Several governments block YouTube so that it is unavailable (or effectively inaccessible) to most citizens. These include those of mainland China, North Korea, Iran, Turkmenistan and Eritrea.

The service has previously been blocked — either temporarily or partially — in countries such as Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Libya, Indonesia, and others. Blocks typically occur because of content deemed objectionable, and may be reversed when that content is removed or when political conditions change.

Yes. Depending on where you travel, it is possible that some or all of YouTube may be restricted. In China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, and Turkmenistan, for example, the entirety of YouTube is banned. 

In Germany, certain music videos are unavailable because of an ongoing dispute between YouTube and a German performance rights organization. Other countries, such as Brazil and Turkey, have implemented YouTube restrictions at one time or another. 

In addition to these national restrictions, it is possible that certain videos may be blacked out abroad due to licensing restrictions. As a result, you may need to connect to a server in the UK, US (or elsewhere) to regain access to specific videos. 

All of our VPN recommendations have servers in countries where YouTube is available to allow you to get around any restrictions you may experience abroad.

Using a VPN to access YouTube is legal in most places. That said, a few countries block YouTube for political, religious, and moral reasons (China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, and Turkmenistan). As a result, it is worth checking those countries’ laws before unblocking any YouTube videos. 

Please note that nothing in this article makes up legal advice, and you should always do your own research before bypassing government restrictions. That said, foreigners visiting a foreign country who want to watch YouTube should generally be safe to do so as long as they use a secure VPN that provides strong privacy levels.