Contents

Visa requirements for North Korean citizens

Travel allowances and restrictions

Visa requirements for North Korean citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of North Korea by the authorities of other states.

As of 2024, North Korean citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 42 countries and territories, ranking the North Korea passport 99th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index.^[1]

Visa requirements map[edit]

Visa requirements[edit]

Country	Visa requirement	Allowed stay	Notes (excluding departure fees)
Afghanistan	Visa required[2]
Albania	eVisa[3][4]
Algeria	Visa required[5]
Andorra	Visa required[6]
Angola	Visa required[7]
Antigua and Barbuda	eVisa[8]
Argentina	Visa required[9]
Armenia	eVisa / Visa on arrival[10]	120 days
Australia	Online Visa required[11][12]		May apply online (Online Visitor e600 visa).
Austria	Visa required[13]
Azerbaijan	Visa required[14]
Bahamas	eVisa[15]
Bahrain	Visa required[16]
Bangladesh	Visa on arrival[17]	30 days
Barbados	Visa required[18]
Belarus	Visa required[19]
Belgium	Visa required[20]
Belize	Visa required[21]		Bearers of valid visas issued by a Schengen Member State are visa exempt for a maximum stay of 90 days.
Benin	eVisa[22][23]	30 days	Must have an international vaccination certificate.
Bhutan	eVisa[24][25]
Bolivia	eVisa[26][27]	30 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Visa required[28]
Botswana	eVisa[29][30]	3 months
Brazil	Visa required[31]
Brunei	Visa required[32]
Bulgaria	Visa required[33]
Burkina Faso	eVisa[34][35]
Burundi	Visa on arrival[36]	1 month
Cambodia	eVisa / Visa on arrival[37]	30 days
Cameroon	eVisa[38][39]
Canada	Visa required[40]
Cape Verde	Visa on arrival[41]
Central African Republic	Visa required[42]
Chad	Visa required[43]
Chile	Visa required[44]
China	Visa required[45]		Visa is not required for passports endorsed for public affairs or for official trip.
Colombia	Online visa[46][47]
Comoros	Visa on arrival[48]	45 days
Republic of the Congo	Visa required[49]
Democratic Republic of the Congo	eVisa[50][51]	7 days
Costa Rica	Visa required[52]
Côte d'Ivoire	eVisa[53][54]	3 months	e-Visa holders must arrive via Port Bouet Airport.
Croatia	Visa required[55]
Cuba	Tourist card required[56]	90 days	Can be extended up to 90 days with a fee.
Cyprus	Visa required[57]
Czech Republic	Visa required[58]
Denmark	Visa required[59]
Djibouti	eVisa[60][61]	90 days
Dominica	Visa not required[62]	21 days
Dominican Republic	Visa required[63]
Ecuador	Visa required[64]
Egypt	Visa required[65]
El Salvador	Visa required[66]
Equatorial Guinea	eVisa[67][68]
Eritrea	Visa required[69]
Estonia	Visa required[70]
Eswatini	Visa required[71]
Ethiopia	Visa on arrival[72][73]		Credit card payment transactions are not accepted when applying for e-Visa.
Fiji	Visa required[74]
Finland	Visa required[75]
France	Visa required[76]
Gabon	eVisa[77][78]	90 days	e-Visa holders must arrive via Libreville International Airport.
Gambia	Visa required[79]
Georgia	eVisa[80][81]	30 days
Germany	Visa required[82]
Ghana	Visa required[83]
Greece	Visa required[84]
Grenada	Visa required[85]
Guatemala	Visa required[86]
Guinea	eVisa[87][88]	90 days
Guinea-Bissau	Visa on arrival[89]	90 days
Guyana	Visa not required[90]	3 months
Haiti	Visa not required[91]	3 months
Honduras	Visa required[92]
Hungary	Visa required[93]
Iceland	Visa required[94]
India	Visa required[95]
Indonesia	Visa required[96]
Iran	eVisa[97][98]	30 days
Iraq	Visa required[99]
Ireland	Visa required[100]
Israel	Visa required[101]		Confirmation from Israeli Foreign Ministry is required before a visa is issued.[102]
Italy	Visa required[103]
Jamaica	Visa required[104]
Japan	Admission refused		Japan has banned North Korean citizens from entering as part of sanctions against North Korea imposed by the Government of Japan, since February 2016.[105]
Jordan	eVisa / Visa on arrival[106][107]		Visa can be obtained upon arrival, it will cost a total of 40 JOD, obtainable at most international ports of entry and land border crossings. (except King Hussein/Allenby Bridge)
Kazakhstan	eVisa[108][109]
Kenya	Electronic Travel Authorisation[110][111]	90 days	Applications can be submitted up to 90 days prior to travel and must be submitted at least 3 days in advance. eTA fee is USD 32.50. Proof of reservation at the hotel where visitors plan to stay is required (if staying with friends, an invitation letter is also acceptable). Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if coming from endemic countries.
Kiribati	Visa required[112]
South Korea	Particular visit regime[113]		Nationals of either Koreas seeking to visit the other must submit the North/South Korea visitation verification certificate and the Departure card to the Immigration Officer at the immigration port and go through immigration inspection.
Kuwait	Visa required[114]
Kyrgyzstan	Visa not required[115]	Unlimited
Laos	eVisa / Visa on arrival[116]	30 days	17[Note 1] of the 31 border crossings are only open to visa holders.[117] e-Visa may be used to enter Laos through Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, 3 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges[Note 2] and in Boten (road and railroad).[118] Visa on arrival is available at Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, the 4 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges[Note 3] and 6 border crossings.[Note 4][117] Visa on arrival is extendable for an additional 60 days at the Department of Immigration in Vientiane.[119]
Latvia	Visa required[120]
Lebanon	Visa required[121]		In addition to a visa, an approval should be obtained from the Immigration department of the General Directorate of General Security (Sûreté Générale).
Lesotho	eVisa[122][123]
Liberia	Visa required[124]
Libya	eVisa[125][126]
Liechtenstein	Visa required[127]
Lithuania	Visa required[128]
Luxembourg	Visa required[129]
Madagascar	Visa on arrival[130]	60 days
Malawi	eVisa / Visa on arrival[131][132]	90 days
Malaysia	Visa required[133]
Maldives	Free visa on arrival[134]	30 days
Mali	Visa required[135]
Malta	Visa required[136]
Marshall Islands	Visa required[137]
Mauritania	Visa on arrival[138]		Available at Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport.
Mauritius	Visa required[139]
Mexico	Visa required[140]
Micronesia	Visa not required[141]	30 days
Moldova	Visa required[142]		Citizens holding a residence permit or a valid visa issued by one of the member states of the European Union or one of the parties to the Schengen Agreement can apply for an electronic visa.[143]
Monaco	Visa required[144]
Mongolia	Visa required[145]		Mongolian government will hand over North Korean defectors to the South Korean embassy in Mongolia for "repatriation" to South Korea on the grounds of illegal entry.
Montenegro	Visa required[146]
Morocco	Visa required[147]
Mozambique	eVisa / Visa on arrival[148][149]	30 days
Myanmar	eVisa[150][151]	28 days	e-Visa holders must arrive via Yangon, Nay Pyi TaworMandalay airports or via land border crossings with Thailand — Tachileik, Myawaddy and KawthaungorIndia — Rih Khaw Dar and Tamu. e-Visa available for both tourism (allowed stay is 28 days) or business (allowed stay is 70 days) purposes.
Namibia	Visa required[152]		Processing time for a visa to Namibia upon 7 working days is mandatory.
Nauru	Visa required[153]
Nepal	Online Visa / Visa on arrival[154][155]	90 days
Netherlands	Visa required[156]
New Zealand	Visa required[157]		Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay (pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement), subject to meeting character requirements and obtaining an Electronic Travel Authority prior to departure.[158]
Nicaragua	Visa on arrival[159]	90 days
Niger	Visa required[160]
Nigeria	eVisa[161][162]	90 days
North Macedonia	Visa required[163]
Norway	Visa required[164]
Oman	Visa required[165]
Pakistan	Online Visa[166][167]	3 months	Online Visa eligible.[168]
Palau	Free visa on arrival[169]	30 days
Panama	Visa required[170]
Papua New Guinea	eVisa[171][172]	60 days	Visitors may apply for a visa online under the "Tourist - Own Itinerary" category.
Paraguay	Visa required[173]
Peru	Visa required[174]
Philippines	Visa required[175]
Poland	Visa required[176]
Portugal	Visa required[177]
Qatar	eVisa[178][179]		Visitors may apply for a visa on the Hayya website.
Romania	Visa required[180]
Russia	eVisa[181][182]	16 days
Rwanda	eVisa / Visa on arrival[183][184]	30 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Visa required[185]
Saint Lucia	Visa required[186]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Visa not required[187]	3 month
Samoa	Visa not required[188]	90 days
San Marino	Visa required[189]
São Tomé and Príncipe	eVisa[190][191]
Saudi Arabia	Visa required[192]
Senegal	Visa required[193]
Serbia	Visa required[194]
Seychelles	Electronic Border System[195][196]	3 months	Application can be submitted up to 30 days before travel. Visitors must upload a reservation confirmation(s) for each visitor's location of stay in Seychelles. Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if coming from endemic countries. Payment of the fee (EUR 10) by credit or debit card. Valid for one journey only and it expires once exit the country.
Sierra Leone	eVisa[197][198]	3 months
Singapore	Visa required[199][200]
Slovakia	Visa required[201]
Slovenia	Visa required[202]
Solomon Islands	Visa required[203]		Pre-arranged visa can be picked up on arrival.
Somalia	Visa on arrival[204]	30 days	Available at Bosaso Airport, Galcaio Airport and Mogadishu Airport.
South Africa	Visa required[205]
South Sudan	eVisa[206][207]		Obtainable online. Printed visa authorization must be presented at the time of travel.
Spain	Visa required[208]
Sri Lanka	Visa required[209]		Below are the documents required: Police Clearance report If the applicant is coming from another country after staying for more than 6 months, are required to provide Police clearance from that country and copy of the Visa Certificate from a Sri Lankan guarantor & a photocopy of the guarantors NIC Affidavit from a Sri Lankan JP (Justice of Peace) or a Lawyer Accommodation information (Place of stay)
Sudan	Visa required[210]
Suriname	Visa not required[211][212]	90 days	An entrance fee of USD 25 or EUR 25 must be paid online prior to arrival.[213] Multiple entry e-Visa is also available.[214]
Sweden	Visa required[215]
Switzerland	Visa required[216]
Syria	Visa required[217]
Tajikistan	Visa required[218]
Tanzania	eVisa / Visa on arrival[219][220]	90 days
Thailand	eVisa[221][222]	60 days	North Korean defectors can enter Thailand without identification and they can travel to South Korea from there.
Timor-Leste	Visa on arrival[223]	30 days
Togo	eVisa[224][225]	15 days
Tonga	Visa required[226]
Trinidad and Tobago	Visa required[227]
Tunisia	Visa required[228]
Turkey	Visa required[229]		Visa can be obtained on arrival by holders of a valid physical visa or residence permit from Schengen or OECD countries.
Turkmenistan	Visa required[230]
Tuvalu	Visa on arrival[231]	1 month
Uganda	eVisa[232][233]	3 months
Ukraine	Visa required[234]
United Arab Emirates	Visa required[235]		May apply using 'Smart service'.[236]
United Kingdom	Visa required[237]
United States	Visa required[238]
Uruguay	Visa required[239]
Uzbekistan	eVisa[240][241]	30 days
Vanuatu	Visa required[242]
Vatican City	Visa required[243]
Venezuela	Visa required[244]
Vietnam	eVisa[245][246]		e-Visa is valid for 90 days and multiple entry.
Yemen	Visa required[247]
Zambia	eVisa[248][249]	90 days
Zimbabwe	eVisa[250][251]	3 months

Territories[edit]

Visa requirements for citizens for visits to various territories, disputed areas and restricted zones:

Visitor to	Visa requirement	Notes (excluding departure fees)
Europe
Kosovo	Visa required	Visa not required for holders of a valid biometric residence permit issued by one of the Schengen member states or a valid multi-entry Schengen Visa, a holder of a valid Laissez-Passer issued by United Nations Organizations, NATO, OSCE, Council of Europe or European Union a holder of a valid travel documents issued by EU Member and Schengen States, United States of America, Canada, Australia and Japan based on the 1951 Convention on Refugee Status or the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons, as well as holders of valid travel documents for foreigners (max. 15 days stay)[252]

Foreign travel statistics[edit]

These are the numbers of visits by North Korean citizens to various countries in 2019 (unless otherwise noted):

Destination	Number of visitors	Year	Ref.
United States	48	2019	[253]
China	251,000	2018	[254][255]
Czech Republic	21		[256]
Germany	117		[257]
Poland	46		[258]
Sweden	258		[259]
South Korea	809	2018	[260]
Ukraine	240	2017	[261]
Russia	12,494		[262]

See also[edit]

• Visa policy of North Korea
• North Korean passport
• Citizenship in North Korea
• Nationality Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
• List of nationalities forbidden at border

References[edit]

Notes[edit]