North Korea visa requirements · checked 26 September 2026

Visa & Entry Requirements for North Korea

Q: What documents do I need to enter North Korea?

Passport validity: The UK government says your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay, and to check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements, including for China if you are travelling through China. Travel insurance: No official source we could read states an insurance requirement for entry. Return or onward ticket: No official source we could read states an onward-ticket requirement. Proof of funds: No official source we could read states a proof-of-funds requirement.

Q: How many countries can visit North Korea without a visa?

0 of 198 passports can enter North Korea visa-free (0%). and 197 need a visa from an embassy.

Most travellers need a visa for North Korea: 197 of 198 passports must apply at an embassy or consulate.

The UK government says North Korea's borders have been closed to general entry since 2020 and some limited tourism has restarted. It says tourists can normally travel only as part of an organised tour and independent travellers need a sponsor and permission from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. A US Federal Register notice says US passports are invalid for travel to North Korea unless specially validated.

Check your passport

Your passport

Destination

Passports visa-free

198

Embassy visa required or no admission

Do I need a visa for North Korea? Quick answers

Another passport? Use the checker or find it in the table below.

Visa for North Korea — requirements summary

Visa required: 197 (99%)
No admission: 1 (1%)

All travellers must meet the entry rules set by North Korea, and they depend on your nationality. Find your passport below — you may be able to enter visa-free, or need an eVisa, a visa on arrival or a visa from an embassy.

Passport	Requirement	Max stay	Details
Afghanistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Albania	Visa required	—	Details →
Algeria	Visa required	—	Details →
Andorra	Visa required	—	Details →
Angola	Visa required	—	Details →
Antigua and Barbuda	Visa required	—	Details →
Argentina	Visa required	—	Details →
Armenia	Visa required	—	Details →
Australia	Visa required	—	Details →
Austria	Visa required	—	Details →
Azerbaijan	Visa required	—	Details →
Bahamas	Visa required	—	Details →
Bahrain	Visa required	—	Details →
Bangladesh	Visa required	—	Details →
Barbados	Visa required	—	Details →
Belarus	Visa required	—	Details →
Belgium	Visa required	—	Details →
Belize	Visa required	—	Details →
Benin	Visa required	—	Details →
Bhutan	Visa required	—	Details →
Bolivia	Visa required	—	Details →
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Visa required	—	Details →
Botswana	Visa required	—	Details →
Brazil	Visa required	—	Details →
Brunei	Visa required	—	Details →
Bulgaria	Visa required	—	Details →
Burkina Faso	Visa required	—	Details →
Burundi	Visa required	—	Details →
Cambodia	Visa required	—	Details →
Cameroon	Visa required	—	Details →
Canada	Visa required	—	Details →
Cape Verde	Visa required	—	Details →
Central African Republic	Visa required	—	Details →
Chad	Visa required	—	Details →
Chile	Visa required	—	Details →
China	Visa required	—	Details →
Colombia	Visa required	—	Details →
Comoros	Visa required	—	Details →
Costa Rica	Visa required	—	Details →
Côte d'Ivoire	Visa required	—	Details →
Croatia	Visa required	—	Details →
Cuba	Visa required	—	Details →
Cyprus	Visa required	—	Details →
Czechia	Visa required	—	Details →
Denmark	Visa required	—	Details →
Djibouti	Visa required	—	Details →
Dominica	Visa required	—	Details →
Dominican Republic	Visa required	—	Details →
DR Congo	Visa required	—	Details →
Ecuador	Visa required	—	Details →
Egypt	Visa required	—	Details →
El Salvador	Visa required	—	Details →
Equatorial Guinea	Visa required	—	Details →
Eritrea	Visa required	—	Details →
Estonia	Visa required	—	Details →
Eswatini	Visa required	—	Details →
Ethiopia	Visa required	—	Details →
Fiji	Visa required	—	Details →
Finland	Visa required	—	Details →
France	Visa required	—	Details →
Gabon	Visa required	—	Details →
Gambia	Visa required	—	Details →
Georgia	Visa required	—	Details →
Germany	Visa required	—	Details →
Ghana	Visa required	—	Details →
Greece	Visa required	—	Details →
Grenada	Visa required	—	Details →
Guatemala	Visa required	—	Details →
Guinea	Visa required	—	Details →
Guinea-Bissau	Visa required	—	Details →
Guyana	Visa required	—	Details →
Haiti	Visa required	—	Details →
Honduras	Visa required	—	Details →
Hong Kong	Visa required	—	Details →
Hungary	Visa required	—	Details →
Iceland	Visa required	—	Details →
India	Visa required	—	Details →
Indonesia	Visa required	—	Details →
Iran	Visa required	—	Details →
Iraq	Visa required	—	Details →
Ireland	Visa required	—	Details →
Israel	Visa required	—	Details →
Italy	Visa required	—	Details →
Jamaica	Visa required	—	Details →
Japan	Visa required	—	Details →
Jordan	Visa required	—	Details →
Kazakhstan	Visa required	—	Details →
Kenya	Visa required	—	Details →
Kiribati	Visa required	—	Details →
Kosovo	Visa required	—	Details →
Kuwait	Visa required	—	Details →
Kyrgyzstan	Visa required	—	Details →
Laos	Visa required	—	Details →
Latvia	Visa required	—	Details →
Lebanon	Visa required	—	Details →
Lesotho	Visa required	—	Details →
Liberia	Visa required	—	Details →
Libya	Visa required	—	Details →
Liechtenstein	Visa required	—	Details →
Lithuania	Visa required	—	Details →
Luxembourg	Visa required	—	Details →
Macau	Visa required	—	Details →
Madagascar	Visa required	—	Details →
Malawi	Visa required	—	Details →
Malaysia	Visa required	—	Details →
Maldives	Visa required	—	Details →
Mali	Visa required	—	Details →
Malta	Visa required	—	Details →
Marshall Islands	Visa required	—	Details →
Mauritania	Visa required	—	Details →
Mauritius	Visa required	—	Details →
Mexico	Visa required	—	Details →
Micronesia	Visa required	—	Details →
Moldova	Visa required	—	Details →
Monaco	Visa required	—	Details →
Mongolia	Visa required	—	Details →
Montenegro	Visa required	—	Details →
Morocco	Visa required	—	Details →
Mozambique	Visa required	—	Details →
Myanmar	Visa required	—	Details →
Namibia	Visa required	—	Details →
Nauru	Visa required	—	Details →
Nepal	Visa required	—	Details →
Netherlands	Visa required	—	Details →
New Zealand	Visa required	—	Details →
Nicaragua	Visa required	—	Details →
Niger	Visa required	—	Details →
Nigeria	Visa required	—	Details →
North Macedonia	Visa required	—	Details →
Norway	Visa required	—	Details →
Oman	Visa required	—	Details →
Pakistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Palau	Visa required	—	Details →
Palestine	Visa required	—	Details →
Panama	Visa required	—	Details →
Papua New Guinea	Visa required	—	Details →
Paraguay	Visa required	—	Details →
Peru	Visa required	—	Details →
Philippines	Visa required	—	Details →
Poland	Visa required	—	Details →
Portugal	Visa required	—	Details →
Qatar	Visa required	—	Details →
Republic of the Congo	Visa required	—	Details →
Romania	Visa required	—	Details →
Russia	Visa required	—	Details →
Rwanda	Visa required	—	Details →
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Visa required	—	Details →
Saint Lucia	Visa required	—	Details →
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Visa required	—	Details →
Samoa	Visa required	—	Details →
San Marino	Visa required	—	Details →
Sao Tome and Principe	Visa required	—	Details →
Saudi Arabia	Visa required	—	Details →
Senegal	Visa required	—	Details →
Serbia	Visa required	—	Details →
Seychelles	Visa required	—	Details →
Sierra Leone	Visa required	—	Details →
Singapore	Visa required	—	Details →
Slovakia	Visa required	—	Details →
Slovenia	Visa required	—	Details →
Solomon Islands	Visa required	—	Details →
Somalia	Visa required	—	Details →
South Africa	Visa required	—	Details →
South Korea	Visa required	—	Details →
South Sudan	Visa required	—	Details →
Spain	Visa required	—	Details →
Sri Lanka	Visa required	—	Details →
Sudan	Visa required	—	Details →
Suriname	Visa required	—	Details →
Sweden	Visa required	—	Details →
Switzerland	Visa required	—	Details →
Syria	Visa required	—	Details →
Taiwan	Visa required	—	Details →
Tajikistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Tanzania	Visa required	—	Details →
Thailand	Visa required	—	Details →
Timor-Leste	Visa required	—	Details →
Togo	Visa required	—	Details →
Tonga	Visa required	—	Details →
Trinidad and Tobago	Visa required	—	Details →
Tunisia	Visa required	—	Details →
Türkiye	Visa required	—	Details →
Turkmenistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Tuvalu	Visa required	—	Details →
Uganda	Visa required	—	Details →
Ukraine	Visa required	—	Details →
United Arab Emirates	Visa required	—	Details →
United Kingdom	Visa required	—	Details →
United States	No admission	—	Details →
Uruguay	Visa required	—	Details →
Uzbekistan	Visa required	—	Details →
Vanuatu	Visa required	—	Details →
Vatican City	Visa required	—	Details →
Venezuela	Visa required	—	Details →
Vietnam	Visa required	—	Details →
Yemen	Visa required	—	Details →
Zambia	Visa required	—	Details →
Zimbabwe	Visa required	—	Details →

North Korea visa types, fees and processing times

Visa

Fee and processing time not published — confirm with the embassy or consulate before you apply.

Business visa

Visa

Fee and processing time not published — confirm with the embassy or consulate before you apply.

Entry requirements for North Korea

Passport validity

The UK government says your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay, and to check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements, including for China if you are travelling through China.

UK FCDO — North Korea travel advice: entry requirements✓ Checked 2 Oct 2026

Vaccinations: Yellow fever

WHO's country list marks North Korea as requiring proof of yellow fever vaccination from travellers aged one year and over arriving from countries at risk of yellow fever transmission; the UK government says you need the certificate if you are coming from a country listed as a transmission risk.

WHO, International Travel and Health, Annex 1 — countries requiring proof of vaccination against yellow fever✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Travel insurance

No official source we could read states an insurance requirement for entry. Canada's travel advice says to get travel insurance that includes coverage for medical evacuation and hospital stays, and that medical services and facilities are poor.

Government of Canada — North Korea travel advice (health)✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Return or onward ticket

No official source we could read states an onward-ticket requirement. The UK government says tourists can normally travel to North Korea only as part of an organised tour, and that independent travellers need a sponsor and permission from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

UK FCDO — North Korea travel advice: entry requirements✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Proof of funds

No official source we could read states a proof-of-funds requirement. The UK government says credit cards and international mobile payments are not accepted, and that some hotels may insist on full cash payment in advance when you check in.

UK FCDO — North Korea travel advice: entry requirements✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Arrival cards and declarations: Arrival customs declaration

The UK government says foreign currency must be declared at customs, foreign mobile phones must be registered at the border, and GPS devices must be left with customs until you leave. It says customs officers will confiscate literature or media deemed anti-government, subversive or pornographic, that there could be further severe penalties including imprisonment, and advises against bringing Korean-language or religious material.

UK FCDO — North Korea travel advice: entry requirements✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

Registration after arrival

24 hours

Australia's Smartraveller says travellers must register with government authorities in North Korea within 24 hours of arrival, that this can be done through the host organisation, and that hotel guests should confirm at check-in that the hotel will take care of it. The UK government says visitors must be registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if the visit is for more than 24 hours, and that most hotels will complete this on the visitor's behalf.

Australian Government Smartraveller — North Korea travel advice✓ Checked 12 Oct 2026

Customs allowances

The UK government says there are no restrictions on importing and exporting foreign currency, but you must declare it at customs, and that importing or exporting North Korean won is illegal. It says shops and restaurants usually charge foreign nationals in foreign currency, and some hotels may insist on full cash payment in advance.

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — North Korea travel advice: entry requirements✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026

North Korea visa requirements statistics

198

Passports covered

197

Most common: Visa required

Least common: No admission

Visa-free access

Understanding North Korea visa requirements

We track the entry rules of North Korea for 198 passports. The most common situation is visa required, which applies to 197 passports (99%). The least common is no admission (1 passport).

Entry categories for North Korea

Visa required: 197 passports must apply at an embassy or consulate.
No admission: 1 passport cannot currently enter.

What else you need to enter North Korea

Passport validity: The UK government says your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay, and to check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements, including for China if you are travelling through China.
Travel insurance: No official source we could read states an insurance requirement for entry.
Return or onward ticket: No official source we could read states an onward-ticket requirement.
Proof of funds: No official source we could read states a proof-of-funds requirement.

Open your passport in the table for the exact rules — maximum stay, fees, how to apply and the official source. Entry rules change at short notice: confirm with the embassy of North Korea or its official immigration website before you travel.

Frequently asked questions about North Korea visas

Do I need a visa for North Korea?

Yes, for every passport whose rule we found on an official page: the UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Estonia each say their citizens need a visa, and China says its citizens with ordinary private passports must obtain a visa or a tourist card before travelling; for a passport whose rule neither North Korea nor that passport's own government states on a page we could read, no official source states it. The UK government says tourists can normally travel only as part of an organised tour, that independent travellers need a sponsor and permission from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and that the borders have been closed to general entry since 2020 with some limited tourism restarted. US passports are invalid for travel there unless specially validated.

Can US citizens visit North Korea?

Not on a US passport unless it is specially validated. A US Federal Register notice says that on 1 September 2017 all US passports were declared invalid for travel to, in or through North Korea unless specially validated, that the restriction has been extended annually since 2017, and that the latest notice extends it until 31 August 2027.

Is North Korea open to tourists in 2026?

Only in a limited way, according to the UK government: it says North Korea's borders have been closed to general entry since 2020 and that some limited tourism has restarted.

Can I travel independently in North Korea?

Normally not. Canada's travel advice says you must be accompanied by an official guide at all times, and the UK government says a guide will almost always accompany you and will decide where you can go. The UK Foreign Office says tourists can normally travel only as part of an organised tour and that independent travellers need a sponsor and permission from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

What money do tourists use in North Korea?

Mostly cash. The UK government says credit cards and international mobile payments are not accepted, that the US dollar and the euro are the most widely accepted currencies with Chinese yuan accepted in some places, and that importing or exporting the won is illegal. Canada's travel advice says cash is the most accepted form of payment and there are no ATMs, and that some hotels accept credit cards if you give them advance notice.

Do US citizens need a visa for North Korea?

US citizens cannot currently enter North Korea. Full rules for United States passport holders.

Do UK citizens need a visa for North Korea?

UK citizens need a visa for North Korea. Full rules for United Kingdom passport holders.

Do German citizens need a visa for North Korea?

German citizens need a visa for North Korea. Full rules for Germany passport holders.

What documents do I need to enter North Korea?

Passport validity: The UK government says your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay, and to check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements, including for China if you are travelling through China. Travel insurance: No official source we could read states an insurance requirement for entry. Return or onward ticket: No official source we could read states an onward-ticket requirement. Proof of funds: No official source we could read states a proof-of-funds requirement.

How many countries can visit North Korea without a visa?

0 of 198 passports can enter North Korea visa-free (0%). and 197 need a visa from an embassy.

Data: TravelRequirements.info — Entry Requirements Dataset, AXG Sp. z o.o. (CC BY 4.0) — official sources are linked on each passport page. Gaps filled from the Passport Index dataset (MIT).

Check other requirements

Travelling from North Korea?

Where can North Korea citizens travel visa-free?

North Korea passport holders can visit 9 countries without a visa. Open a country for the exact rules.

Map and full list →