Can a foreigner access an American NetFlix streaming account?

Asuka · July 27, 2018, 10:22pm

Long story short a few months ago I had a family gathering and a distant relative who I only knew the first name of asked me for my Netflix password so he could watch a movie online while he was there. I gave him my password and thought nothing of it.

Flash forward to this week and when I logged into my Netflix account I saw a brand new profile there with that relatives first name. The odd thing being that we now supposedly live very far apart, I live in the United States and he lives in Brazil.

So it is possible he in Brazil can still access my netflix account using my username and password? And if so could that put my account in jeopardy if two users from different countries are using it simultaneously? I’m planning on changing my password since I don’t really don’t want to have to deal with any consequences to my Netflix account but was also wondering if maybe if it is impossible for a foreign country user to use it maybe he’s just happened to move nearby with my other relatives?

hibernicus · July 27, 2018, 10:52pm

Yes, he (or you) can log in to a US-based account from anywhere in the world. However the range of programming available to him will be different depending on what country he is logging in from.

elbows · July 28, 2018, 12:40am

Canadians access American Netflix all the time, because the Canadian choices are so suck!

szabrocki · July 28, 2018, 2:03am

I have easily connected to Netflix from Iceland, Denmark and Germany by simply setting up a proxy server in the US. If you don’t set one up, you will get a copyright error from Netflix that will prevent you from using your own account.

The first time I receiver such an error, I laughed. I simply used Google and searched for US proxy servers, connected and was watching movies in less than 15 minutes.

I was even able to get through the firewall at work just to check on things.

I was working as a Computer Systems Engineer at the time, so time for others to connect may vary.

MikeS · July 28, 2018, 1:19pm

Just to confirm, here it is straight from the source:

If you’re traveling and want to watch Netflix on the go, all you need is a stable internet connection for your supported device. If we notice you’re using Netflix outside of the country you originally started your account in, we’ll notify you directly in the app of any differences you might experience while abroad. You will be notified of any of the following changes:
[ul][li]Selection of TV shows and movies: Your choices for streaming (including audio/subtitle options) will vary from country to country.[/li][li]Access to features: My List, star ratings, and reviews may not be available.[/li][li]Different maturity ratings: Your parental control settings may need adjusting.[/ul][/li]You will only see this notification on the website and most mobile/tablet devices.
If you have downloaded titles to your phone or tablet, you may not be able to play them while in a different country.

So he’ll see be able to see the selection of shows & movies that Netflix has the rights to in Brazil, rather than the US selection.

As far as getting in trouble with Netflix, their official policy is that sharing isn’t allowed. But this policy isn’t enforced very stringently if at all, and the CEO has gone on record as saying that account sharing is a “positive thing.”

The only problem you might experience is that the “Basic” Netflix account only allows for one person to be streaming at a time; so if he’s watching 3% one evening and you want to watch some Orange is the New Black, you’re out of luck. “Standard” Netflix accounts allow for two simultaneous streams; “Premium” accounts allow for four.