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North Korea visa requirements

Current entry categories for 199 passport nationalities, paired with official evidence as it is reviewed.

Access data checked October 8, 202642 official sources collected
Citizenship1Visa required197Entry restricted1
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Access by passport

Open any status for its canonical passport–destination page, evidence timeline, official sources, and application route where available.

199 passports

Citizenship

1

Visa required

197

Entry restricted

1
Policy history

Official evidence timeline

One group agreement or destination policy can support many passport relationships. Dates are recorded only when an official source establishes them.

  1. Current official routeVisa required

    German ordinary passports: named advance visa routes

    The Federal Foreign Office expressly requires pre-departure mission issuance for each listed German ordinary-passport visitor route.

    • KP: entry is limited to organized travel with assigned guides or interpreters and Foreign Ministry permission; tourist cases are handled by the travel agency, require a Korean-side invitation, and embassy issuance normally takes at least four weeks. LY: apply at the Libyan Embassy in Berlin for a Germany-based applicant. CG: apply before entry at the Republic of the Congo Embassy in Berlin. SS: apply before entry at the South Sudan Embassy in Berlin. CF: apply before entry at the competent Central African Embassy in Paris. LR: visa-on-arrival issuance has ended; Germany-based travellers apply at the Liberian Embassy in Berlin. ML: apply at a Malian foreign mission in Germany.
    • This does not normalize travel warnings, operational access, invitations, special documents, work, residence, transit or final admission.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    Germany

    Official sourcesAuswärtiges Amt: Auswärtiges Amt: North Korea travel and security adviceAuswärtiges Amt: Auswärtiges Amt: Libya travel and security adviceAuswärtiges Amt: Auswärtiges Amt: Republic of the Congo travel and security adviceAuswärtiges Amt: Auswärtiges Amt: South Sudan travel and security adviceAuswärtiges Amt: Auswärtiges Amt: Central African Republic travel and security adviceAuswärtiges Amt: Auswärtiges Amt: Liberia travel and security adviceAuswärtiges Amt: Auswärtiges Amt: Mali travel and security advice
  2. Current official routeVisa required

    French ordinary passports: named advance visa routes

    Current official material establishes advance mission processing or issuance for each listed French ordinary-passport visitor route.

    • AF: single-entry visas are issued by Afghanistan’s Embassy in France. KP: visa available through the DPRK General Delegation in France. LY: visa before arrival. SD: prior visa. SY: Syrian diplomatic or consular representation issues the visa. CG: obtain before departure; no arrival visa. SS: airlines may refuse boarding without a pre-departure visa and France-based applicants use the Paris embassy. CF: the CAR Paris Embassy processes the passport and short-stay application. GQ: no arrival visa and the Paris embassy states required documents. GW: French applications go to the Guinea-Bissau Embassy in Paris; its exceptional Bissau-airport route is not the standard France-resident route. LR: France residents apply through the Liberian Embassy. ML: Mali consulates in Paris or Lyon issue it; no arrival visa. NE: prior visa only; no arrival visa. NG: portal submission is followed by physical dossier submission to OIS Paris for processing.
    • This records ordinary French-passport short-visitor routes only and does not normalize travel warnings, operational access, work, residence, special documents or final admission.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    France

    Official sourcesMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Afghanistan entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: North Korea entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Libya entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Sudan entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Syria entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Republic of the Congo entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: South Sudan entry and stayAmbassade de la République centrafricaine en France: Embassy of the Central African Republic in France: short-stay visaMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Equatorial Guinea entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Guinea-Bissau entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Liberia entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Mali entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Niger entry and stayMinistère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères: France Diplomatie: Nigeria entry and stay
  3. Current official routeVisa required

    British citizen passports: specified advance visitor visas

    Current FCDO guidance establishes an ordinary British-citizen visitor visa application through the stated embassy or advance process for the listed destinations.

    • KP: tourist travel is normally organised and the visa application is sent directly to the North Korean Embassy; current general-entry restrictions remain material.
    • CG, GW, LR and NE: FCDO directs the British-citizen visitor to the named embassy/consular application route before travel.
    • IR: apply well in advance; a British-passport applicant must use an organised tour or an Iranian sponsor. Kish Island is a distinct travel-agency/approval-before-arrival exception, not a general waiver.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    United Kingdom

    Official sourcesForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office: North Korea entry requirementsForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Republic of Congo entry requirementsForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Guinea-Bissau entry requirementsForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Liberia entry requirementsForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Niger entry requirementsForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Iran entry requirements
  4. Current official routeVisa required

    Italian ordinary passports: specified advance visitor visas

    Current Italian MFA guidance establishes the stated advance-consular visa route.

    • CG, ML, NE and GW use named consular application routes; GW explicitly has no direct arrival visa.
    • KP tourist access remains restricted; SD, sponsorship, invitation, conflict, carrier, health and final-admission conditions remain separate.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    Italy

    Official sourcesMinistry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy: Viaggiare Sicuri: Republic of the CongoMinistry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy: Viaggiare Sicuri: MaliMinistry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy: Viaggiare Sicuri: NigerMinistry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy: Viaggiare Sicuri: North KoreaMinistry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy: Viaggiare Sicuri: SudanMinistry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy: Viaggiare Sicuri: Guinea-Bissau
  5. Current official routeVisa required

    Kuwaiti ordinary passports: advance embassy visa destinations

    Kuwait's current government table directs ordinary Kuwaiti passport holders to obtain an embassy-issued visa before visiting these destinations.

    • Ordinary Kuwaiti passport and short visitor travel; apply through the relevant embassy before departure, with final issuance and admission remaining discretionary.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    Kuwait

    Official sourceKuwait Government Online: List of countries that grant Kuwaiti citizens entry visas upon arrival or require a pre-issued visa from the embassy
  6. Current official routeVisa required

    Palestinian ordinary passports: 2026 advance-visa visitor cohort

    The State of Palestine's current ordinary-passport schedule labels this exact destination cohort "Visa is required" and separately labels electronic and arrival-issued routes elsewhere in the same schedule. It is normalized as advance visa required.

    • This is the Ministry's ordinary-passport short-visitor baseline. The source separately labels eVisa and visa-on-arrival rows, so a bare "Visa is required" row is not recast as either route.
    • Georgia and Panama have separately stated waivers for holders of specified third-country visas. Those conditional document routes are excluded from this passport-only baseline.
    • Mission availability, passport recognition, individual admission, route, transit, work, residence, diplomatic, official, service and other special-document treatment are outside this policy.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    Palestinian Territory

    Official sourceState of Palestine Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Protocol: Visa Regulations for Palestinian Passports as of 2026
  7. Current official routeVisa required

    Seychellois passports: named advance visitor-visa cohort

    Seychelles' July 2025 passport-holder schedule expressly requires these destinations to issue a visa before entry, rather than treating an online form or airport process as the visitor baseline.

    • Applies to the ordinary Seychellois passport short-visitor baseline in the Ministry's current named list.
    • The schedule's wording requires a visa before entry but does not establish an electronic or border-issued route, so this is normalized only as advance visa required.
    • Mission availability, individual grant, document, route, transit, work, residence, diplomatic, official and special-passport treatment remain outside scope.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    Seychelles

    Official sourceMinistry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora: List of countries Seychelles passport holders need visas
  8. Current official routeEntry restricted

    Ordinary U.S. passports: North Korea travel restriction

    U.S. Passport Services states that ordinary U.S. passports are invalid for travel to, in or through North Korea. A separately issued special-validation passport is limited to national-interest cases and is not an ordinary short-tourist route.

    • Applies to an ordinary U.S. passport for travel to, in or through North Korea.
    • Passport Services may issue a special-validation passport only on a limited national-interest basis, including qualifying journalism, Red Cross work or compelling humanitarian cases.
    • A special validation is a separate passport exception and does not itself decide DPRK admission or replace any DPRK entry permission.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    United States

    Official sourceU.S. Department of State, Passport Services: Passport for Travel to North Korea
  9. Current official routeVisa required

    Regular Canadian passports: North Korea advance visa

    Canada's current regular-passport guidance requires a tourist visa and says it is obtained before travel from a DPRK mission in a third country after approval from Pyongyang.

    • Applies to a regular Canadian passport; official and other travel documents may follow different rules.
    • The visa is obtained from a North Korean mission in a third country after approval from the government in Pyongyang, and the process may be slow.
    • The passport must remain valid for at least six months beyond expected departure; journalists need special permission and may not use a tourist visa.
    • Border operations, organized-tour requirements, carrier rules and final admission remain separate and can change.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    Canada

    Official sourceGlobal Affairs Canada: North Korea travel advice and advisories
  10. Current official routeVisa required

    Australian passports: North Korea advance visa

    Australia's current travel guidance requires a visa for every travel type and directs applicants to obtain it in a third country because no DPRK mission operates in Australia.

    • Applies to Australian travellers using an ordinary passport for a short visit; journalists and business travellers follow additional permission or sponsorship rules.
    • The visa must be obtained before travel in a third country such as China or Indonesia because there is no DPRK embassy or consulate in Australia.
    • Travel is limited to an official tour with an accompanying guide; sanctions may also affect payments connected to a visa or organized travel.
    • Entry conditions, carrier rules and final admission remain separate and may change at short notice.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    Australia

    Official sourceAustralian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: North Korea Travel Advice & Safety
  11. Current official routeVisa required

    Chinese private ordinary passports: North Korea advance visa

    China's current consular guidance requires private ordinary-passport holders to obtain a DPRK visa or tourism certificate outside North Korea before travel through a DPRK mission or authorized tourism channel.

    • Applies to a Chinese private ordinary passport; diplomatic, service and public-affairs ordinary passports have a separate treaty route.
    • A DPRK visa must be handled before travel by a DPRK diplomatic or consular mission outside North Korea; an authorized travel agency handles the alternative tourism certificate.
    • A DPRK receiving organization or organized-tour channel is required, and in-country movement and registration are controlled.
    • Transit, border-area permits, other passport types and final admission remain outside this classification.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    China

    Official sourceMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Department of Consular Affairs: North Korea entry and residence guidance
  12. Current official routeVisa required

    Danish ordinary passports: DPRK embassy advance visa

    Danish citizens travelling on an ordinary passport require a DPRK visa and apply at a DPRK embassy before travel.

    • The rule is for Danish citizens travelling with an ordinary passport; Danish emergency and alien passports may follow separate rules.
    • The visa application is made to a DPRK embassy before travel.
    • The source supplies no ordinary-tourist duration or independent-tour eligibility; final DPRK admission, carrier service and route availability remain separate.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    Denmark

    Official sourceMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark: North Korea passport and visa
  13. Current official routeVisa required

    Austrian ordinary passports: DPRK embassy advance visa

    Austrians travelling on an ordinary passport require a DPRK visa, obtainable from the DPRK Embassy before travel.

    • The rule applies to Austrian citizens using an ordinary passport; separate document categories are not normalized.
    • The visa is available from the Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea before travel.
    • The source does not establish a tourist duration, independent-tour eligibility, carrier service or final admission.
    1 passport nationalities covered

    Austria

    Official sourceAustrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs: Democratic People's Republic of Korea travel information