How to visit North Korea – everything you need to know about applying for a visa and joining an official tour
Tourism in the self-contained East Asian nation is highly controlled, but it’s still possible to visit nuclear-sanctioned North Korea on a state-sponsored tour – here’s how
Although it’s not your typical travel destination, ears prick upwards when North Korea is mentioned. Often associated with controversial headlines, North Korea is such a far-flung destination, many people still don’t realise you can actually visit. Whether you’re fascinated by the secrecy North Korea lives in or hell-bent on visiting every country on the planet, preconceptions and actuality meet head-to-head when you step foot into the DPRK – the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
How to get to North Korea
The burning question everyone asks is how to get to North Korea. First and foremost, if you’re a citizen of the United States, South Korea or Malaysia, you cannot currently visit North Korea. At all.
For the rest of us, the only way to visit North Korea is with a registered and approved tour operator providing state-approved trips. You cannot travel solo to North Korea.
How to get a North Korean Visa
You’ll need to fill out a booking form with your respective tour operator, a DPRK visa form, sign the terms of the travel agreement, provide a copy of your passport and a passport photo with a white background. Your tour company will provide these upon booking.
Normally, you won’t get a stamp in your passport, as the visa is a separate piece of paper. However, going by experience when visiting Rason with Young Pioneer Tours, the customs do stamp you in and out. You cannot obtain a North Korean visa independently.
Young Pioneer Tours and Konsult Korea provide multiple itineraries for tours within the DPRK.
US visa changes
