North Korea now screens visa applicants for US citizenship, blocking dual nationals

Applicants will be vetted for any connection to US nationality during the visa process, closing a loophole that allowed Americans to enter on second passports

North Korea has added a new screening layer to its visa approval process that checks all applicants for any connection to American citizenship. Anyone found to hold US nationality alongside another passport will now be automatically denied permission to enter the country, according to NK News.

The change was disclosed by Young Pioneer Tours (YPT), a travel agency that specializes in organizing trips to North Korea. In a blog post published on Wednesday, the firm confirmed the restriction and said it applies immediately to all US-linked visitors, whether they are seeking to enter for tourism, business, or sporting events.

YPT wrote that "the restriction comes into effect immediately with applicants being checked for any links to U.S. citizenship during the visa approval process" and that "individuals found to hold American nationality alongside another passport will no longer be granted permission to enter."

What loophole this closes

Until now, Americans who also held citizenship in a country with friendlier ties to Pyongyang could sidestep restrictions by applying for a North Korean visa using their second passport. That workaround existed despite a 2017 US government travel ban that prohibits American citizens from visiting the DPRK, a ban Washington has renewed on a yearly basis since it was first introduced.

By building nationality checks directly into the visa vetting process, North Korea has shut down that route entirely. Citizens of DPRK-friendly nations who also carry an American passport are no longer eligible for entry.

Tourism to North Korea remains extremely limited

Even before this latest restriction, visiting North Korea was an option available to very few people. The country sealed its borders entirely in 2020 as part of its pandemic response, and the reopening that has taken place since has been minimal. At present, only Russian nationals are being accepted for tourist travel to the DPRK.

The dual-national ban adds another obstacle to any broader resumption of tourism and signals that Pyongyang has little interest in re-engaging with Washington at this stage. The decision sits alongside a pattern of stops and starts in North Korean tourism over the past two years that has left the sector's future deeply uncertain.

Situation could still shift

YPT cautioned that the picture remains incomplete and could change. The firm noted that "as this is a breaking development, the situation remains fluid and may evolve before tourism to North Korea resumes."

For now, though, anyone with American citizenship, regardless of what other passports they carry, should consider the door to North Korea firmly closed.