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 ExpressVPN. It has a few hundred servers in the country in Docklands, London, and Wembley. In fact, it is anything but a coincidence that it is considered by many as the best UK VPN.
Other than that, it includes 3,000+ servers in 105 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 49% discount and 3 FREE months for the 1-year plan.
This, accompanied by an unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee, results in a great offer that lets you use ExpressVPN 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 ExpressVPN’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, router,s and more.
Once you download the application and install it, simply open it up and sign in using the credentials you provided. Additionally, ExpressVPN gives you an activation code that you can use to sign in, making it easy to just copy/paste it.
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, select All Locations, and find the UK by clicking on Europe.
Now, to get a British IP, just double-click on the country and ExpressVPN will connect you to a server located in this country. This can be confirmed when the app’s interface turns green instead of orange.
Additionally, you can connect to city-level servers by clicking on the arrow next to the United Kingdom.
Here, you’ll see 4 server locations, so if you want an IP from Wembley, for example, simply double-click on it, and you’ll be connected to a server located there.
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 ExpressVPN, you’ll be able to watch BBC iPlayer abroad or enjoy other British content outside of the United Kingdom. In addition, ExpressVPN 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 500 MB 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 ExpressVPN. 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: CyberGhost
If you find ExpressVPN a bit more expensive than you’d like, don’t fret. We have another pick for you, which comes in the form of CyberGhost. This provider is approximately 2.5 times cheaper than ExpressVPN, offering nearly 10,000 servers in around 100 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/torrenting servers that can be found in the UK and abroad.
In the UK alone, CyberGhost has nearly 800 servers in Berkshire, London, and Manchester. 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 ExpressVPN.
You’ll claim a special discount for the 2-year plan and enjoy a 45-day refund policy, which ExpressVPN isn’t offering. Then, the procedure is exactly the same. Download CyberGhost, install it, and sign in with the credentials you created during the subscription process.
The dashboard of CyberGhost will now open and it should look like this:
From here, click on All Servers, scroll down, and find the United Kingdom. It should be nearly at the bottom of the list, right next to the United States. 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 CyberGhost actually works without issues.
As you can see again, we have a UK IP address from CyberGhost, 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 ExpressVPN!
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 ExpressVPN, that is.
Don’t forget that ExpressVPN 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 CyberGhost, 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. ExpressVPN works on all devices, making it easy to change your IP no matter the platform you’re on.
ExpressVPN
