Every day, millions of residents and travelers in both the UAE and KSA utilize VPNs without worrying about possible consequences. However, the popular “VPN users getting arrested in Dubai” WhatsApp message recently circulating has caused a lot of users to question the legality of using VPNs. With the surge of messages, many are now asking – can a VPN lead to a court date or is it legal to use one?
The truth is there is VPN related nuance that the media does not cover. VPNs are not outright illegal in either country. VPNs are only a small part of the equation that gets users in trouble, the biggest part of the equation is what users do with it. The Moqez guide explains the legal boundaries for VPNs in the UAE and KSA in 2026, the expected fines and costs, and the legal boundaries of VPN usage as defined by the law.
Quick Facts: VPN Rules at a Glance
UAE:
VPNs can be used for banking and workplace privacy, however consequences of up to AED 2,000,000 are possible if used for concealing illegal activities or to access restricted information.
Saudi Arabia:
VPNs can be used for business and banking, however misuse that is tied to accessing illegal information or cybercrime can result serious penalties up to SAR** 5,000,000** and imprisonment.
UAE regulator:
Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA)
Saudi regulator:
Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST, formerly CITC)
The biggest practical difference:
WhatsApp and FaceTime cannot be used on UAE networks but are available in Saudi Arabia, which removed VoIP restrictions in 2017.
Is a VPN Legal in the UAE?
Yes, as long as you use it in an acceptable manner, using a VPN in the UAE in 2026 will not be much different than it is today. There has never been a total ban on VPN use in the UAE. Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes changed the landscape when the 2012 Cyber Crime law was replaced in January 2022. “VPN” is not listed in the new law as a prohibited technology. Rather, the law addresses specific violations such as the use of a VPN to access a restricted account or to conceal one’s identity to commit a crime.
That matters more than most articles suggest. Using your VPN to connect to your company’s server in London, access your bank account, or watch the show you pay for on a service using a different regional library are all lawful actions. The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) has jurisdiction over the two licensed internet service providers in the UAE, Etisalat (e&) and du. There is no penalty for VPN use for legitimate purposes.
Intent is where things begin to get complicated. Using a VPN to mask your IP address to commit fraud or access banned content or to conceal activities from law enforcement is out of the ordinary, and the law punishes these activities. It does not make a difference whether these activities take place in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, or other Emirates – this is Federal law, as opposed to Local law.
UAE VPN Fines: What You’re Really Risking
VPN use, by itself, does not determine the scale of the penalties. It is the crime that determines the scale of the penalties.
- Article 9: (unauthorized access to passwords, codes, or systems): no less than 6 months imprisonment and a fine between AED 300,000 to AED 500,000.
- Article 10: (manipulating IP address to commit or conceal a crime): imprisonment with a fine between AED 500,000 – AED 2,000,000.
The maximum of this fine is often used in scare headline articles, and it is a very real fine that can be imposed on serious crime VPN users, as opposed to users that are simply streaming or logging into a work related account. The 2026 amendment to the Cybercrime law also established a fine of no less than AED 100,000 for the act of spreading unverified information in an emergency situation with the forwarding of a WhatsApp message being considered as “Publishing” under the law. While this is not related to a VPN, it is a part of the broader digital conduct law and is worth knowing.
Using a VPN in Saudi Arabia: Is it Allowed?
The answer is yes. On the surface, it is very much the same as the UAE. The Kingdom’s Anti-Cyber Crime Law issued in 2007 and enforced by the Communications and Technology Commission (CST) does not ban VPNs. The law focuses on the end-use of the VPN, not the installation of the software.
There are many legitimate, low-risk uses for VPNs. Examples include remote access for employees, online banking, or VPNs used by researchers or students for access to restricted academic materials. VPNs are so widely used that the Global Web Index estimates that 29% of the Saudi population uses a VPN at least once each month. For the most part, restrictions are focused on the end-use of the VPN, whether it is accessing pornography, gambling, or materials that violate public morals or Shari’a principles, as the most common examples.
Saudi Arabia is different from the UAE in tone. Many legal advisory sources say that enforcement in Saudi Arabia is much more strict, even with the same logic of legal tool unlawful use, that the UAE has. VPN use in Saudi Arabia is more accurately described as being “tolerated but monitored” and should be considered when deciding how careful to be.
Saudi Arabia VPN Penalties: What Penalties Can You Expect?
The Saudi legal system consists of a tiered penalties system with a broad range. Tiered penalties for VPN related crimes would include:
- 1 year imprisonment and a fine of SAR 500,000 for privacy violations or unlawful interception.
- 3 years imprisonment and a fine of SAR 2,000,000 for cyber fraud or illegal access to data.
- 4 years imprisonment and a fine of SAR 3,000,000 for destruction of data or disruption of networks.
- 5 years imprisonment and a fine of SAR 3,000,000 for access of prohibited content, including pornography, gambling, and content that is contrary to public morals.
- 10 years imprisonment and a fine of SAR 5,000,000 for violations of state security.
For the more common offenses, such as the use of VPN to access a site or application that is normally restricted, the average penalty that is actually experienced is a fine of SAR 1,000,000, a prison sentence of 1 year, or both, in addition to confiscation of the illegal device or software. The multi-million riyal fines are reserved for serious crimes, such as organized fraud, state security crimes, and large content violations. These fines do not apply to tourists who check their Instagram using a hotel VPN.
UAE vs Saudi Arabia: The Differences that Matter Most
Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have similar legal systems in that they have similar legal frameworks regarding the legality of VPN software. The biggest discrepancy appears to be the use of VoIP. UAE and Saudi Arabia regulations are similar in that both regard VoIP as a legal use of a VPN. However, both systems will penalize the misuse of a VPN. Regulations regarding VoIP do present the biggest pain point for travelers.
Saudi Arabia opened up its VoIP market in 2017, so you can use WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Skype without a VPN in Saudi Arabia.
The UAE didn’t follow along, and as of 2026, the network operators e& and du continue to offer blocked WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Viber calls, as well as consumer Skype. Calls are filtered, but you can still send messages. VoIP platforms offer a local license to provide services, and some of them are Microsoft Teams, BOTIM, and Zoom. Because of that, offices and hotels in the UAE use Zoom over WhatsApp.
Using a VPN in this case is useful and legal, unlike the other cases. Most legal advisors recommend that you avoid the gray areas of the law, and this means you probably shouldn’t use WhatsApp in the UAE. Instead of pushing the boundaries of the law, use the services you are entitled to risk-free.
Uses of a VPN
These uses of VPNs are considered legitimate in both countries:
- Use of VPNs in hotels, restaurants and even airports to protect traffic over insecure connections.
- Access a job’s or a university’s internal system while traveling.
- Use VPNs in online banking and sensitive financial transactions.
- Use VPNs to protect your privacy by concealing your browsing activities from your ISP and not the authorities.
- Use VPNs to access paid content provided by subscription services that is regionally restricted (as opposed to being restricted by government censorship).
In almost all the VPN use cases in both countries, users don’t feel the need to provide justification. This list encompasses 90% of the legitimate uses of VPNs. The VPN use cases that actually create problems are exceedingly few.
What Will Get You in Trouble
Actual risks are fewer than most people think, and are more or less uniform across both jurisdictions:
- Trying to get around the explicit blocking of sites (religious/moral) by using a VPN to access porn or gambling.
- Concealing your identity or location to commit fraud, hacking or any other illicit cyber activity.
- Using a VPN to bypass telecom licensing and/or undertake unlawful VoIP or calling services.
- Using your VPN to download or share pirated content will not work; the VPN will be treated as evidence of your intent.
- Anything related to state security, defamation of officials and/or the dissemination of unverified ‘news’ in a state of emergency.
Notice that these things are missing:
Using a VPN to watch a show. Using a VPN for work. Just having a VPN app.
Moqez’s Safe VPN Checklist For 2026
Following these guidelines will keep you well clear of any grey area, in either country:
- Avoid Free VPNs. They are often flagged or throttled by ISPs and will log a lot more data than a paid service with a genuine no-logs policy.
- Use a VPN with a privacy-friendly jurisdiction. Your data is not easily accessible with strong privacy laws.
- Do not use a VPN to access content that is illegal. This is the clearest boundary in an otherwise flexible system in both of these jurisdictions.
- Instead of trying to force a WhatsApp or FaceTime call through a VPN, use licensed apps like Zoom, Teams, or BOTIM when calling from the UAE.
- Even when you think it’s unnecessary, keep your VPN switched on for safety. Wi-Fi at Hotels and Airports in both countries is convenient, but not private. A VPN is a simple solution to that problem.
This is close to the exact checklist the Moqez team runs through with readers who write in asking “will I get in trouble for this?” In almost all of those cases, the answer is really about what content is being accessed, not if a VPN is being used.
The Bottom Line
If you ignore the fear and panic surrounding this issue, the situation in the UAE and Saudi Arabia is pretty similar when it comes to the use of VPNs. VPNs, like a locked door, should not get you in trouble. You will only get in trouble for what you do beyond the VPN. The UAE’s VPN restrictions are on fraud, hacking, and concealment, and the worst consequences can be up to AED 2 million. Saudi Arabia has similar restrictions, but they are a lot more hands on in regulating what can be accessed, and the consequences can be up to SAR 5 million for violations of state security.
For almost everyone else – from locals to expats and travelers, including those using a VPN for banking and trade to protect their privacy – this won’t matter. The fines are for the minority who are covering up a crime. They are not for the person who is connecting to their workplace from a hotel. No law is ever constant; because of this, when you actually do care about something, it is best to check the official updates from TDRA or CST, as opposed to trusting a single source, including this one.
Know where the actual limit is, stay on the legitimate side of it, and a VPN will remain what it is – a security tool – and not something that brings legal trouble.
