How to watch UK Netflix abroad: The EASY method! (2023)

If you’re outside of the U.K., you might find that Netflix offers a different lineup of content than you’re used to.

This is happening because film and TV studios enforce copyright restrictions based on location. As a result, Netflix can broadcast certain shows in the U.K. that it can’t in other countries.

This can be frustrating, especially when traveling or away from the UK. But don’t panic. There’s an easy way to access UK Netflix anywhere in the world.

All you need is a reliable VPN that works with Netflix. This tool can make it appear as though you’re streaming from within the U.K., granting you access to the familiar Netflix library no matter where you are.

This article will guide you on the easiest way to watch UK Netflix abroad.

How to watch UK Netflix abroad: Quick Guide

If you’re wondering how to watch Netflix abroad, all you need to do is change your IP address to a UK IP address.

To do that, simply follow these steps:

Why is Netflix different in other countries?

Although Netflix as a platform is available all over the world, the content it broadcasts varies from country to country. 

This is because of content licensing agreements:

Content licensing agreements decide how and where movies, TV shows, and music can be shown or played. These agreements are contracts between those who make the content, like movie studios, and those who show it, like Netflix. The hard part for Netflix is these agreements not only stipulate who owns the rights to show the content, they also detail where the content can be shown.

Because of this, a movie might be available on Netflix in one country but not in another.

There are a few reasons why studios enforce these geo-restrictions but essentially, it’s all to do with money.

It’s a bit confusing but all you need to know is Netflix is different in every country because film and TV studios may or may not sell Netflix the rights to broadcast their content in certain countries. If you’re looking for a show and it’s not on Netflix in the country you’re in, but is on Netflix in other countries, Netflix in your location doesn’t own the rights to broadcast the content.

Can I watch UK Netflix abroad?

Yes, it’s incredibly easy to watch UK Netflix abroad. We recommend using a VPN as it’s the easiest and one of the most reliable ways to access any Netflix library no matter where you’re located.

The tricky part is knowing which VPNs work with Netflix, as the streaming service has started trying to block VPN connections. That’s where we come in.

We test VPNs over multiple criteria and being able to stream Netflix libraries outside their original country is something we include in our tests. A good VPN for Netflix will allow you to access any Netflix library anywhere in the world without issues.

From our tests, if you want to watch UK Netflix abroad reliably, the best VPNs are ExpressVPN and NordVPN. But any of these five VPNs will work.

If you don’t like the look of these, there are alternatives to VPNs. However, from our experience, VPNs are by far the easiest way to watch UK Netflix abroad.

Does Netflix block VPNs?

Yes, Netflix has started implementing VPN blocking techniques to prevent customers using VPNs from accessing Netflix libraries from around the world.

Netflix blocks VPNs using three key methods:

1. The most common technique is all to do with the IP addresses your VPN can provide. Most VPNs have more customers than IP addresses, and this results in customers having to share IPs. Netflix monitors for an abnormal amount (more than a standard household) of connections coming from the same IP address. When it sees hundreds or thousands of connections coming from the same IP, it knows that this is an IP address provided by a VPN, and it blocks it. 
2. Netflix monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
3. Netflix teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, Netflix will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from, and it will block you.

Does Netflix work with a VPN?

Yes, Netflix works with a VPN and it’s safe to use a VPN with Netflix, however, it’s important to know that not just any VPN will work with the streaming service. You need to use one that can beat Netflix’s VPN blocks.

From our experience, the VPNs that can continuously beat Netflix’s VPN blocking techniques have four features in common. First, they need to be a safe VPN, meaning they don’t log any user data, they don’t limit resources and they use secure encryption standards. Second, they need to use a VPN protocol that is secure, meaning Netflix won’t be able to identify your actual location. Third, they need to have fast VPN speed, if not you’ll run into buffering and stuttering issues when watching Netflix. And last they need to have a vast network of dedicated servers and or virtual servers so you can access servers in any country around the world.

Another key criterion is the VPN needs to be able to play a game of cat and mouse with Netflix. This means if, on the off-chance, Netflix is able to identify and block an IP address provided by the VPN, the VPN must have the capabilities to close that IP address and open a new unblocked one for you to use.

These features will ensure you can watch UK Netflix abroad reliably wherever you are. However, a lot of VPNs don’t meet these criteria. If you use a VPN that isn’t capable of all of these things, you’ll come across Netflix not working with VPN issues.

The list of best VPNs below will all work well with UK Netflix.

The best VPNs to watch UK Netflix abroad

Is watching Netflix with a VPN legal?

There are a few pros and cons of using a VPN with Netflix, however legality isn’t one of them. Using a VPN to access Netflix is legal.

In most countries, using a VPN is legal. There are only a handful of countries (spot the authoritarianism link) where using a VPN is illegal; these are: China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.

If you’re outside these countries and are using a VPN, you’re legally allowed to do so. However, it’s important to know that using a VPN with some streaming services may breach that service’s terms of use.

If you subscribe to a streaming service, you automatically accept its terms of use. If we look at Netflix’s terms of use, it states, “You may access 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 “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… 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.”

This means, Netflix can stop your subscription and ban you from the streaming service if you try to access its content with a VPN turned on.

However, given the wide-spread use of VPNs, plus the many legitimate and legal use cases for VPNs, it’s fair to suggest that banning customers for using a VPN would be a heavy-handed and financially costly policy for Netflix (and other streaming services) to enforce.

If you’re trying to watch Netflix in a region where it does not traditionally operate or you’re trying to change the location of the Netflix library, you risk having your account banned. In theory. However, as the best VPNs for Netflix use military-grade encryption it is impossible for Netflix to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from.

There’s one final thing to note on the subject: Netflix has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.

For more information you can check out our article answering Is streaming with a VPN legal?

Can I watch Netflix with a free VPN?

Using a free VPN with Netflix can be an attractive option, but from our testing, the experience you’ll get when doing so will be lacklustre.

From our tests, we found out that free VPNs don’t always work well with Netflix, in fact most of the time they don’t work well with the streaming service.

If you opt for a free VPN service, more often than not you’ll come across VPN not working issues. This happens for multiple reasons; first free VPNs are slow VPNs. They often cap the amount of data you can use, limit speeds and don’t provide access to many servers. The other main reason is they struggle to beat Netflix’s VPN blocking techniques. Netflix finds it easy to identify and block free VPN IP addresses because they have a massive number of customers.

But, if you can’t afford a premium VPN that will allow you to watch UK Netflix abroad reliably, here’s what we think are the best free VPNs for Netflix.