The Immigration Law was adopted on 19 January 1996 and amended on 28 January 1999, 10 April 2012, 10 July 2013 and 21 June 2017. Foreign nationals generally enter and leave only through designated border crossing points and undergo passage inspection. They must present the required certificate, entry or exit forms and control stamps. Prohibited or confidential materials cannot be brought through the border. A visa is normally required. Applications usually go through a North Korean diplomatic or consular mission, although an inviting institution, a foreign diplomatic or consular mission or an international organization may apply in some cases. Bilateral agreements can provide visa-free entry. Private-purpose travel can require a travel-consent document from an immigration agency. Tourist certificates may support visa-free entry and exit under the applicable arrangement, seaman certificates apply at selected trade ports, and border-area immigration certificates restrict travel to designated border regions unless an additional authorization is granted. Foreign-investment arrangements can allow managerial staff, technicians and skilled workers for specified jobs under a contract, with approval from the central trade guidance organ; the published law does not establish a general work-visa category. A stay of up to 90 days is treated as short-term. A stay from 91 days is long-term. Registration at the destination is generally due within 48 hours after arrival, and an intermediate stay exceeding 48 hours requires local registration. Long-term stay certificates are purpose-specific. Foreign nationals who reside in North Korea generally need a residence registration certificate, which is valid for three years. This certificate is not the same as permanent residence. Holders must carry their documents, report long-term changes within seven days, report changes to residence data caused by birth, death, marriage, divorce or a job within 14 days, and register at the new place within 25 days after deregistration from the former residence. A person leaving long-term residence must deposit the certificate with the immigration agency and recover it on return. Travel certificates and regional arrival and departure confirmations can also apply to residents, private-purpose stayers and border-certificate holders; diplomatic and official-purpose foreigners have different travel arrangements. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic and consular missions, inviting institutions, international-organization representatives, immigration agencies and passage inspection agencies perform different functions. Provincial and directly governed-city agencies, city, district and county agencies, and the Resident Registration Agency can handle local registration or residence matters. The Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly decides nationality admission and removal petitions. The Nationality Law allows nationality by birth in several mixed-nationality and stateless-parent situations, and allows foreign nationals or stateless persons to apply for acquisition or recovery. It does not publicly specify a general residence period, language test, integration requirement, livelihood test or standard fee for these petitions. Publicly available sources do not establish a transparent general family-reunification title, student-visa system, permanent-settlement title or detailed integration pathway. The Constitution contains a right of asylum or refuge for foreign nationals persecuted for specified political, social or scientific and cultural pursuits, but the Immigration Law does not publicly define an application process, status decision, reception system, hearing, appeal procedure or non-refoulement rule. North Korea is not listed in the UN Treaty Collection as a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. These gaps make protection, family migration and permanent residence difficult to assess from published rules alone. Immigration fees are provided for by law and visa fees may depend on reciprocity, but a reliable public tariff was not found. A visa and a North Korean invitation can require several weeks of processing; German official travel guidance has indicated around four weeks in some cases, but timing varies by nationality and purpose. Operational access is highly volatile. On 9 September 2026, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office reported that general border entry had remained largely closed since 2020, with only partial reopening and limited tourism, and that not all passenger routes had resumed. A foreign national without a valid certificate, who overstays or violates North Korean law can face a fine, an entry or exit ban, cancellation of stay or travel approval, expulsion or criminal liability in serious cases. Expulsion rules cover serious violations, illegal entry without a visa, overstaying and violations of the legal order. A carrier may bear the return costs for a prohibited entrant. Appeals may be directed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the responsible immigration agency or another competent legal institution, but published sources do not specify a general appeal deadline, automatic suspension or independent review body.
Immigration law in North Korea
North Korea’s Immigration Law (출입국법) governs the entry, stay, movement and departure of foreign nationals. Most travel requires a passport or replacement document, an immigration certificate and prior authorization through a responsible authority, diplomatic mission or inviting institution. The system provides detailed registration and document duties, but public rules for family migration, permanent residence, integration and asylum procedures remain limited or unclear.
Tip
Treat entry to and residence in North Korea as a purpose-specific authorization process, not as a general immigration pathway. Secure the invitation, visa or certificate, approved travel route and registration arrangements before committing money or travel dates. Because border access, routes and processing times can change, confirm the current position with the responsible North Korean mission or inviting institution immediately before departure.