Example techniques and devices for decoding video data are disclosed. An example device includes memory configured to store the video data and one or more processors implemented in circuitry and communicatively coupled to the memory. The one or more processors are configured to extract a current sub-picture from a bitstream of the video data and parse virtual boundary syntax elements indicative of virtual boundaries for a current picture, wherein the current sub-picture is associated with the current picture. The one or more processors are configured to update the virtual boundaries based at least in part on the virtual boundary syntax elements and decode the current sub-picture based on the updated virtual boundaries.