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!