People living in the United Kingdom have internet freedom that allows them to access some of the highest-quality British content. Aside from BBC iPlayer and ITV, those who live in the UK can enjoy a sheer number of UK-based online betting sites.
Not to mention sports live streaming, where on BBC, you can watch the Champions League and many other relevant competitions. Sadly, those not living in the United Kingdom will miss out on some great content, but that doesn’t have to be the case if you get a UK IP address.
Getting one isn’t as simple as turning on a switch on your PC or mobile phone. However, I can assure you that getting a British IP address is, despite that, simpler than it looks! Today, I’ll show you how to change your IP to the UK by using a VPN, as well as discuss other methods.
If you really want to disguise yourself as an Englishman and bypass online restrictions, I suggest not going anywhere!
How to Get a UK IP Address With a VPN?
To get an IP from the United Kingdom, you’ll need to use a Virtual Private Network. A VPN is a service that can change your IP address to another country, and in doing so, change your online location. Read our detailed definition of a VPN to learn more.
The good thing is that this isn’t the only benefit. For example, when you connect to a VPN, it routes your traffic through a VPN tunnel that encrypts your connection and makes your browsing and downloading history unreadable by your ISP or hackers.
As such, a VPN will not only change your location and let you bypass restrictions but also make sure you’re browsing the web safely and securely.
Moreover, a VPN works on every device, so you’re not limited only to your Windows PC, which is why it’s so easy to get a UK IP on every platform.
Having that in mind, let’s take a look at my guide and make sure we get everything right.
Step 1 – Get a VPN Subscription
The first and most important thing to do is to get a VPN subscription. If you want a VPN with a LOT of servers in the United Kingdom and in multiple locations, there’s no better service than NordVPN. It has a few hundred servers in the country in Edinburgh, London, Glasgow, and Manchester. In fact, it is anything but a coincidence that it is considered by many as the best UK VPN.
Other than that, it includes 6,300+ servers in 111 countries worldwide, making it great for changing your IP to any country you want. While the service isn’t free, it comes with a huge 60+% discount and 3 FREE months for the 2-year plan.
This, accompanied by an unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee, results in a great offer that lets you use NordVPN without the risk of losing money. Besides, if you don’t like it or you don’t need it anymore, you can get full reimbursement in the first 30 days.
And now that you know that, use the button above to visit the page where you can find this deal and subscribe – it takes no more than 2 minutes!
Step 2 – Download and Install a VPN
Having NordVPN’s subscription, you’ll be able to download its apps. This guide will show you how to get a UK IP address on Windows, so my app of choice is this one.
However, the same trick applies to all other platforms, so feel free to adapt it according to that. Know that it is a great VPN for Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, routers, and more.
Once you download the application and install it, simply open it up and sign in using the credentials you provided.
Step 3 – Connect to a VPN Server in the United Kingdom
Signing in to the app will get you to a dashboard that looks like this:
From here, you need to connect to a VPN server in the United Kingdom. To do that, open up the server list, scroll a bit, and find the UK.
Now, to get a British IP, just click on the country and NordVPN will connect you to a server located in this country. This can be confirmed when the app’s interface displays “Connected” in green in the top-left corner.
Step 4 – Make Sure You Got a UK IP
Establishing a connection to a server in the UK will give you an IP address from this country. But, if you want, you can visit any IP-checking website to make sure this is the case.
I use iplocation.net and in the screenshot above, you can clearly see that I have an IP address based in the United Kingdom. Now, for example, I can watch Wimbledon on BBC iPlayer from abroad.
Using a Free VPN to Get a UK IP: Will It Work?
When using NordVPN, you’ll be able to watch BBC iPlayer abroad or enjoy other British content outside of the United Kingdom. In addition, NordVPN offers the fastest speeds and unlimited bandwidth, coupled with solid security and minimal logging.
But what about free VPNs? Well, the story goes in the opposite direction here. Free VPNs, in many instances, don’t have any British servers, so you can’t get a British IP address with them. For example, ProtonVPN, Hide.me, and Hotspot Shield are only some of them.
While some free VPNs can have servers in the United Kingdom, they lack in other departments. They offer limited bandwidth each month, so you’ll get anywhere from 2 GB to 10 GB, both of which are barely enough for a single day of browsing.
Not to mention their poor speeds and no streaming capabilities that won’t let you unblock any streaming services, including BBC or ITV. Perhaps the most infuriating thing here is the security or lack thereof.
Free VPNs simply don’t have strong encryption and they lack features like a kill switch or a selection of protocols. Combined with very intrusive logging practices, you get a killer combo for violating your privacy in a snap of a finger.
Thus, if you really want to change your IP to the United Kingdom, I suggest going with a premium VPN like NordVPN. I guarantee that you’ll have zero issues with it, whether you want streaming, torrenting, or anything else.
Plus, it has the advantage of offering a 30-day money-back guarantee. Trying it does not commit you to anything.
Another VPN to Get a UK IP: ExpressVPN
If you find NordVPN unsuitable for any reason, don’t fret. We have another pick for you, which comes in the form of ExpressVPN. This provider is approximately 2 times more expensive than NordVPN but offers extremely fast 3,000 servers in 105 countries.
While not better than its competitor by any means, in terms of quality, it’s pretty close. For example, it’s very fast, offers impeccable security, and comes with a certified no-logging policy. In addition, the provider offers streaming-optimized servers that can be found in the UK and abroad.
In the UK alone, ExpressVPN has plenty of servers in Docklands, London, Wembley, and a few other cities. This makes the job of getting a UK IP extremely easy. First, you’ll have to get the VPN by using the button below – the same way you did with NordVPN.
You’ll claim a special 49% discount thanks to 3 free months for the 1-year plan and enjoy a 30-day refund policy. Then, the procedure is exactly the same. Download ExpressVPN, install it, and sign in with the credentials you created during the subscription process.
The dashboard of ExpressVPN will now open and it should look like this:
From here, click on All Locations, go to Europe, and find the United Kingdom. It should be nearly at the top of the list, right above the Netherlands. Double-click on the server to connect, which will give you an IP from the UK.
Now, if you want to make sure your new IP is truly there, you can, again, go to iplocation.net. However, you won’t be surprised that ExpressVPN actually works without issues.
As you can see again, we have a UK IP address from ExpressVPN, which iplocation.net proves.
Getting a UK IP Address With a Proxy
Another method of getting an IP from the UK is by using a proxy service. And while this might work, this surely isn’t the method I recommend. As you know, free proxies are very popular for bypassing firewall restrictions and gaining access to restricted sites.
They work similarly to a VPN in a way that they make your traffic look like it originates from a different IP, all by using a proxy server that acts as a middleman. Proxy servers aren’t secure and they offer no encryption, so the security aspect is out of the way.
Mind you, free proxies are often held by unknown entities, companies, or people who often have malicious intentions. They’ll usually collect and sell your personal info, violating your privacy in this process, which is why I avoid using them.
And before you ask, proxies won’t allow you to unblock BBC iPlayer, watch ITV, or enjoy UK betting sites abroad. For that to happen, you still need to use a quality premium VPN like NordVPN!
Summary
As you learned, getting an IP address from the UK isn’t so hard after all. Besides, this will let you unblock British streaming platforms abroad, as well as encrypt your connection and make you anonymous online – if you use NordVPN, that is.
Don’t forget that NordVPN has hundreds of servers in the UK, making it an ideal choice for this purpose. Its 30-day money-back guarantee is surely a nice addition, as it will let you use it for 30 days risk-free, with the ability to get a refund at any point.
Let’s also mention ExpressVPN, which is another excellent choice for this purpose. With it, you can get a UK IP address in a few simple steps and still enjoy awesome performance and rock-solid security.
And if you want to discover alternatives, you can check out our comparison of the best VPNs.
FAQ
To top things up, let’s address a few more questions regarding the topic.
Can I get a British IP without a VPN?
Yes, you can do that with a proxy, which I don’t recommend due to obvious security vulnerabilities. Keep in mind that most proxies don’t allow you to choose the location, so they most likely won’t suffice.
Is getting a UK IP address legal?
Yes, it is. No one is ever going to put you in jail for having a British IP. In fact, you can use a VPN to change your IP address to any country you like without any legal consequences.
Can I get an IP from the United Kingdom on my phone?
Of course, you can. NordVPN works on all devices, making it easy to change your IP no matter the platform you’re on.
