Can North Koreans leave the country? Despite the common misconception that North Koreans can’t travel abroad, a lot of them in fact do, and the North Korean passport is a lot more valuable than you might expect.
North Koreans (at least, those with permission to travel) have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 42 countries. This makes a North Korean passport as versatile as that of Ethiopia!
List of visa free/visa on arrival countries for North Korean citizens:
Antigua and Barbuda – electronic entry visa
Armenia – E-Visa/Visa on arrival
Bangladesh – Visa on arrival
Benin – E-visa/Visa on arrival
Cambodia – 30 day visa on arrival (Cambodia have traditionally strong relations with the DPRK)
Cape Verde – Visa on arrival
Comoros – Visa on arrival
Djibouti – 31 day e-visa
Dominica – 21 days completely visa free
Egypt – 30 day visa on arrival
Ethiopia – 90 day visa on arrival
Gabon – E-visa
Guinea-Bissau – 90 day visa on arrival
Guyana – Visa free 90 days
Haiti – Visa free for 90 days
Iran – 30 day visa on arrival
Jordan – 30 day visa on arrival
Kyrgyzstan – Completely visa free (unlimited time)
Laos – 30 day visa on arrival
Lesotho – E-visa
Madagascar – 90 days visa on arrival
Malawi – 90 day visa on arrival
Maldives 30 day visa on arrival
Mauritania – 30 day visa on arrival
Micronesia – visa not required for 30 days
Mozambique – 30 day visa on arrival
Myanmar (Burma) – 28 day e-visa
Nepal – Visa on arrival
Nicaragua – 90 day visa on arrival
Palau – 30 day visa on arrival
Qatar – 30 day e-visa
Rwanda – Evisa/visa on arrival 30 days
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Visa not required for 30 days
Samoa – 60 day entry permit on arrival
São Tomé and Príncipe – E-visa
Seychelles – 90 day visitor permit on arrival
Singapore – e-visa
Somalia – 30 day visa on arrival
Tanzania – E-visa
Timor-Leste (East Timor) – 30 day visa on arrival
Togo – 7 day visa on arrival
Tuvalu – 30 day visa on arrival
Uganda – Visa on arrival
Uzbekistan – E-visa
Zambia – E-visa
Zimbabwe – E-visa
I have yet to find out if unrecognized countries, such as Abkhazia or Transnistria, require visas for citizens of North Korea. Maybe that will be a new blog! So: can North Koreans leave the country? See for yourself.
To travel in the opposite direction then check out our list of tours!