How to Use the Kindle Fire From Outside the US

The Amazon Kindle Fire is a great little tablet, but if you plan to use it outside the US then you need be a little sneaky.

First of all if you plan to purchase a Kindle Fire and you do not live in the US then I suggest that you read this article: How to Buy the Kindle Fire From Outside the US. If you already have Kindle Fire or you have one on the way then read on.

What Works and What Needs to be Fixed

So out of the box almost all features work while others need a little help in order to get going. One feature will not work at this moment unless you have an American credit card – more about that later.

First lets talk about what works out of the box: Newsstand, Books, Music, Video, Docs, Web. So basically all that needs tweaking is the apps. At the moment you can only trick Amazon into letting you install free apps. To actually purchase apps you will need an American credit card – for me that is not an issue as I use the Kindle Fire to read books and watch movies on Amazon Prime and . So lets move on to installing apps.

How to Install Apps on the Kindle Fire Outside the US

In order to install apps on your Kindle Fire you will need an American credit card – “but hang on didn’t you just say that I could install free apps on the Kindle Fire”? Yes I did and it is true. In order to install apps at all you need to have an American credit card setup under your 1-click settings in your Amazon Account. Amazon will check if the credit card you have in your account is an American Credit card, but not charge it when you add it to your account or download a free app.

Below is a list of test card numbers used by developers for validating check out processes when building web stores – and guess what they can be used with Amazon ☺. I have of course not checked all numbers but I am sure you will find one you can use on the list.

Expiration Date has to be a valid date in the future (use the mmyy format). Also make sure to use a US address (just Google for one, but make sure you don’t ship any purchases to this address)

Using on the Kindle Fire Outside the US

One of the apps that many of you would like to use is the app. As usual will check your location when you connect to the service from outside the US. In order to get around that problem you will need to connect to a VPN service, but since the Kindle Fire does not have a build in VPN client you will need to use on of 3 different options that will allow you to share your VPN connection to the Kindle:

• Share a VPN Connection in Windows
• Share a VPN Connection in OS X
• Share a VPN Connection From a Router

You will need to have an account with in the first place, but that is just a matter of signing up with a VPN service like Unlocator and then connect to a US server. Afterwards you can create an account with .

What About Amazon Prime on the Kindle Outside the US

Just like Amazon Prime is only available in the US and for that reason you need a router with VPN as well in order to stream movie from the service. Simply sign up with a fake US address and your credit card. You will get a month’s free service with your Kindle Fire.

So all in all the Kindle Fire is fully functional outside the US apart from purchasing apps without a chargeable US credit card. Personally I love it and use it for facebook, Twitter, Surfing, Reading and – all things I can do from outside the US.