Dogs and pets
You are not permitted to import live mammals and birds to Svalbard, with the exception of cage birds, rabbits and small rodents from Norway and Sweden and cage birds from Finland. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority can grant permission for importing a dog.
The Governor of Svalbard maintains an updated database of all dogs in Svalbard. We therefore ask everyone to notify us when dogs change owners, die or move to the mainland. Send an e-mail to firmapost@sysselmesteren.no.
Caged birds, rabbits and small rodents from Norway and Sweden and caged birds from Finland must be accompanied by an identification document issued by an authorized veterinarian in the country of origin.
To bring a dog to Svalbard, a permit from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is required.
The expected processing time is three weeks, and the application must be received by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority no later than four weeks before departure if you want to be sure to receive a timely response.
You must contact the Avinor Service Center at the airport immediately after landing in Longyearbyen for registration and checking of papers.
There is no requirement for written permission to bring a dog from Svalbard to the mainland, but all dogs must be checked before they enter the Schengen area.
Contact the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to notify of the trip no later than 2 working days before departure if you are taking a flight to/via Tromsø, and if you otherwise have questions about taking a dog from Svalbard.
No advance notification is necessary upon arrival at Gardermoen.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority cooperates with Svalbard Airport Longyear AS in Longyearbyen, and travellers with pets must arrive at the airport no later than one hour before departure. All required documents must, together with the pet, be available for inspection after check-in on the plane and upon arrival at border control. Pets checked at check-in do not need to be checked again in Tromsø when transiting to Oslo Airport.
If the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has not received advance notification of travel to or via Tromsø, the pet owner must expect extra waiting time in Longyearbyen, and the person concerned may risk missing the flight. Pets that are not inspected or do not meet the requirements cannot be taken on flights to Tromsø. Further accommodation in Svalbard is the owner's responsibility.