Best VPN for UAE and Dubai (Only 4 Still Work in 2023)

Dubai is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is a major business hub for Western Asia and a popular tourist destination. Unfortunately, the UAE and Dubai have some serious internet restrictions. If you happen to be traveling or residing in Dubai, then you will want to have the best VPN for UAE and Dubai.

Using a reliable and secure VPN in UAE is an absolute necessity for two main reasons. First, a VPN will encrypt your traffic and provide you with more privacy and security when you are online. Additionally, a good UAE VPN will unblock websites to give you access to streams (and anything else) while you are in UAE.

In this guide, we will examine the best VPN services for UAE and also answer some common questions about using a VPN in restricted networks.

Important note for Etisalat users (2023 VPN update)

We have now learned that most VPNs are now getting blocked by Etisalat. The one exception to this is NordVPN. However, you may need special instructions for using NordVPN on the Etisalat network. This is easy to find, simply sign up for a NordVPN account here and then open up a chat with NordVPN support on the website to learn exactly what to do.

How we rank the best VPNs for UAE and Dubai

When using a VPN in UAE and other restricted networks, the priorities are a little different and the stakes could be much higher. These are the vital characteristics of a safe VPN for the UAE and Dubai:

• It is not based in the UAE, where the government’s desire to spy on you could override the VPN’s commitment to your security and privacy. This rules out any official UAE VPN services.
• It uses secure VPN protocols, such as WireGuard or OpenVPN, with a strong cipher for secure encryption.
• It includes a kill switch to prevent unencrypted data from leaking which could expose you to the local internet censors.
• It includes DNS leak protection and private lookups to shield your activities from Etisalat and other local ISPs.
• It offers obfuscated servers to disguise your VPN traffic as regular (HTTPS) traffic so no one even knows you are using a VPN.
• It keeps no logs that could be used to disclose your identity or your online activities.

Important: Not only must your VPN have these characteristics to be safe for use in the UAE and Dubai, but you must install your VPN before you arrive in the region. There are rumors that the act of visiting the website of a VPN service may itself trigger additional scrutiny from the local authorities.

What is the best VPN for UAE?

Based on the characteristics listed above, this is our list of the best Virtual Private Networks for the UAE and Dubai:

• NordVPN – Best all-around VPN for UAE and Dubai
• Surfshark – A low-cost VPN that works in UAE
• ExpressVPN – Secure and reliable VPN for UAE and Dubai
• VPN.ac – A good VPN for UAE with strong encryption

Now we’ll examine each of these VPN services more closely and show you exactly how to use them in restricted areas. Here are the best VPNs for UAE and Dubai:

NordVPN – Best VPN for UAE and Dubai in 2023

NordVPN is an advanced and affordable VPN service that has all the characteristics of a safe VPN for UAE and Dubai. It is based in Panama, which is a good privacy jurisdiction, keeps no logs, and offers very secure and reliable apps. It has also passed security audits as well as no logs VPN audits performed over the past two years.

While NordVPN supports many VPN protocols, their default is OpenVPN with the strong AES-256 cipher. This combination is more than secure enough to keep your internet traffic secure anywhere in the world. The IKEv2 protocol is supported on Mac OS and iOS devices, as well as the WireGuard protocol on all operating systems.

The NordVPN apps include built-in leak protection with an internet kill switch. This will block all traffic if the connection to the VPN is lost for any reason. In our leak testing, NordVPN had no leaks at all, which is particularly important in a hostile environment like the United Arab Emirates. Make sure to turn on the VPN Kill Switch before you leave for the UAE to ensure no leakage at any point in your trip!

Combine NordVPN’s kill switch and lack of leaks with its private, encrypted DNS system, and you have a system that keeps you protected at all times in the UAE and Dubai.

NordVPN has dedicated obfuscated servers located in various parts of the world, including 20 that serve the UAE. Connecting to one of these servers will allow you to hide the fact that you even using a VPN, and also get through blocks. You will need to go into the Advanced settings of the NordVPN client and set Obfuscated servers (OpenVPN) to On before you can connect to the servers supporting the UAE.

The VPN apps are secure and user-friendly, with many similarities to the VPN apps of Surfshark and ExpressVPN.

How to use Nord VPN in UAE

NordVPN offers you several advanced VPN technologies to enhance your privacy and security. Double-VPN servers and Tor-over-VPN servers give you ways to boost your security beyond the already potent defaults. NordVPN is also great when it comes to file-sharing, winning our award for the best VPN for torrenting.

The company’s CyberSec feature can easily block ads, trackers, and malware domains from connecting to your computer, protecting you from all that junk while simultaneously speeding up your browsing.

This service is fast and can connect you to many geo-blocked Netflix libraries and other streaming video services from around the world that is not affected by the UAE’s strict internet censorship policies.

And speaking of fast, there is NordLynx. This is NordVPN’s custom VPN protocol that combines the high speed of the new WireGuard protocol with enhanced security and privacy measures. While NordLynx is really fast and really secure, it does not work with Obfuscated servers. Therefore we recommend you stick with OpenVPN while in the UAE and experiment with NordLynx when you are in a less-restrictive environment. Nonetheless, even when using OpenVPN, NordVPN outperforms the leading competition with speeds, as seen in the NordVPN vs IPVanish test report.

NordVPN offers a full 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat support directly through their website. This company offers one of the best VPN values today, with a subscription coming out to only $3.71 per month when you use the coupon below.

To learn more about our top pick among VPNs for Dubai and the UAE, check out our complete NordVPN review.

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Surfshark – A low-cost VPN that works in UAE

Surfshark is another great VPN for UAE that is based in The Netherlands. This VPN has an excellent track record going back to when it first launched in 2018. Surfshark offers the features, performance, and reliability to make it a top choice if you need a VPN for UAE and Dubai.

Surfshark supports the OpenVPN protocol along with IKEv2 and WireGuard. By default, the Surfshark VPN apps automatically select the best protocol for your real-time circumstances. Unfortunately, the Surfshark Linux VPN app does not currently support WireGuard, but this is not a big deal since you’ll need OpenVPN in the UAE to get through restrictions.

Surfshark includes a kill switch in all major VPN apps, and this will secure traffic to ensure no leaks. According to our chats with Surfshark Support, they switch to one of the OpenVPN protocols when they detect that obfuscation is necessary. That is great for travel in places like the UAE, but there is one more thing you should do. Turn on the NoBorders feature before you even leave for the UAE.

NoBorders is a Surfshark feature that, automatically connects you to one of their special servers when in a restrictive environment like the UAE. These special servers are designed to get you connected to the internet in situations where you would normally be blocked.

With NoBorders set to On, you can safely connect to the du ISP in Dubai. At the time of this review, it appears that Surfshark is hit or miss with Etisalat. So if you are an Etisalat user, you may want to verify with Surfshark before signing up.

Our Surfshark leak tests found no leaks, a prerequisite for any VPN you intend to use in the UAE or Dubai. Because we weren’t able to learn all the details of NoBorders (such as which VPN protocol it uses), we expanded our testing regime. We leak-tested each supported VPN protocol with NoBorders turned On, and still found not a single leak.

Surfshark includes private DNS lookups on each server with DNS leak protection to ensure that your activities cannot be determined by your UAE Internet Service Provider spying on your DNS lookups.

How to use Surfshark VPN in UAE

Surfshark has a lot to offer besides those key UAE VPN characteristics we discussed earlier. They include:

Surfshark has many features that are similar to NordVPN. They offer multi-hop connections (like double-VPN) as well as CleanWeb (like CyberSec), and Surfshark + TOR (like Tor-over-VPN). Surfshark can also unblock many Netflix libraries, Amazon Prime, and other streaming video services, allowing you to view content that the UAE censors. It is currently one of the best VPNs for Netflix with numerous Netflix regions being supported.

The Surfshark server network includes 3,200+ servers in 95 countries. Speed tests for the Surfshark vs NordVPN comparison show that Surfshark is blazing fast, with speeds up to 397 Mbps with US servers.

Surfshark offers a full 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat support. At only $3.29 per month with the two-year plan, it is one of the best cheap VPNs you will find. And with an unlimited number of connections, this VPN remains a great choice for UAE.

You can learn more about Surfshark in our complete review of Surfshark VPN.

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ExpressVPN – A secure and reliable VPN for UAE

ExpressVPN consistently ranks among the top VPN services in the world. It is included in our roundup of the best UAE VPN services, but it also has a few drawbacks to consider. Let me explain…

ExpressVPN has all the characteristics of a safe, reliable VPN for use in the UAE. It is based in the British Virgin Islands and runs a very secure network of diskless VPN servers. ExpressVPN uses OpenVPN with AES-256 encryption, has a great kill switch, uses its own encrypted DNS system, and passes all of our leak tests. And they famously keep no logs of any sort, which has been confirmed by outside auditors.

If you need a good streaming VPN, ExpressVPN is near the top of the list. It is a VPN that works with Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and DAZN. And while it’s not the best VPN for BBC iPlayer due to blocks, it works with most other streaming services.

But what about obfuscated servers? Looking at their website, it doesn’t appear that ExpressVPN promotes their obfuscation solution very prominently. However, ExpressVPN does have a lineup of stealth servers to get around VPN restrictions and blocks. These servers should be able to defeat the UAE censors as well.

How to use Express VPN in UAE and Dubai

Because ExpressVPN does not publicly advertise its obfuscated servers, you’ll need to contact ExpressVPN Support first. The support team will provide the information you need to set everything up, which is why you need to plan ahead. The support team will tell you exactly which servers are obfuscated. (This information is likely not advertised so that ExpressVPN can better avoid detection and blocking.)

That said, ExpressVPN truly is one of the best VPN services in the world. If you are still considering using them for your trip to the UAE, be sure to have the VPN installed and a game plan for what to do when you arrive in the UAE.

The ExpressVPN review has more details and test results.

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VPN.ac – A good VPN for UAE with strong encryption

VPN.ac is a little-known, yet high-performance VPN service based in Romania. This puts them well outside the big surveillance alliances in a jurisdiction that doesn’t force them to keep any logs. Twice now, first in 2009, then again in 2014, attempts to impose the EU data retention regulations onto Romania were declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR).

VPN.ac supports these VPN protocols: OpenVPN, IPSec/L2TP, IKEv2, and also WireGuard. Their default is OpenVPN with AES-256. You won’t have to worry about anyone cracking their security. And of course, the VPN.ac apps include a kill switch (make sure you activate it) to prevent any of your data from leaking out where the ISP can see it if you lose your VPN connection for any reason.

Right now, VPN.ac only supports the WireGuard VPN protocol through third-party apps. But as we mentioned, this VPN protocol is not ideal for UAE because it will probably be blocked.

VPN.ac aced our leak testing, with no leaks at all. To make this as useful to you as possible, we did this testing with VPN.ac set up in the obfuscated configuration you should be using when in the UAE (details below).

We included tests for DNS leaks and found none. VPN.ac passes your DNS lookups through the VPN to its private, encrypted DNS system, where they are mixed with millions of randomly-generated lookups, making it virtually impossible for anyone who somehow hacks into their DNS to figure out which lookups belong to users.

Obfuscate your VPN connection so it works in UAE

With VPN.ac you configure your own obfuscated connection by selecting the VPN protocol and port that will be used to connect to the VPN server. Note that this configuration is only intended for countries or networks that are highly restrictive.

Here are the steps to set up VPN.ac for maximum protection in the UAE (we recommend you do so before connecting to any UAE ISP for the first time):

1. Launch the VPN.ac client and select the Advanced option.
2. Set the Protocol to OpenVPN XOR.
3. Set the Port to TCP-443.
4. Select Kill switch.
5. Select I am in China or another censored country. This gives you access to VPN.ac’s servers configured for China or other restricted countries. They will appear in the VPN.ac client as “China Optimized” servers.
6. If you are using a computer that runs Microsoft Windows, enable your Windows Firewall and select Block IPv6.
7. With these settings configured, click the Connect button at the bottom of the VPN.ac window.
8. Open the China Optimized list, and select any of the servers in that list for maximum safety when using VPN.ac in the United Arab Emirates.

Here is a screenshot of the VPN app from steps 1 and 2 above:

More things to know about VPN.ac

VPN.ac was founded by a group of network security professionals and offers good performance, lots of security options, and a competitive price point. They provide a good selection of specialty servers, with double-hop and P2P optimized servers in addition to the China Optimized servers we were just talking about.

One thing we particularly like about VPN.ac is their use of bare metal servers that they don’t overload with too many users. However, there are not too many servers in operation, with only about 20 countries covered. This makes the server network smaller than both NordVPN and CyberGhost.

One drawback with VPN.ac is that it does not offer any live chat support, but instead relies entirely on email. The refund policy is also limited to seven days, which is shorter than our other recommended VPNs for Dubai in this guide.

Discounted trial: You can grab a discounted one-week trial for only $2.00 (see the FAQ page).

See the VPN.ac review for detailed test results and analysis.

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Important VPN characteristics for the UAE and Dubai

Whether you are visiting UAE as a tourist, or you work and reside in this country full time, either way, you will need a good VPN for UAE.

While we listed the most important characteristics a VPN should have if you want to use it safely in the UAE and Dubai, we glossed over the details to let you see our recommended VPNs faster. If you were hoping for more details on any of those characteristics, you’ve come to the right place.

Here are some more considerations when selecting the best VPN for UAE and Dubai:

Get a VPN that is not based in the UAE

Because VPNs exist, “out there” on the internet somewhere, it’s easy to forget that they have real, physical locations as well. That is vitally important because a VPN is subject to the laws of the country where it is based. A VPN based in the UAE is subject to the UAE’s strict internet censorship laws. Regardless of what their marketing might say, a UAE VPN has to do what they are told by their government.

If you use a strong pro-privacy VPN that is not based in the UAE (like any of those we discuss in this post), the UAE government can’t compel the VPN to do anything. UAE law doesn’t apply in Panama, the British Virgin Islands, or Romania, the countries where our VPN picks are based.

Not only are these VPNs not bound by UAE law, but they have a vested interest in not complying with requests for information unless compelled by their local government. Any VPN that gets a reputation for giving up information about its users will get a reputation as one that can’t be trusted. That is death for a privacy-focused company like a VPN.

The moral of the story is: If you plan on using a VPN for anything that is prohibited by UAE law, make sure the VPN you use is not based anywhere in the UAE.

The VPN uses secure VPN protocols with a strong cipher

While OpenVPN is the most popular VPN protocol these days, it is not the only available one. So why is it so important to choose a VPN service that uses the OpenVPN protocol?

One reason that OpenVPN is so popular is that several of the older VPN protocols are known to have serious security vulnerabilities, including apparently being compromised by the NSA to make it easier to spy on their users. You definitely don’t want to be using a compromised protocol, such as PPTP, in an environment like the UAE.

Another reason OpenVPN is so popular is that it is open source. Most people in the privacy community believe that open source software is safer to use because anyone with the technical skills can review the code and look for backdoors and other trickery that could compromise OpenVPN. This is also a bit of a virtuous cycle: The OpenVPN protocol is popular, so more people are likely to check its code. This makes it seem safer, which in turn makes it more popular. And the cycle repeats.

Another benefit of OpenVPN’s popularity is that developers develop for it first. When there is a new need (a way to obfuscate VPN data, for example) the chances are good that developers will concentrate their efforts on a fix for the most popular protocol first. OpenVPN and IKEv2 remain the most popular protocols, but WireGuard is also gaining popularity.

All of the VPNs we recommend for use in the UAE or Dubai provide strong encryption through the use of strong ciphers and secure VPN protocols. Could they ever be cracked? Perhaps sometime in the future. But we’ve seen calculations stating that even the fastest supercomputers today would need millions of years to crack the AES-256 cipher typically used by VPNs. That’s strong enough for us.

Note: There may be a performance tradeoff when using obfuscation that adds an extra layer of encryption. If you want the fastest VPN we’ve tested, we’d recommend going with NordVPN.

What is an obfuscated server and why is this important for UAE VPN services?

Normally when you use a VPN, your data is protected from outsiders by the encrypted tunnel the VPN creates. But what outsiders can see is that you are using a VPN service. That’s because the format of VPN data is different than the format of regular Internet traffic. Sophisticated hardware called packet sniffers can detect those differences using a technique called deep packet inspection, and notify the authorities that you are using a VPN.

An obfuscated server is a VPN server that not only protects your data like a regular VPN server but also attempts to hide (obfuscate) the fact that you are using a VPN at all. The goal is to make it appear to the authorities that your suspicious VPN traffic is innocuous regular internet traffic.

Without diving deep into the technical side of things, here are some of the tricks VPNs can use to make your VPN data look like normal Internet traffic:

• Apply an obfuscation algorithm such as OpenVPN Scramble or Obfsproxy to hide telltale indications that the message was encrypted with OpenVPN.
• Use STunnel or the SSTP Protocol (Windows only) to hide your data in an SSL tunnel so it looks like HTTPS data.

The exact mix of tricks and techniques used to obfuscate your data varies from VPN to VPN, as do the naming conventions. Look for names like Obfuscated servers (NordVPN), Camouflage Mode (Surfshark), Chameleon or Stealth mode, China Optimized (VPN.ac), or For China Users (ExpressVPN) to see if a VPN service provides obfuscation.

As you can imagine, there is an ongoing obfuscation battle pitting privacy advocates and VPNs against oppressive governments and law enforcement. Sometimes the pro-freedom forces are ahead (obfuscation is working) and sometimes their opponents have the advantage (they can see past the defenses). But it is clear to us that in places like the UAE, taking advantage of the best obfuscated VPN servers (regardless of name) is the safest way to use the Internet.

FAQs: VPN for UAE and Dubai

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about VPNs for UAE and Dubai…

…along with their answers. Note that we are not lawyers and certainly not experts on the UAE’s legal system. What you see here is our best understanding of the legal situation, but always check the laws in your respective country.

Is using a VPN in the UAE illegal?

Using a VPN is legal in the UAE. Indeed, many business people rely on them to connect to their corporate servers while on business in the UAE. However, the UAE censors many types of websites, and accessing them with a VPN is illegal.

Some of the types of content that are censored/restricted in the UAE are:

• Adult content websites
• LGBT sites
• Anti-religion sites
• Anti-government sites
• Gambling sites

Of course, using a VPN to unblock websites is one of the reasons so many people rely on VPNs in the UAE.

In addition, the UAE government is heavily involved in the communications sector of the economy, and the use of any VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) services is prohibited. This means using a VPN to connect to services like Skype and Viber is illegal.

But even with the restrictions, UAE citizens are among the heaviest VPN users in the world. According to Statista, fully 25% of internet users in the UAE used a VPN in the second quarter of 2017, putting them in the top 10 for worldwide usage.

What happens if you use a VPN in UAE?

As you can see from the preceding statistic, VPN usage in the UAE is very common. It appears that there is no problem using a VPN, as long as you aren’t caught doing anything prohibited with it. On the other hand, we have been hearing rumors that the country has been trying to block certain VPN service providers and that downloading a VPN while in the UAE could put you on some sort of list for additional scrutiny.

If you are planning to visit the UAE and will need to use a VPN while you are there, the best way to avoid any problems is to choose one of our recommended VPNs and install it before arriving in the country.

Can I use a VPN in Dubai?

Dubai is part of the UAE, and as far as we can determine is governed by the same laws with respect to VPNs. That means you can use VPNs, as long as you don’t use them in any of the myriad ways prohibited by local laws. For a local perspective on the situation, see this 2018 Gulf News article.

Which VPN are people using in Dubai?

Given the confusing laws governing the use of VPNs in Dubai, it is no surprise that we have not been able to find any statistics on which VPNs people are using the most in Dubai.

However, given the fact that ExpressVPN and NordVPN are the leading VPN services in the world, and both are extremely well suited for use in Dubai and the rest of the UAE, it is a safe bet that they are the VPN services used by the most people in the emirate. While the UAE government has approved VPN services available, it is hard to imagine that very many people use them.

Conclusion: Use a good VPN for UAE in 2023

VPNs remain a popular tool for both residents and tourists in the UAE. And if you are expecting online freedom, then this is something you should have ready before arrival.

In these days of ever-increasing surveillance, choosing the right VPN for your situation is important. It is doubly important when you are going to venture into a highly-censored and restricted environment like the United Arab Emirates. If you expect a VPN to protect your Internet activities there, you need one that has certain characteristics that can counter the threats you will encounter.

VPNs also remain a crucial tool for online streaming, which has exploded in popularity over the past few years, largely thanks to millions of people being locked down or restricted from travel. VPNs are also growing in popularity in response to increasing security risks online.

Each of the VPN services in this review has the characteristics you need to use the internet safely on your trip. But we strongly recommend you don’t leave your decision to the last minute, as you will want to get the VPN configured for that hostile environment before you ever set foot in the Middle East. The last thing you want to be doing is configuring your VPN to be invisible to the authorities while they are watching you!

Be safe. Get yourself an excellent VPN for the UAE and Dubai, and get it set up now before you go.

UAE VPN Comparison Table

Here is a table showing the top VPNs for UAE that passed all of our tests.

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This UAE VPN guide was last updated on January 6, 2023.