Can a British Driver Drive in North Korea? — In Practice, No

Can a British licence holder drive in North Korea? In practice, no, and pretending otherwise would mislead you. GOV.UK’s travel advice states it directly: international driving permits are not valid in North Korea. Foreign nationals who live there must get a local driving licence by passing a local driving test. There is no route for a visitor to turn a UK licence, with or without a permit, into permission to drive.

This corridor is unlike every other on this site, so instead of inventing speed limits and fine figures that no visitor will use, this page explains how movement works for a British traveller.

No self-drive, no rental desk

North Korea does not offer self-drive car hire to foreign tourists. Visitors enter on approved, organised tours and are accompanied by state-assigned guides throughout, with transport and a driver provided as part of the arrangement. You spend your time as a passenger. The questions that matter elsewhere, such as whether your licence is recognised, whether you need an IDP, or what the rental desk will ask, simply do not arise. There is no rental desk to ask.

Taxis and public transport

GOV.UK adds some detail on getting around. You can get taxis from hotels or outside some department stores, but drivers will be reluctant to take you without a local guide or interpreter. Foreign nationals are not usually allowed to use public transport unless accompanied by a local guide. In other words, even the options that exist in other countries are tied to your guide here, so plan on staying with your group.

Road conditions, as a passenger

British advice warns that roads are often of poor quality with frequent hazards, and that pedestrian road safety awareness is low. In 2018 a tour bus carrying Chinese tourists crashed on the road between Pyongyang and the Demilitarized Zone, killing a number of passengers. That is a reminder that you are exposed to road risk even when you are not driving: the quality of the vehicle, the driver and the road is out of your hands. Wear a seatbelt wherever one is fitted, and treat roadside pedestrians with caution if you do walk.

Getting there

GOV.UK notes that most travellers entering by air take direct flights from Beijing to Pyongyang, operated by Air Koryo or Air China. It also records that the UK Air Safety List bans Air Koryo from operating commercial services to the UK, with the exception of two Tupolev Tu204 aircraft, and that incidents on Air Koryo flights in July 2016 and May 2017 raised concerns about its safety record and maintenance. That is a flight question rather than a driving one, but it belongs in the same planning conversation as the road advice above.

The side of the road, for completeness

The country drives on the right, the opposite of the UK. That is academic when you are not at the wheel, but it does change the habit of looking right first when you step off the kerb: look left as well, since traffic comes from the other direction compared with home.

What the page cannot tell you

Posted limits and enforcement details are not meaningfully documented for visitors, and because no foreign tourist self-drives, there is no reliable real-world figure to give you. Be sceptical of any site that claims precise tourist driving rules for North Korea. Equally, no verified emergency number is documented for visitors, so rely on your guide and your tour operator rather than trying to dial anything yourself.

What to do with your licence

If your trip includes North Korea, your transport is arranged for you, and your only “driving” decision is which tour you book. Save your International Driving Permit and car-hire planning for the other countries on your itinerary, where they will genuinely be needed. Rules differ country by country across the region, so check each one rather than assuming a permit that works in one place works in the next.

If you are driving in neighbouring countries on the same trip, confirm exactly what your licence requires for each destination with the Driving Permit Checker before you travel.

Sources

• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, North Korea, safety and security (international driving permits not valid; local licence by test for residents; taxis and public transport with a guide; road quality; 2018 tour bus crash): gov.uk