North Korea entry requirements, by passport
North Korea visa requirements at a glance: All 198 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for North Korea for your nationality.
What we've verified for North Korea
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 6 October 2026). The specifics depend on your nationality: open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Required documents (3)
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Stay and transit rules
Sources: exteriores.gob.es (travel advice of Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for North Korea, updated 6 May 2026: advice against travel, visa, entry via China or Russia, organised tours, photography, customs, currency, detention, Embassy in Seoul); gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/north-korea (UK Government: registration at 24 hours). All checked on 6 October 2026.
This table summarises the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track. The difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorisation, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorisation: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 12 October 2026. Published: 6 October 2026.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa required | ||
| Afghanistan | Visa required | — |
| Albania | Visa required | — |
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Andorra | Visa required | — |
| Angola | Visa required | — |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Visa required | — |
| Argentina | Visa required | — |
| Armenia | Visa required | — |
| Australia | Visa required | — |
| Austria | Visa required | — |
| Azerbaijan | Visa required | — |
| Bahamas | Visa required | — |
| Bahrain | Visa required | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Barbados | Visa required | — |
| Belarus | Visa required | — |
| Belgium | Visa required | — |
| Belize | Visa required | — |
| Benin | Visa required | — |
| Bhutan | Visa required | — |
| Bolivia | Visa required | — |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Visa required | — |
| Botswana | Visa required | — |
| Brazil | Visa required | — |
| Brunei | Visa required | — |
| Bulgaria | Visa required | — |
| Burkina Faso | Visa required | — |
| Burundi | Visa required | — |
| Cambodia | Visa required | — |
| Cameroon | Visa required | — |
| Canada | Visa required | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa required | — |
| Central African Republic | Visa required | — |
| Chad | Visa required | — |
| Chile | Visa required | — |
| China | Visa required | — |
| Colombia | Visa required | — |
| Comoros | Visa required | — |
| Costa Rica | Visa required | — |
| Croatia | Visa required | — |
| Cuba | Visa required | — |
| Cyprus | Visa required | — |
| Czech Republic | Visa required | — |
| Denmark | Visa required | — |
| Djibouti | Visa required | — |
| Dominica | Visa required | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa required | — |
| DR Congo | Visa required | — |
| Ecuador | Visa required | — |
| Egypt | Visa required | — |
| El Salvador | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Eritrea | Visa required | — |
| Estonia | Visa required | — |
| Eswatini | Visa required | — |
| Ethiopia | Visa required | — |
| Fiji | Visa required | — |
| Finland | Visa required | — |
| France | Visa required | — |
| Gabon | Visa required | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Georgia | Visa required | — |
| Germany | Visa required | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| Greece | Visa required | — |
| Grenada | Visa required | — |
| Guatemala | Visa required | — |
| Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | Visa required | — |
| Guyana | Visa required | — |
| Haiti | Visa required | — |
| Honduras | Visa required | — |
| Hong Kong | Visa required | — |
| Hungary | Visa required | — |
| Iceland | Visa required | — |
| India | Visa required | — |
| Indonesia | Visa required | — |
| Iran | Visa required | — |
| Iraq | Visa required | — |
| Ireland | Visa required | — |
| Israel | Visa required | — |
| Italy | Visa required | — |
| Ivory Coast | Visa required | — |
| Jamaica | Visa required | — |
| Japan | Visa required | — |
| Jordan | Visa required | — |
| Kazakhstan | Visa required | — |
| Kenya | Visa required | — |
| Kiribati | Visa required | — |
| Kosovo | Visa required | — |
| Kuwait | Visa required | — |
| Kyrgyzstan | Visa required | — |
| Laos | Visa required | — |
| Latvia | Visa required | — |
| Lebanon | Visa required | — |
| Lesotho | Visa required | — |
| Liberia | Visa required | — |
| Libya | Visa required | — |
| Liechtenstein | Visa required | — |
| Lithuania | Visa required | — |
| Luxembourg | Visa required | — |
| Macao | Visa required | — |
| Madagascar | Visa required | — |
| Malawi | Visa required | — |
| Malaysia | Visa required | — |
| Maldives | Visa required | — |
| Mali | Visa required | — |
| Malta | Visa required | — |
| Marshall Islands | Visa required | — |
| Mauritania | Visa required | — |
| Mauritius | Visa required | — |
| Mexico | Visa required | — |
| Micronesia | Visa required | — |
| Moldova | Visa required | — |
| Monaco | Visa required | — |
| Mongolia | Visa required | — |
| Montenegro | Visa required | — |
| Morocco | Visa required | — |
| Mozambique | Visa required | — |
| Myanmar | Visa required | — |
| Namibia | Visa required | — |
| Nauru | Visa required | — |
| Nepal | Visa required | — |
| Netherlands | Visa required | — |
| New Zealand | Visa required | — |
| Nicaragua | Visa required | — |
| Niger | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| North Macedonia | Visa required | — |
| Norway | Visa required | — |
| Oman | Visa required | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Palau | Visa required | — |
| Palestine | Visa required | — |
| Panama | Visa required | — |
| Papua New Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Paraguay | Visa required | — |
| Peru | Visa required | — |
| Philippines | Visa required | — |
| Poland | Visa required | — |
| Portugal | Visa required | — |
| Qatar | Visa required | — |
| Republic of the Congo | Visa required | — |
| Romania | Visa required | — |
| Russia | Visa required | — |
| Rwanda | Visa required | — |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Visa required | — |
| Saint Lucia | Visa required | — |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Visa required | — |
| Samoa | Visa required | — |
| San Marino | Visa required | — |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Visa required | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa required | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| Serbia | Visa required | — |
| Seychelles | Visa required | — |
| Sierra Leone | Visa required | — |
| Singapore | Visa required | — |
| Slovakia | Visa required | — |
| Slovenia | Visa required | — |
| Solomon Islands | Visa required | — |
| Somalia | Visa required | — |
| South Africa | Visa required | — |
| South Korea | Visa required | — |
| South Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Spain | Visa required | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Suriname | Visa required | — |
| Sweden | Visa required | — |
| Switzerland | Visa required | — |
| Syria | Visa required | — |
| Taiwan | Visa required | — |
| Tajikistan | Visa required | — |
| Tanzania | Visa required | — |
| Thailand | Visa required | — |
| Timor-Leste | Visa required | — |
| Togo | Visa required | — |
| Tonga | Visa required | — |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Visa required | — |
| Tunisia | Visa required | — |
| Turkey | Visa required | — |
| Turkmenistan | Visa required | — |
| Tuvalu | Visa required | — |
| Uganda | Visa required | — |
| Ukraine | Visa required | — |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa required | — |
| United Kingdom | Visa required | — |
| United States | Visa required | — |
| Uruguay | Visa required | — |
| Uzbekistan | Visa required | — |
| Vanuatu | Visa required | — |
| Vatican | Visa required | — |
| Venezuela | Visa required | — |
| Vietnam | Visa required | — |
| Yemen | Visa required | — |
| Zambia | Visa required | — |
| Zimbabwe | Visa required | — |
North Korea rules for every passport
Vaccinations, customs limits and penalties are the same for every traveller.
Customs limits
- Cash
- Foreign currency must be declared before entry, and taking North Korean won in or out is forbidden. Payment is in euros, dollars or yuan, preferably cash.
Grounds for refusal
- Trying to enter at an unauthorised point.
- Carrying books, religious material or content deemed subversive.
Do you need a different visa for Pyongyang, Hamhung, or Chongjin?
No. North Korea sets the requirements, so entering through Pyongyang asks for the same as entering through Hamhung or Chongjin. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
Where can North Korea passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.