Do United Kingdom passport holders need a visa to visit KP?

A UK ordinary passport holder needs a visa to enter North Korea, and the visa must be arranged in advance through a state-authorised tour operator and the DPRK Embassy in London. In practice, North Korea is closed to general tourism for British citizens as of May 2026: borders have been shut to most foreign tourists since 2020, with only Russian tourists currently admitted. The UK government advises against all travel to North Korea. North Korea (the DPRK) requires all ordinary-passport holders except South Koreans to obtain a visa in advance, and there is no visa-free, eVisa, visa-on-arrival or eTA channel for UK citizens. Tourists may normally only enter as part of a guided tour organised by an authorised operator; the operator obtains the tourist card/visa on the traveller's behalf, and independent travel requires a local sponsor and Ministry of Foreign Affairs permission. North Korea is not part of the Schengen area, so Schengen 90/180 and ETIAS rules do not apply. Critically, since the 2020 COVID-19 closure the country has remained largely shut to international tourism. A brief reopening of the Rason Special Economic Zone in February 2025 was suspended on 5 March 2025, and as of May 2026 only Russian passport holders are admitted as tourists; visas are not being issued to other nationalities including British citizens. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel to North Korea. Travellers should treat this route as both visa-required and currently impractical, and must verify directly with the DPRK Embassy in London before making any plans.