The Democratic People's Republic of Korea passport (), commonly referred to as the North Korean passport, is the

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

which may be issued to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n citizens for international travel. Since the majority of North Koreans do not get opportunities to leave the country, due to foreign sanctions, DPRK passports are rarely issued.

History

The earliest passports of the

Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

were issued in 1902 by the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire, officially the Empire of Korea or Imperial Korea, was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. Dur ...

, with two types, a trading passport and a travel passport. The passports have Korean

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

text as well as English and French translations. The

People's Committee of North Korea The People's Committee of North Korea () was a provisional government governing the Northern portion of the Korean Peninsula from 1947 until 1948. Established on 21 February 1947 as the successor of the de facto provisional government of the Pr ...

also issued "Certificate for Foreign Travel" for the same purpose, which had Korean mixed text as well as English and Russian translations. North Korean passports were first issued in the 1950s with Korean (

Chosŏn'gŭl The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

), Russian and Chinese ( traditional script) texts, while the current(likely after 2000) passport has Korean (Chosŏn'gŭl) and English only. In 2016, North Korea began issuing

biometric passport A biometric passport (also known as an electronic passport, e-passport or a digital passport) is a passport that has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip, which contains biometrics, biometric information that can be used to authenticate ...

s complying to the ICAO 9303 standard. File:Korean passport, 1905.jpg, The Korean Empire's travel passport issued in 1905. File:Certificate for Foreign Travel of the People's Committee of North Korea (2).jpg, The Certificate for Foreign Travel issued in 1947.

Physical appearance

DPRK passport covers are navy blue with the

emblem of North Korea The National Emblem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is one of the national symbols of North Korea. Prominent features on the emblem are a red star, a hydroelectric plant (the Sup'ung Dam) and Mount Paektu. The design bears simi ...

emblazoned in the center. The official name of the country "" and "DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA" are inscribed above the emblem, with "" (''ryŏgwon'') and "PASSPORT" below.

Passport types

* An ordinary passport is a single passport which, after being granted special permission, is handed out to North Koreans who visit foreign countries for official reasons, i.e., sports and academic competitions, business trips. Ordinary passports are taken back by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after returning to North Korea. The cover is navy blue. * An official passport is issued for trade and other economic bureaucrats travelling abroad. The cover is green. * A

diplomatic passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's Identity (social science), identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign ...

is issued to high officials from the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

, the

Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea is the Central committee, highest organ between National meetings of the Workers' Party of Korea, national meetings of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party of North Korea. Accor ...

, and other subordinate offices of the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), also called the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), is the sole ruling party of North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is ...

. For other bureaucrats, only vice ministers or higher can receive a diplomatic passport. The cover is red. Official and diplomatic passports must be returned and kept in the passport office, from where it can be retrieved for any further foreign travel. Ordinary passports are never issued without special permission and all holders must apply for an exit visa in order to legally leave the country. North Korean Passport First Page

Identity pages

A DPRK Passport includes two identity pages. The first identifies the holder, and includes the following information: *1. Passport number *2. Name in full (in Latin and Korean scripts) *3. Date of birth (YY-MM-DD) *4. Place of birth *5. Nationality (specified as "Korean") *6. Length of the passport validity (five years) *7. Expiry date (YY-MM-DD) *8. Issue date (YY-MM-DD) The second page is for official endorsements.

Note of passport

The passport contains the following note: Korean: English: Visa requirements for North Korean citizens

Inter-Korea travel

Gallery

File:Certificate for Foreign Travel of the People's Committee of North Korea.jpg, 1947 North Korean Certificate for Foreign Travel front cover File:DPRK Passport (1950s).jpg, 1950s DPRK passport File:DPRK passport 1950s version inner page.jpg, 1950s DPRK passport, inner page File:Personal Informatin Page of DPRK Passport (1950s Version).jpg, 1950s DPRK passport, personal information page File:DPRK Passport (1990s).png, 1990s-edition passport covers File:DPRK Old Emergency Passport.jpg, 2000-edition emergency DPRK passport File:PassDPRK.jpg, Passport 2019

References

External links

Picture of personal detail in DPRK passport and ROK travel certificate and Japan registration cardDPRK official passportDPRK Ordinary Passport and ROK Ordinary Passport
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New North Korean Passport since 2000
{{Portal bar, North Korea Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Foreign relations of North Korea