North Korea entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO advice): Valid for the whole stay (until the day you leave)
The FCDO words this as advice (“should” or “make sure”), not as a strict requirement: the full sentence is quoted below.
Visa (FCDO): You need a visa to enter North Korea. Official visa text
Official source: GOV.UK – North Korea travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 10 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter North Korea, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Australian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Do I need a visa for North Korea with a British passport?
In short: You need a visa to enter North Korea.
Our one-line summary of the first FCDO sentence below, which matches a wording we recognise. It applies to British citizen passport holders; read the full official text, which may add conditions.
You must have a visa to enter North Korea.
Applying for a visa
Send visa applications and enquires directly to the North Korean Embassy in the UK.
Email: prkinfo@yahoo.com
Telephone: 020 8992 4965
Official source: GOV.UK – North Korea travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 10 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay.
Official source: GOV.UK – North Korea travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 10 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for North Korea
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 10 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 4 February 2020: “Health and Entry requirements sections - updated information on travel restrictions and suspension of air and train routes into and out of North Korea in response to coronavirus outbreak in China”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for North Korea (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (Valid for the whole stay (FCDO advice))
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status