Who Owns Surfshark? Owners, Headquarters and NordVPN Ties (2026)

Written by Bram Jansen Updated on

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Surfshark is run by Surfshark B.V., a company based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and led by CEO Vytautas Kaziukonis. Since a merger finalized in early 2022, it shares a holding company with Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN, although the two VPNs still operate independently.

Surfshark isn’t owned by a Chinese, Russian or Israeli company. Here’s who is behind it, where it’s based, and what that means for your privacy, with the source for each point.

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Surfshark Ownership at a Glance

Answer
Company that runs SurfsharkSurfshark B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands
CEOVytautas Kaziukonis
Launched2018
Registered in the Netherlands since1 October 2021 (before that, the British Virgin Islands)
Other officesLithuania, Poland and Germany
Parent holding companyCyberspace B.V., shared with Nord Security since early 2022
Sister brandsNordVPN, NordPass, NordLayer (Nord Security); Incogni (Surfshark)

Who Founded Surfshark?

Surfshark launched in 2018, starting with an iPhone app, and grew out of the same Vilnius startup scene as NordVPN: Wikipedia’s entry on Tesonet, the Lithuanian tech incubator behind NordVPN, lists Surfshark under the same umbrella. Today the company is led by Vytautas Kaziukonis, whom Surfshark names as its CEO.

It has grown well beyond a single VPN. Surfshark added data-breach alerts and a private search engine in 2019, antivirus and the Incogni data-removal service in 2021, a dedicated IP option and Alternative ID in 2023, and Alternative Number in 2024. It also built Dausos, its own VPN protocol.

Where Is Surfshark Based?

Surfshark’s legal home is Amsterdam: its website lists Surfshark B.V. at Kabelweg 57 in the city. The company moved its registration to the Netherlands from the British Virgin Islands on 1 October 2021, and it also has offices in Lithuania, Poland and Germany.

The move matters for privacy in one way. The Netherlands is part of the 14 Eyes, a group of countries that share intelligence, while the British Virgin Islands is not. What protects Surfshark users is that there’s nothing useful to share: its no-logs policy has been checked by Deloitte in 2023 and 2025, and since July 2020 every Surfshark server has run from RAM, so nothing is stored on a hard drive.

Is Surfshark Owned by NordVPN?

Not directly. Surfshark began merging with Nord Security, NordVPN’s parent, in mid-2021, and the deal was finalized in early 2022 under a shared holding company, Cyberspace B.V., registered in the Netherlands. Surfshark says the combined group became a unicorn, valued at $1.6 billion, after the merger.

When the merger was announced, both said they would share no infrastructure or product plans; they still run separate apps, server networks and prices, and compete for the same customers. Surfshark covers unlimited devices for less money; NordVPN runs more servers and adds more security extras on its higher plans. Our Surfshark vs NordVPN comparison goes through the differences, and who owns NordVPN covers the other side of the family.

One visible link between them: Incogni, Surfshark’s data-removal service, comes with NordVPN’s top Ultra plan as well as Surfshark’s own One+ plan.

Is Surfshark Chinese, Russian or Israeli?

No. Surfshark is a Dutch company with Lithuanian roots, and nothing in its ownership is Chinese, Russian or Israeli. The Israel question usually comes from Kape Technologies, a different company owned by Israeli businessman Teddy Sagi, which owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access and ZenMate. Kape has no connection to Surfshark or NordVPN.

Does the Owner Matter for Your Privacy?

Less than what the company can prove. Here’s the evidence for Surfshark:

  1. Independent checks. Deloitte assessed Surfshark’s no-logs policy in 2023 and again in 2025. Cure53 audited its browser extensions in 2018, its server infrastructure in 2021, and its infrastructure and Dausos protocol in 2026, and SecuRing assessed its apps and infrastructure in 2025.
  2. No stored data. Every server runs from RAM, which is wiped on each restart.
  3. A clear legal home. Surfshark B.V. is a registered Dutch company with a public address.

The trade-off is jurisdiction: a VPN based outside the 14 Eyes, such as NordVPN in Panama, has fewer legal obligations to start with. Our Surfshark review weighs this alongside speed, streaming and price.

FAQ

Who Owns Surfshark?

Surfshark is run by Surfshark B.V., a company based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and led by CEO Vytautas Kaziukonis. Since a merger finalized in early 2022, it shares a holding company, Cyberspace B.V., with Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN.

Is Surfshark Owned by NordVPN?

Not directly. Surfshark and NordVPN’s parent, Nord Security, merged under one holding company in early 2022, but the two VPNs operate independently, with separate apps, servers and prices.

Where Is Surfshark Based?

In Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Surfshark moved its registration there from the British Virgin Islands on 1 October 2021, and it also has offices in Lithuania, Poland and Germany.

Is Surfshark a Chinese or Russian Company?

No. Surfshark is a Dutch company with Lithuanian roots, and it has no Chinese or Russian owners.

Is Surfshark Safe If It’s Based in the Netherlands?

The Netherlands is part of the 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing group, but Surfshark’s no-logs policy has been checked by Deloitte twice, in 2023 and 2025, and its servers run from RAM, so it has no activity logs to hand over.

The Bottom Line

Surfshark is a Dutch company with Lithuanian roots, run from Amsterdam by Surfshark B.V. and part of the same holding company as NordVPN since 2022. It has no Chinese, Russian or Israeli owners, and its no-logs policy has been checked twice by Deloitte.

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