest market share

▼Official Site▼

Visit NordVPN

\30 day Money-Back Guarantee/

Surfshark: Impressive Performance with a Lower Price

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 3,200 servers in 99 countries. Just like the other VPNs, you also have a lot of choices for which country to change your IP address to. And also, we have confirmed that you can even connect to servers in China, where restrictions are strong.

After you’ve registered, you can easily browse the internet using Surfshark by downloading their app.

As of August, 2022

Ideal for those:

• Who are budget conscious
• Who want to connect with lots of devices

▼Official Site▼

Visit SurfShark

\30 day Money-Back Guarantee/

Conclusion

Conclusion

• In China, it is illegal to use a VPN that hasn’t been approved by the government. However, this law applies to companies and corporations rather than individuals. So, it is unlikely that your personal use of VPNs will be detected.
• There are four rules for using a VPN in China, “Use it only for personal use, and don’t publicize it”, “Don’t spread information from overseas unnecessarily”, “Avoid content that is critical of the government” and “Avoid using free VPNs”.

The Best VPN Services for use in China

• ExpressVPN: Recommended for those who need higher internet speed
• NordVPN: Recommended for those who want to balance price and internet speed
• SurfShark: Recommended for those on a budget