Quick Answer
What Chinese law says about VPNs
Article 6 of China’s 1996 provisional regulations on international networking says no unit or individual may set up or use other channels for international networking. Article 14 lets the police order the connection stopped, issue a warning and add a fine of up to 15,000 yuan. Freedom House reports that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology banned unlicensed VPNs in 2017, and records one penalty on a Chinese national: a programmer fined 200 yuan in August 2023 for using an unauthorised VPN to work for an overseas company.
What governments tell travellers
| Government | What it says |
|---|---|
| UK (FCDO) | Online products and services such as VPNs “need to be licensed by the Chinese government”. Follow Chinese law. |
| Germany (Auswärtiges Amt) | Using VPN services to get around censorship is forbidden. Do without them. No foreigner is known to have been prosecuted, but the risk of prosecution, including temporary detention, exists at any time. |
| US (State Department) | Does not mention VPNs. Assume China’s security services can read your emails, texts and social media posts. |
The UK government also warns that activity outside mainland China, including online activity, can fall under mainland law.
What is blocked, and what that means for your trip
The UK government lists Google, Facebook, YouTube and X as permanently blocked; Germany’s Foreign Office adds WhatsApp. Freedom House’s list is longer: Instagram, Signal, Telegram, Snapchat, Line and Pinterest, and Google services including Maps, Translate, Calendar, Docs and Drive. Access to other sites “can be limited around key political events and dates”, and Freedom House notes that VPN blocking typically escalates before high-profile events such as the annual sessions of the Chinese legislature.
In practice, that means your usual maps, translation and messaging apps may not work. Download offline maps and an offline translation pack at home, tell family which app you will be reachable on, and keep important documents available offline.
Do the big VPNs work in China?
None of the four large providers we compare in our best travel VPN guide says on its own website that its service reliably works in China. NordVPN’s China guide says “VPNs can work in China, but getting a stable connection is difficult”, that only services with strong obfuscation tend to work with any consistency, and that it is best to have the VPN running before you arrive. ExpressVPN publishes a page titled “Can’t connect to ExpressVPN in China” with a list of protocols to try. Freedom House notes a growing technical sophistication in how Chinese authorities block VPNs.
We do not recommend a VPN for China, and we do not link one from this page: the German government’s advice is not to use one, and no provider will promise it works.
Before you fly to China
- Read your government’s current advice (links in the sources box below).
- Set up your apps at home. Freedom House counted over 16,000 apps unavailable on Apple’s China App Store in October 2024, including hundreds of VPN services, and WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal were removed in April 2024.
- Sort payments. The UK government says paying through WeChat or Alipay is almost universal; Germany’s Foreign Office says it is not always possible for foreign tourists, so carry cash too. Check what your card charges abroad before you withdraw yuan.
- Protect your devices. Germany’s Foreign Office warns that devices left in hotel rooms can be accessed, copied or manipulated.
- Watch what you post. The US government says people have been detained for private messages critical of the government.
For how other countries compare, see VPN rules by country.
Frequently asked questions
Is using a VPN legal in China for tourists?
Not without a licence. China’s rules require VPNs to be approved by the government, and unlicensed VPNs have been banned since 2017. Germany’s Foreign Office says using a VPN to get around censorship in China is forbidden and advises travellers not to use one; it also says no foreigner is known to have been prosecuted for it, but that the risk exists at any time.
What is blocked in China?
The UK government lists Google, Facebook, YouTube and X as permanently blocked, and Germany’s Foreign Office adds WhatsApp. Freedom House also lists Instagram, Signal, Telegram, Snapchat, Line and Pinterest, plus Google Maps, Translate and Drive. Access to other sites can be limited around key political events.
Does NordVPN work in China?
NordVPN does not promise it. Its own China guide says VPNs can work in China but a stable connection is difficult, and that only services using strong obfuscation tend to work with any consistency. ExpressVPN publishes a troubleshooting page for users who cannot connect in China. Neither is a guarantee.
Can I download a VPN app once I am in China?
Do not count on it. Freedom House reports that over 16,000 apps, including hundreds of VPN services, were unavailable on Apple’s App Store in China as of October 2024, and that WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal were removed from it in April 2024.
How do I pay in China as a tourist?
The UK government says cashless payment through WeChat or Alipay is almost universal. Germany’s Foreign Office advises always carrying some cash, because paying through those apps is not always possible for foreign tourists.