For a foreign national authorized to stay in the free economic and trade zone for more than 90 days and no more than one year.
Legal text via official repository: natlex.ilo.org · checked 2026-07-27
Eastern Asia · Immigration
North Korea
North Korea sits in Eastern Asia. Its immigration system runs 5 distinct routes — led by residence-based status, short stay & visit and humanitarian protection, each set out in official law. 1 of them cite an official government source, shown on the route with the date we last read it. Who actually qualifies depends on your full profile.
- Immigration routes
- 5across 3 route categories, each set out in official law
- Source-cited routes
- 1 of 5cite an official government source, with the date we last read it
- Largest category
- Residence-based status2 of the 5 routes — see them under Residence-based status below
- Region
- Eastern Asia
- Capital
- Pyongyang
- Population
- 26,571,036
- Official language
- Korean
- Currency
- KPW
- Time zone
- UTC+09:00
Source-cited pathways
Immigration routes
All 5 routes, grouped by purpose — 1 of 5 cite an official government source directly. Any route below without one says so on the route.
Residence-based status
2 routes
For a foreign national authorized to reside in the free economic and trade zone for more than one year.
Legal text via official repository: natlex.ilo.org · checked 2026-07-27
Short stay & visit
2 routes
For a foreign traveller seeking entry permission from a DPRK diplomatic mission.
Can bring: dependants
For a foreign national admitted to the DPRK free economic and trade zone for no more than 90 days.
Legal text via official repository: natlex.ilo.org · checked 2026-07-27
Humanitarian protection
1 route
No current public in-country asylum registration or refugee-status procedure was identified.
Official source of the governing body: unhcr.org · checked 2026-07-27
Official sources
See which North Korea routes you actually qualify for.
Take the free 3-minute check for your verdict, country by country — then unlock the full report.