A road through green mountains in North Korea

Who needs a visa for North Korea?

Eastern Asia · Pyongyang

Photo: Nicor / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

No nationality enters North Korea without paperwork. Of 198, 198 must be approved before they travel.

We have not found a North Korea government portal we can link to with confidence, so we link to none — a lookalike is worse than nothing. Apply through North Korea's own immigration service or its embassy.

What do you need?

Who needs what

Visa required 198

You must apply and be approved before you travel. Airlines will refuse to board you without it.

About North Korea

Region
Eastern Asia
Capital
Pyongyang
Population
26,571,036 2025 · 56th of 197
Size
120,538 km² 97th largest of 199
Density
220 per km²
Language
Korean
Currency
North Korean won KPW
Borders
China Russia South Korea

Capital, area, languages and currency from the open country dataset, pulled 21 September 2026. Population from the World Bank, series updated 13 July 2026. Density is calculated from the two figures above.