Has North Korea Banned U.S. Dual Citizens?
There have been recent reports suggesting that North Korea (DPRK) has stopped allowing entry to U.S. citizens who also hold another nationality, even if they intend to travel on their non-U.S. passport. While the reports have generated considerable discussion within the North Korea travel community, the overall picture remains limited.
As things stand, there doesn’t appear to be an actual wider policy change from the DPRK authorities. Instead, the information currently available comes from specialist tour operators working with their local counterparts in Pyongyang.
You can find our North Korea tours below:
What has been reported?
On 17 June 2026, several North Korea travel operators reported that U.S. dual nationals were no longer being granted visas to enter the DPRK, regardless of which passport they intended to use.
One operator stated that this restriction applies to all U.S. dual nationals, while another took a more cautious approach, explaining that the information currently relates only to the limited group of tourists who are presently able to visit North Korea.
What have we heard?
At Beyond The Borders Tours, we remain in regular contact with our partners in Pyongyang.
At the time of writing, we have not received any information directly from our partners confirming a broader policy affecting future international tourism or future group departures.
As with many developments relating to travel to North Korea, information often becomes clearer once policies are formally implemented or tourism resumes on a larger scale.
Why is there some confusion?
At present, tourism to North Korea remains extremely limited.
The only regular leisure tourism currently taking place is for Russian visitors, while travellers from most other countries are still unable to visit.
Reports circulating within the industry indicate that some Russian tourists holding U.S. or South Korean dual nationality have been refused visas. Industry sources have explained that, because wider international tourism has not yet resumed, there is currently no broader published policy covering other nationalities or future visitors. Instead, any future visa policy is expected to be confirmed when tourism opens more widely again.
This distinction is important. The reports relate to today’s very limited tourism environment and should not automatically be interpreted as a permanent rule for all future visitors.
What does this mean for future travellers?
For now, very little changes for most travellers.
Since North Korea remains closed to the vast majority of international tourists, questions such as visa eligibility, nationality requirements and entry policies for future group tours are unlikely to be fully answered until borders reopen more broadly.
As the situation develops, we expect additional clarification from our local partners and the DPRK tourism authorities.
We’ll continue monitoring developments
As always, we’ll continue speaking with our partners in Pyongyang and provide updates whenever new information becomes available.
If you’re considering travelling to North Korea in the future, particularly if you hold dual nationality, it’s worth keeping an eye on developments over the coming months rather than drawing firm conclusions from today’s limited information.
For the latest updates on North Korea’s reopening, border status and tourism news, see our dedicated guide:
Is the North Korea border open in 2026?
https://beyondtheborderstours.com/is-the-north-korea-border-open-in-2026-dprk-updates/
