Yes. Using a VPN that the government hasn't approved is illegal in China. Only state-licensed services are allowed, and those still follow Chinese censorship rules, so they won't reach Google, WhatsApp or Instagram.
What the law says
China's rules on international internet connections require all cross-border traffic to go through approved state channels, and individuals can't set up or use other routes without permission. Since 2017, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has banned unlicensed VPNs, according to Freedom House. The penalty for individuals is a warning, an order to disconnect, and a fine of up to 15,000 yuan, plus confiscation of any "illegal income."
Who actually gets punished
Enforcement falls hardest on sellers. Wu Xiangyang was jailed for five and a half years and fined 500,000 yuan in 2017 for selling unlicensed VPN access. Chinese citizens who use VPNs also get caught: a Guangdong man was fined 1,000 yuan in late 2018, and in 2023 a Hebei programmer working for a foreign company had over 1 million yuan in earnings confiscated for using one.
Foreign visitors are rarely penalized. Most travelers who use a VPN for email or maps never hear from anyone. That's a pattern, not a legal exemption, and authorities can still question or fine anyone.
Will a VPN even work?
Not reliably. China blocks VPN protocols and app store listings, and tightens blocks before big political events. NordVPN, for instance, offers obfuscated servers for restrictive networks, but independent testers at Cloudwards found it mostly failing in China in 2025 tests. Install and test any VPN before you land.
Business travelers have a legal route: companies can use licensed cross-border lines through state carriers, and international roaming SIMs route data through your home carrier, which many visitors use instead.