Watching your streaming services while travelling abroad

You pay for your streaming services at home, so it's a shock when you open the app in a hotel abroad and the show you were halfway through has vanished, or the app won't play anything at all. What you can watch abroad depends on the service, where you live, and where you're visiting. Here's how it works.

Why your app changes when you travel

Streaming services license most of their films and shows country by country (see why shows differ by country). So by default, they show you the catalogue for the country you're in, not the one you live in. A show licensed only for the UK may simply not be available to anyone in Spain, including a UK subscriber on holiday there.

If you live in the EU: your subscriptions travel with you

The EU's portability rules have applied since 1 April 2018. If you live in an EU country and pay for an online service there, the service must let you use it as if you were at home while you're temporarily in another EU country, on holiday or a work trip. So you keep your home catalogue rather than getting the local one. It applies to paid services; free services can choose to offer it.

It's meant for temporary stays, so services check where you normally live, for example through your payment details or account address. And it only covers travel within the EU. Outside the EU, you're back to whatever the service offers locally.

If you live in the UK: no guarantee since Brexit

UK residents used to get the same protection, but the UK revoked the portability rules at the end of 2020. Since then, whether your UK subscriptions work properly in the EU is up to each service. Some still show you a full catalogue, often the local one; others restrict what you can watch.

Services run by UK broadcasters, such as BBC iPlayer, are generally only available in the UK, so expect them not to work abroad.

What Netflix does

Netflix shows you the catalogue of the country you're in. A UK subscriber in the US sees US Netflix, and in Japan sees Japanese Netflix, so some titles appear and others disappear. EU residents travelling within the EU are the exception: Netflix shows them their home catalogue for a limited period, in line with the portability rules.

How to plan before you go

• Check the title for your destination. On any title's Where to Stream page, set Your country to where you're going. You'll see straight away whether it's streaming there and on which services. Switch it back when you're home.
• Download before you leave. Many apps let you download episodes to watch offline. Do it on home Wi-Fi before you travel. Some services still limit downloads or check where you are, so test one before you rely on it.
• Read your service's help page on travelling. Most explain exactly what works abroad. Rules change, so check close to your trip.
• Look at what's local. The country you're visiting may have a service carrying something you can't get at home. It's a good time to try a free trial.