Visa requirements for North Korea
Most visitors need a visa in advance for North Korea. 1 of 199 passports enter visa-free.
Rules by passport
Visa-free (1)
- North Korea
Checked against US Department of State - travel.state.gov, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on October 10, 2026.
Visa required (198)
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macao
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Mali
- Malta
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- the Bahamas
- the Central African Republic
- the Comoros
- the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- the Dominican Republic
- the Gambia
- the Maldives
- the Marshall Islands
- the Netherlands
- the Philippines
- the Republic of the Congo
- the Seychelles
- the Solomon Islands
- the United Arab Emirates
- the United Kingdom
- the United States
- the Vatican City
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Checked against US Department of State - travel.state.gov, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on October 10, 2026.
Visa fees for North Korea
Visa fee: No official source publishes this information. DPRK publishes no public visa fee schedule; tourist visas are arranged via approved tour operators Checked: US Department of State (travel.state.gov), UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
Processing times
Visa processing time: No official source publishes this information. No published processing time; visas arranged pre-travel via approved tour operators Checked: US Department of State (travel.state.gov).
Apply through official channels
North Korea travel information (US State Department)Official guidance page; DPRK has no public online visa application - visas arranged via approved tour operators
Travel insurance for North Korea
Not required. No official source we have checked requires travel insurance to visit North Korea, and none publishes a minimum coverage amount for visitors.
Some visa services claim insurance is mandatory for North Korea and charge you for a policy. We found no official rule behind those claims, so we will not present it as one. Insurance may still be a sensible choice for your trip, but for North Korea it is your choice, not an entry rule. We watch for new mandates daily, and this page will say so if one appears.
Countries that do require it: the full travel insurance requirements list.
Sources and verification
199 of 199 passport rules verified against US Department of State - travel.state.gov, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, 0 with no official source publishing the rule.
- US Department of State - travel.state.gov (checked October 10, 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (checked October 10, 2026)
Common questions
Do I need a visa for North Korea?
It depends on your passport. 1 of 199 passports enter North Korea visa-free; 198 need a visa or authorisation arranged in advance. Find your passport in the groups above.
Do I need travel insurance for North Korea?
No verified requirement. No official source we have checked requires travel insurance to visit North Korea, and none publishes a minimum coverage amount for visitors. Some visa services claim it is mandatory and charge for a policy; we found no official rule behind those claims.