The direct current (DC) side fault isolator for high voltage direct current (HVDC) converters (10) includes a first set of double thyristor switches (12) connected across the line-to-line voltage terminals between first and second phases of alternating current (AC) terminals of a HVDC converter (14), and a second set of double thyristor switches (12) connected across the line-to-line voltage between the second phase and a third phase of the AC terminals of the HVDC converter (14). In use, the first and second sets of double thyristor switches (12) separate the HVDC converter (10) from an external power grid (18) during direct current (DC) side faults by turning on these thyristors (12).