VPN for Expats: Why You Need One and How to Use It

Living overseas should be exciting, definitely not frustrating. But for many expats, online tasks can suddenly become tricky any day. Your bank may flag your logins as suspicious, your favorite shows won’t stream in the region where you are, or something in this vein. So if you, let’s say, in the UAE, you will find yourself in the situation where you can’t call via WhatsApp as it doesn’t work there.

Luckily, there’s a fix for this problem: a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for expats. It’s a simple tool that gives you access to the online world you’re used to. Further, we will discover how to choose a good VPN for your needs.

Oliver Bennett

May 14, 2025

8 min read

Get the week’s best marketing content

How does a virtual private network solve the geoblocking issue?

VPN works as a secure tunnel inside the Internet. VPN apps encrypt your Internet traffic, then route it through a VPN server you choose. Sites and apps only see the server’s address, not your real one, so you appear to be browsing from “home”. The trick is simple, but lets you unlock many geo-blocked platforms, overcome government filters, and hide from snoopers on public Wi-Fi networks or your Internet service provider (ISP).

Now that the basics are covered, let’s break down the reasons why expats may seriously consider using a VPN.

Reasons why expats need a VPN

When you live abroad, not only your location changes, but also how you use the Internet. So, using a VPN in another country allows you to:

1. Stay connected with relatives

In some countries like the UAE, popular phone call apps you may use every day, like WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Messenger, are blocked. With such limitations, you just can’t join a video meeting or make a call. A VPN allows you to bypass such blocks by connecting you to the servers in your home country. Once on, you won’t need any weird workarounds.

2. Protect yourself on public Wi-Fi

Expats may regularly use public Wi-Fi in airports, cafés, coworking spaces. But such networks are often unprotected, and that’s why many hackers love to lurk there. With a VPN, your data will be hidden behind strong encryption. This way, even if someone tries to steal your personal or financial data when you’re browsing on public Wi-Fi, they’ll fail.

3. Keep access to online banking

Many banks may freeze or flag your account if they detect access from a foreign IP address. Such a situation can be a nightmare if you need to pay bills or transfer funds from abroad. A VPN solves the issue in a second. Once you connect through a server in your home country, your bank will think you’re in your home country, so there is nothing to worry about.

4. Bypass censorship and stay informed

Countries with strict censorship policies restrict Internet access to news sites, social media, or even Wikipedia for users with local IP addresses. In other countries, ISPs know everything that their customers are doing online. This is wrong, and a good VPN can help you get rid of this injustice and bypass censorship by changing your IP address. As a result, you can read uncensored news and access blocked platforms without limits.

5. Find cheaper flights and better deals

Some airlines, hotels, car rentals, and other services and websites show different prices depending on the location you’re browsing from? When you switch your IP address with a VPN, you can check prices from different regions and potentially find more cost-efficient deals.

Now you may think a VPN software is a pretty good thing to use. But we need to warn you that, unfortunately, not all VPNs are the same. Let’s consider why “free” providers are not the best VPNs for overseas and not as good as they seem to be at all.

Why steer clear of free VPNs?

You may ask a common-sense question: why pay if there are free options available? Yes, but it is not that straightforward. The charming word “free” hides major unpleasant details:

They log your data and then sell it

Free VPN providers track your online activities and then may sell to third-party advertisers, data brokers, or even dark web marketplaces. So instead of getting protection for your data, you’re handing it over.

They throttle your connection speeds

Users of free VPNs may experience slow browsing and buffering problems. The main reason behind slow connections is free VPNs that restrict bandwidth or deliberately reduce speeds to push users toward paid options.

They offer limited server network options

A truly reliable VPN provider allows users to choose from hundreds of servers across the globe. But free VPNs usually come with a humble server network. The result? Users get fewer location choices, the available servers are overcrowded, and they perform more slowly. Some free VPNs’ servers don’t even mask users’ location properly.

They have weak security features

Most free VPNs don’t offer advanced protection measures like a Kill Switch, DNS leak protection, or strong encryption. Without such critical layers of VPN defence, your data is likely to be exposed, especially on public Wi-Fi.

They don’t provide real customer support

If something goes wrong with free VPNs (and it often does), there’s usually no one to help. There is no live chat, no troubleshooting, and no accountability. If you don’t pay, then what can you demand?

The mentioned reasons imply that free options are bad VPNs for working abroad or for any other purpose. So, let’s see what criteria make a VPN provider good.

What defines good VPN providers

You need more than a quick “on/off” button in your VPN. Why? Besides hiding your real IP, a VPN also needs to make sure that every tap, streaming session, and data transfer you make is safeguarded. Choose the provider that ticks all the boxes:

Streaming support

A solid provider should enable users to access big-name streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ESPN, Disney+, or others on the first attempt and enjoy them without limits. For this, look for VPNs with real-world tests and not groundless marketing promises.

Unlimited simultaneous connections

Users may juggle laptops, phones, tablets, and maybe a smart TV during the day. Go for a VPN that covers at least six devices, or ideally even more.

Critical security extras

A reliable Kill Switch feature should keep you offline the very second your VPN connection drops. Another feature, DNS leak protection, stops your real location from leaking. Also, a dedicated IP address from a VPN is truly valuable if, let’s say, a bank in your country dislikes shared IPs.

Money-back guarantee

Anything under 30 days is stingy. A full month allows you to test speed, check access to web services unavailable abroad, and make sure the app is good for every task you have.

Extensive server network

The farther the server is connected, the slower the Internet connection. This is the reason why a VPN should offer a spread-out server network. With many of the VPN servers located nearby, you get faster speeds.

Among many available options, consider using VeePN, a trustworthy and independently validated VPN service provider.

Why VeePN is the best VPN for expats

Here are the main features VPN offers:

Fast and reliable speeds

VeePN offers 2500+ servers in 89 locations and special servers optimized for streaming content. With this in place, WireGuard protocols included will let you enjoy watching 4K streams smoothly and not stress out about glitches during Zoom meetings.

Military-grade encryption

VeePN uses the AES-256 encryption standard, which is the same level of online security adopted by governments and the military. This encryption makes your data impossible to decrypt to hackers, giving complete privacy and protection from any unauthorized access.

Automatic Kill Switch

The Kill Switch immediately shuts down all Internet traffic if your VPN connection glitches or unexpectedly drops. So worry not, you won’t have your unprotected data exposed to other websites and services.

Split tunneling

With split tunneling, you can choose which apps or websites go through the VPN and which connect directly to the Internet. With this feature, you’ll have full control over your traffic.

Ad and malware blocker

VeePN’s NetGuard blocks ads, trackers, and malicious websites before they get into your device. This increases browsing speed and adds a layer of defense against phishing, spyware, and malware threats.

Verified No Logs policy

VeePN is headquartered in online privacy-friendly Panama. We keep zero activity records, and don’t know about browsing, downloads, and chats of users. Independent audits confirm the paperwork.

Anonymous IP address

The very basic feature of VPNs is that they conceal your address. Just one tap masks your address with an anonymous IP and allows you to hide your IP address from trackers and hackers.

Protection of 10 devices under one account

One VeePN subscription covers up to 10 devices running on Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android. VeePN is also compatible with many types of Smart TVs, gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation, and offers browser extensions.

Try using VeePN without any risk with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

FAQ

A reputable VPN masks your real IP with the server’s address so casual snoopers can’t trace your activities. For this, pick a service that runs secure core servers routed through privacy-friendly countries for an extra shield. If you enable a double VPN, your traffic will be encrypted twice and hop across two nodes, which will make tracking nearly impossible. The real risk here is that your provider may keep logs. Therefore, pay attention to this point and choose a VPN service like VeePN with a strict No Logs policy.

An expat VPN is a regular VPN used to recreate your “digital home” while you’re abroad. It unlocks familiar streaming sites and lets you pay domestic bills without geo-errors. The same tunnel slips past blocks on popular social media sites, so you never miss a message or call.

There are many options available. Look for a provider with an audited no-logs policy, global servers, and wide streaming capabilities. Extras like a Kill Switch, split tunneling, and 24/7 chat support keep hassles to zero. A 30-day money-back promise lets you try the service VPN risk-free before committing. VeePN, by the way, ticks every one of those boxes for expats.

Written by Oliver Bennett Oliver Bennett is a dedicated cyber security content writer with a knack for breaking down intricate cyber topics into accessible and actionable insights.