Visa policy of North Korea

Not to be confused with Visa policy of South Korea.

Most visitors to North Korea must obtain a visa in advance from one of the North Korean diplomatic missions. ^[1]

All visitors holding ordinary passports (except South Korea) must obtain a visa prior to entering North Korea. For tourism purposes require prior authorization from a travel agency registered with the State General Bureau of Tourist Guidance.

Visa requirement

North Korean tourist visas are issued in the form of a tourist card for tourists, or on a separate paper for other types of visas. No stamps are stamped inside one's actual passport. ^[2]

Visa exemption

Since 2014, citizens of China holding ordinary passports visiting only the Tongrim County in a tour group can stay there for up to 2 days. ^[3] They may also visit Sinuiju for a day trip without a visa. ^[4]

Date of visa changes
Kyrgyzstan: Under the agreement between USSR and North Korea on 22 January 1986 9 March 2009: Malaysia [5] December 2013: Singapore Cancelled 1 October 2016: Singapore [6] [7] 6 March 2017: Malaysia [8]

Non-ordinary passports

Visa policy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

  North Korea

  Visa not required for diplomatic, official or service category passports

  Visa not required for diplomatic passports

  Visa required

Holders of non-ordinary passports issued to citizens of the following countries can enter North Korea without a visa, for a stay up to the duration listed below: ^[1]

Indefinite stay Kyrgyzstan DS 90 days Belarus DO Bulgaria DS Mongolia DO Russia DS Serbia DO [9] 30 days Cambodia D O China D S Cuba D O Iran D Laos DS Montenegro DS Myanmar DS Singapore DO Tajikistan DS Vietnam DO Zimbabwe DO 14 days Indonesia D S

_{D - Diplomatic passports
O - Official passports
S - Service passports}

South Korea

Citizens of South Korea seeking to visit North Korea cannot use South Korean passports to travel to North Korea. They must instead submit a North/South Korea visitation verification certificate or special authorization as well as a departure card to the North Korean immigration officer at the port of entry and go through immigration inspection in North Korea.^{[ citation needed ]} No South Korean citizens have legally travelled to North Korea since 2021. ^[10]

Statistics

Country	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010
Russia [11]	89	437	3,134	2,995	4,359	4,220	4,231	3,819	6,313	6,636	8,314	4,625
South Korea [10]	0	297	5,069	9,509	52	14,787	132,097	129,028	76,503	120,360	116,047	130,119

See also

• North Korea portal

• Citizenship in North Korea
• North Korean passport
• Nationality Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
• Visa requirements for North Korean citizens
• Tourism in North Korea
• Visa policy of South Korea

References

1. "Visa and passport". Timatic . International Air Transport Association through Emirates . Retrieved 1 April 2017.
2. "HOW TO GET A NORTH KOREAN VISA - URITOURS". 19 November 2017.
3. "DPRK opens Tongnim-jun to Chinese tourists". usa.chinadaily.com.cn. China Daily. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
4. Leo Byrne (23 December 2015). "North Korea opens new tourist zone at Sinuiju". NK★News.org. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
5. Fazleena Aziz (9 March 2009). "Only Malaysians can visit North Korea without a visa". thestaronline. The Star. Archived from the original on 10 March 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
6. "North Koreans travelling to Singapore will require visas from Oct 1". The Straits Times . Singapore Press Holdings. 30 July 2016. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
7. Kang Jin-Kyu; Yoo Jee-Hye (31 July 2016). "Singapore ends visa waivers for North Korea". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
8. "Kim Jong-nam death: Malaysia scraps visa-free entry for North Koreans". The Guardian. Associated Press. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
9. "Korea, DPR | Ministry of Foreign Affairs". www.mfa.gov.rs. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
10. https://unikorea.go.kr/web/eng_unikorea/contents/statistics_traffic
11. "fedstat.ru". Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2022-03-17.

External links

• Media related to Visas of North Korea at Wikimedia Commons