How to Change Netflix Region: Steps, Rules and Fixes (2026)

To change your Netflix region, Netflix has to see you connecting from another country. You can travel there, move there, or use a VPN. A VPN makes your connection appear to come from a server in the country you choose.

The VPN route has real limits. Netflix may block VPN connections, and using one to watch another country’s catalog can break its terms of use. Netflix’s own help pages also say a VPN may leave you with only the titles it licenses worldwide.

This guide explains how Netflix decides your region, what a VPN changes, and the steps to try. We loaded every Netflix help page cited here on 2 November 2026.

How Netflix decides your region

Netflix says it is available in over 190 countries. Its help center adds: “Each country has its own catalog of original and licensed TV shows and movies.”

The difference comes from licensing. Netflix makes many titles itself or buys exclusive rights to them. It licenses other titles from studios, and it says “These titles may only be available in certain countries or for a limited time.”

Netflix judges where you are from your internet connection. Your connection has an IP address, the number that identifies it online. Netflix’s help pages use fast.com, its connection test, to show which country your connection comes from. After the test, you click “Show more info” and read the country next to “Client”. If that country does not match where you are, Netflix says your device or network likely has a VPN turned on.

Your account has a country of its own, and it stays fixed. Netflix says “The country on your account can’t be changed unless you move to a new one.”

Netflix’s terms of use tie viewing to that country. Section 1.5 says: “You may access Netflix content primarily within the country in which you have established your account and only in geographic locations where we offer your subscription plan and have licensed such content.” The same section says the content “will vary by geographic location”. We quote the version Netflix showed us, last updated on 10 April 2026. Check the version for your country.

The terms do not mention VPNs by name. But a VPN used to watch another country’s catalog works against section 1.5, so it can break the terms. Section 1.8 says Netflix “may terminate or restrict your use of our service if you violate these Terms of Use”. Whether a VPN itself is legal depends on where you live. Our VPN laws pages cover several countries.

Netflix also checks which devices belong to your home. It sets your Netflix Household “based on IP address, device IDs, and account activity”. It says it does “not collect GPS data” for this.

Change your region without a VPN

Netflix supports two ways to see another country’s catalog.

Travel. When you watch outside the country you signed up in, the selection follows the country you are in. Netflix says choices for streaming and downloading “vary by country”. Audio and subtitle options can change too, and some titles in My List and Continue Watching may be missing.

Move. Netflix changes the country on an account only after a move. Its steps are below.

Step by step: change your account’s country after a move

1. Cancel your membership. Netflix keeps your viewing activity for 24 months after an account closes.
2. Wait until the membership ends. Until you cancel and restart, Netflix keeps charging in the currency of the country you signed up in.
3. Restart your account in the new country. Netflix says you “must be in the country you moved to” when you restart.
4. Check your settings. Prices, currency and payment methods vary by country. Maturity ratings differ too, so check your parental controls.

What a VPN changes, and what it does not

A VPN sends your traffic through a server run by the VPN company. Sites see the server’s IP address instead of yours, so Netflix sees the server’s country. Netflix puts it this way: VPNs “can make your device or network look like it’s connecting from somewhere other than your physical location”. Our guide to what a VPN does explains the rest, and how to change your IP address covers other methods.

A VPN does not change:

• the country on your account, which stays fixed until you move
• your plan’s limits: Netflix says VPNs “aren’t supported” on its ad-supported plan or for Live events
• the terms you agreed to
• what Netflix chooses to show you

Netflix can also block the stream outright. It shows the message “You seem to be using a VPN or proxy” or the error code E106. And it may hide the catalog you wanted. Netflix says a VPN “will hide your region and only allow you to see TV shows and movies available to all regions globally”.

Step by step: change your Netflix region with a VPN

1. Check your plan first. If your plan has ads, stop here. Netflix does not support VPNs on ad-supported plans or for Live events. Your account page shows which plan you are on.

2. Choose a VPN whose own pages document Netflix. A documented claim is the provider’s own statement, not a guarantee. Our records show these claims, checked on 31 October 2026:

   • ExpressVPN lists Netflix in its support guide on streaming. See does ExpressVPN work with Netflix.
   • Surfshark lists Netflix on its streaming page and notes that results may vary. See does Surfshark work with Netflix.
   • Proton VPN names Netflix for 26 countries in its streaming guide, on paid plans only. Its free plan leaves out streaming.
   • NordVPN claims only “Netflix Originals”, through SmartDNS, its DNS feature for TVs. Its VPN streaming page makes no claim for any single service. See does NordVPN work with Netflix.

   Mullvad and IVPN make no streaming claims at all. Our best VPN for Netflix page compares the providers that do.

3. Buy in a way you can undo. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Proton VPN and Surfshark each offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, according to our records. Each has conditions, such as first purchases only or no refunds for some payment methods. NordVPN also offers a 7-day free trial in 15 countries. Our page on VPN free trials lists the others. Test Netflix before the window closes.

4. Install the full app on the device you watch on. A browser extension covers only the browser. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Proton VPN and Surfshark all list apps for Apple TV, Fire TV and Android TV. If your TV cannot run an app, see the smart TV fix below.

5. Connect to a server in the country you want. Pick the country by name in the app’s list. Then close the Netflix app or browser completely, and open it again.

6. Check the country Netflix sees. Use Netflix’s own method. Open fast.com in a browser that goes through the VPN. When the test stops, click “Show more info” and read the country next to “Client”. It should be the country you picked. Our is my VPN working check shows the same thing.

7. Clear the app’s memory of your old region. On Android, open Settings, search for Apps and choose Netflix. Tap Force Stop and then OK. Under Usage, tap Storage, then Clear cache. On iPhone and iPad, delete and reinstall the app. NordVPN and Surfshark both say iOS apps need to be reinstalled “instead of clearing the cache”. In a browser, clear the cache or open a private window.

8. Check the catalog. Search for a title you know is licensed in the target country but not in yours. If it plays, the change worked. If you see only titles Netflix licenses worldwide, such as Stranger Things, Netflix is likely treating your connection as a VPN.

NordVPN’s own Netflix help article tells users to follow “the terms of any websites or services you access using NordVPN”. Read Netflix’s terms before you decide what to use the connection for.

Expected result

If the VPN gets through, Netflix plays without an error, and fast.com shows the server’s country. Searches and rows switch to the titles licensed in that country.

Netflix’s help pages describe a different result. They say a VPN may leave you with only the titles licensed for every country. Which one you get depends on the server. Surfshark says streaming services “block individual IP addresses”, so one server can work while another in the same country fails. We have not tested this in our lab, so we cannot tell you how often each result happens.

Inside the European Union, expect a delay. NordVPN’s help center says that in the EU, “Netflix will provide duplicate content as if you were in your home country, but only for a limited time.”

Troubleshooting

• “You seem to be using a VPN or proxy”, or error E106. Netflix’s advice is to turn the VPN off. If you keep it on, follow Surfshark’s fix order. Close the app or browser completely, reconnect to “a different city or server in the same country”, then reopen it. Clear the app’s cache between tries. Our Netflix VPN not working page has the full list of fixes.

• The error stays on one profile. Surfshark says Netflix can save the VPN result “to the specific Netflix profile you were using, not just the device”. Switch to another profile on the same account. Surfshark says the flag “should automatically be removed within 24 to 48 hours”. NordVPN warns: “Frequently switching Netflix regions on a single Netflix profile can lock your visible region.”

• You only see titles that play everywhere. Try another server in the same country. If nothing changes, Netflix is treating every server you tried as a VPN. Netflix says you may need to turn the VPN off to see the titles available in your region.

• Your smart TV cannot run a VPN app. Some VPN companies offer SmartDNS for these TVs. SmartDNS changes how the TV looks up addresses so that streaming apps see another country. It does not encrypt your traffic. Our records, checked on 31 October 2026, show:

  • NordVPN offers SmartDNS, but its Netflix claim covers only “Netflix Originals”.
  • ExpressVPN offers MediaStreamer, a DNS service for Samsung TVs, Roku and Chromecast.
  • Surfshark discontinued its SmartDNS on 2 February 2026.
  • CyberGhost and Private Internet Access say their smart DNS no longer works with streaming services.
  • Proton VPN offers no SmartDNS.

  Without a working option, run the VPN on your router, or watch on a device that runs a VPN app. After each change, restart the TV. Surfshark says you can also unplug it “and allow it to discharge for several minutes”.

• The TV says it is not part of your Netflix Household. Netflix builds your household from “IP address, device IDs, and account activity”. A VPN on the TV changes the IP address part. If the TV shows that message with the VPN on, turn the VPN off on the TV. Then choose Update Netflix Household from the message or from the Get Help or Settings menu, as Netflix’s help page describes.

• An app checks your location in other ways. The IP address is not the only clue an app can use. Check these three:

  • DNS. DNS is the system your device uses to look up website addresses. Surfshark says the proxy error “might happen if your connection is leaking DNS”, which means some lookups skip the VPN. NordVPN’s Netflix article says to turn off “DNS over HTTPS or Secure DNS”, a setting in some browsers.
  • IPv6. IPv6 is the newer kind of internet address. If your VPN does not carry IPv6 traffic, your device can still reach Netflix directly over IPv6. Our IPv6 leak test shows whether that happens.
  • Your phone’s GPS. Netflix says its household check does not use GPS. Other streaming apps may read your phone’s location. Surfshark tells smartphone users to “make sure the GPS location tracking is turned off”.

• You see the error with no VPN on. Netflix notes that some antivirus software “comes with a VPN that might be turned on”. Check fast.com as in step 6. If the country is wrong, turn off the antivirus VPN. If it is right, reset your network settings, then contact your internet provider, as Netflix’s help page suggests.

Related

• Best VPN for Netflix: the documented claims, with the catches
• Netflix VPN not working: the proxy error and its fixes, in order
• Does NordVPN work with Netflix?, Does Surfshark work with Netflix? and Does ExpressVPN work with Netflix?
• What does a VPN do? and how to change your IP address
• NordVPN free trial and VPN free trials
• All VPN guides