VPN Use in Italy Is Legal: Piracy Shield, AGCOM and User Fines

Yes. Installing and running a VPN in Italy is lawful, and no Italian statute names VPN use by an individual as an offence. The 2023 anti-piracy law places duties on providers, and the penalties attach to the conduct, such as pirate streams, hacking or fraud, whether or not the traffic runs through a tunnel. This page is information, not legal advice.

What the Law Says to the Person Using a VPN

Nothing specific. The Penal Code punishes unauthorised access to a protected system (Article 615-ter) and computer fraud (Article 640-ter) regardless of the tool. GDPR applies in Italy as across the EU; it regulates how providers process personal data and places no restriction on encrypting your own connection. AGCOM's copyright regulation, by the regulator's own FAQ, contains no orders addressed to end users.

Piracy Shield and the 2024 Rules for VPN Providers

Law No. 93 of 14 July 2023, in force since 8 August 2023, lets AGCOM order providers to block pirated content by cutting DNS resolution of domains and routing to IP addresses, with 30 minutes to act. Rights holders upload the lists to one automated platform, Piracy Shield, operational since 1 February 2024; by January 2025 it had disabled over 26,000 domains and over 7,000 IPv4 addresses (AGCOM's WIPO submission).

The amendments added when Parliament converted the Omnibus decree into Law No. 143 of 7 October 2024, in force since 9 October 2024, rewrote Article 2 so that blocking orders name providers of VPN services and of publicly available DNS "wherever resident and wherever located" (consolidated text on Normattiva). A new Article 174-sexies obliges them to report criminal conduct they learn of and to name a contact for AGCOM; silence can cost up to one year in prison. On 23 October 2024 AGCOM invited VPN and DNS providers to accredit, and from 30 July 2025 the measures cover all live audiovisual content.

The Penalties on the Statute Book

The table lists the provisions discussed on this page, not every Italian penalty.

Where the "€150" and "€16,000" Figures Come From

The €150 quoted in Italian press is a rounding of the actual €154 base fine. The larger figure, €500 to €16,233.67, belongs to a bill tabled in July 2025 to raise viewer fines; it has not entered the text in force, which on Normattiva still reads €154 and €5,000.

Enforcement, 2023 to 2026

The 2025 fines were traced through criminal cases against sellers and through payment records, and could reach €5,000 for repeat offences. In the 2026 investigation, the app sold to buyers was advertised as hiding their IP address, yet they were still identified.

The Dispute Over VPN and DNS Blocking

Critics, including Cloudflare and the ISP association EuroISPA, argue that blocking within 30 minutes without a judge risks overblocking and should not reach global DNS and VPN services. Supporters, from AGCOM to Serie A and broadcasters, say live sport loses value within minutes and the system is lawful. The Lazio court sided with AGCOM in July 2026, quoting the law's wording covering providers "wherever resident and wherever located"; Cloudflare said it would appeal again.

FAQ

Can a tourist be fined just for having a VPN app in Italy?

No rule penalises installing or using one.

Does a VPN protect me from a fine for pirate football streams?

No. The fine follows the viewing or purchase, and payment records survive the tunnel.

Can my VPN provider be ordered to block sites for Italian users?

Yes, under the amended Article 2, wherever the provider is based.

Is a work VPN in Italy a problem?

No. Corporate remote access falls outside the copyright regime entirely.

Italy VPN Rules in Short

Using a VPN is lawful, no statute makes it an offence, and pirate streams are fined at €154, rising to €5,000 for repeat cases, whatever route the traffic takes. To pick a service with Italian locations, see the ranking of providers with servers in Italy.