Do you actually need a VPN in the Netherlands?
VPNs are legal in the Netherlands and nothing about using one is restricted for visitors or residents. Freedom House's 2025 Freedom on the Net report records no VPN restrictions, no internet shutdowns and no blocking of social media or messaging apps. WhatsApp, FaceTime, Zoom and Teams calls all work on Dutch mobile networks and Wi-Fi without any workaround.
What is blocked is narrow and court-ordered. After a decade of litigation by the anti-piracy group BREIN, the Amsterdam court ruled in June 2020 that Dutch ISPs must block The Pirate Bay, and a Lelystad court extended that in October 2020 to its proxies and mirrors. KPN, Ziggo and XS4ALL filter them today. Beyond that, Dutch internet is open.
Privacy is the better reason. The Netherlands passed a Temporary Cyber Operations Act in July 2024 that widened its intelligence agencies' surveillance powers and removed the need for prior authorisation for some of them, a change Freedom House flagged in its 2025 report. That will not affect a tourist, but it is a reminder that an open internet is not the same as a private one. The practical case is simpler still: free Wi-Fi at Schiphol, on NS trains, in hotels and in cafes is convenient and shared, and banking or work logins should not cross it unencrypted. If an app misbehaves while you are abroad, 24/7 live chat from NordVPN or Surfshark is the quickest fix.
What a VPN does and does not do in the Netherlands
A VPN encrypts the link between your device and the VPN server, so the cafe router, the hotel network and the mobile carrier see only scrambled traffic. It also lets you pick where you appear to be. A UK server keeps your bank, BBC iPlayer and your home Netflix library working while you are in Amsterdam. An Amsterdam server does the reverse: a Dutch IP address for NPO Start, Videoland or a Dutch bank when you are outside the country, which is what most people searching for a "Netherlands VPN server address" actually want.
It will not speed up a congested hotel network, and some streaming services block known VPN ranges whichever provider you use. Both of our picks come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so test the services you care about on your real connection: NordVPN for a shorter trip, Surfshark if you are staying longer.
Recommended VPNs for the Netherlands
NordVPN, best for short trips and month-by-month plans
It is the one for you if you are covering yourself, or you and a partner, and want something simple to run and easy to forget about. One plan covers 10 devices, and the apps are quick to install and easy to switch off and on as you need. Plans run by the month, the year or over two years, all with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Surfshark, best for long stays and unlimited devices
It is the one for you if one subscription needs to cover everyone. Connections are unlimited, so every phone, laptop and tablet you travel with, and anyone you share a place with, runs on the same plan at once. That suits a stay that stretches to months rather than weeks. It sells the same three terms and adds bonus months on the longer two, with the same 30-day money-back guarantee.
Server networks and speeds in the Netherlands
Both providers have physical servers in Amsterdam, one of the largest internet exchange hubs in the world. NordVPN's server list shows Amsterdam as a full-size location, including obfuscated, Double VPN and dedicated IP servers. Surfshark lists Amsterdam too and says its 100 Gbps servers there were among the first in the industry. From anywhere in the Netherlands you are a few milliseconds from either, and London, Frankfurt and Brussels are all close for a home-country IP.
Local networks are quick. Opensignal's March 2025 report, based on data from December 2024 to February 2025, put average downloads at 141.5 Mbps on Odido, 89.6 Mbps on Vodafone and 81.0 Mbps on KPN, with Odido's 5G averaging 331.9 Mbps. A VPN on a Dutch 5G connection will not feel slow.
How to choose between them
The differences that matter fit in one table, and the last two rows are there to name two promises you should not believe from anyone, us included.
| Feature | NordVPN | Surfshark |
|---|
| 1 month | $14.99 | $16.45 |
| 1 year plan, total upfront | $65.88 (12 months billed) | $50.85 (15 months billed) |
| 2 year plan, total upfront | $94.23 (27 months billed) | $67.23 (27 months billed) |
| Devices per plan | 10 | Unlimited |
| Kill switch and auto-connect | Yes | Yes |
| Independently audited no-log policy | Yes (2025) | Yes (2025) |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Guarantees access to any blocked site, anywhere | No | No |
| Makes slow Wi-Fi faster | No | No |
On a single month NordVPN is cheaper. Over a year or two Surfshark is. On everything else the choice is about shape rather than money: 10 devices and a simple setup on one side, unlimited devices on the other.
Setting up before you travel
Do the setup at home, on Wi-Fi you trust, before the airport. Install NordVPN or Surfshark on each device, sign in, and connect once to confirm everything works. Then turn on two settings both apps include: the kill switch, which stops your traffic travelling unprotected if the VPN drops, and auto-connect, which brings the VPN back up when your connection returns.
Nothing you need is blocked in the Netherlands, so set-up is about habits rather than workarounds. Install and log in before you fly, switch on the kill switch so a dropped connection on train or hotel Wi-Fi does not expose traffic, and save a UK server as a favourite for banking and iPlayer. If you want a Dutch IP later, favourite Amsterdam as well. Our Best eSIMs for the Netherlands guide covers getting online the moment you land, and both apps run over an eSIM data plan as happily as over Wi-Fi.
Final recommendation
The Netherlands is an easy country for VPN use: legal, open, fast and with both providers physically present in Amsterdam. For a city break, a conference or a short work trip, NordVPN is our pick. Its Amsterdam location is one of its largest, UK servers are a short hop away for banking and iPlayer, and ten device connections cover a family or a work kit.
If you are moving to the Netherlands for a job or a degree, Surfshark is the better value. Unlimited devices covers every phone, laptop and TV box in a flat on one account, and its Amsterdam servers give you a Dutch IP for NPO Start and Dutch banking whenever you travel out of the country.
