Application and registration requirement for trips to Svalbard

What are tourism and field activities?

Tourism activities include the organization and facilitation of tourism in Svalbard. In the field safety regulations, it is defined as:

“The organisation by natural or legal persons, in return for remuneration, of travel, activities or stays with services or transport of persons on land or at sea or other facilitation of tourism activities in Svalbard.”

Field activities include anyone who operates or offers services in connection with field activities for a fee, but which, purely linguistically and according to a traditional understanding, is not referred to as "tourism". Typical examples may be film production or logistical support for this, logistical support for research, and/or other forms of "professionally justified" trips. In the field safety regulations, it is defined as:

“The organisation by natural or legal persons, in return for remuneration, of travel, activities or stays with services or transport of persons on land or at sea or other facilitation that does not constitute tourism activities.”

"Remuneration" includes all payments, and there is no requirement that the payment must also generate a profit."

What requirements apply to tourism and field activities?

Tourism and field activities must ensure the safety of participants and their own employees in a responsible manner.

Tourism and field activities must have permission from the Governor for their activities throughout Svalbard. Applications must be submitted to the Governor no later than eight weeks before the activity starts. The application form can be found here (LINK).

Commercial ships sailing in Svalbard waters must complete a form with information about the ship (vessel questionnaire) as an attachment to this application. The vessel questionnaire can be found on the Governor's website here (LINK).

When operators of tourism or field activities travel, conduct activities or stay outside inhabited areas, a reasonable number of approved Svalbard guides must be present from 1 July 2027. A Svalbard guide is a person who guides, accompanies or otherwise looks after participants during the preparation and implementation of the travel, activity or stay, and who is approved in accordance with the field safety regulations. The term inhabited area means the centre of Longyearbyen, including Svalbard Airport Longyear, Pyramiden, Barentsburg and Ny-Ålesund.

Operators of tourism and field activities are required to insure their activities throughout Svalbard. For more information on this, see "Insurance for and coverage of rescue costs" below.

Within four weeks after the end of the season, operators of tourism and field activities must send a report to the Governor. The reporting form can be found here. 

Cruise and boat operators report via sailing reports. The sailing report form for ships sailing in Svalbard waters in day trip traffic can be found here. 

What is considered research and educational activities?

Research and educational activities are activities in Svalbard run by research institutions, educational institutions and institutes. Actors who, for a fee, organize travel, activities or stays for researchers or students in the field are considered field activities, not research and educational activities. Separate requirements apply to operators of field activities, see "Tourist activities and field operations" above.

What requirements apply to research and educational operations?

Research and educational operations must ensure the safety of participants and their own employees in a responsible manner.

When traveling, doing activities or staying within the travel area (formerly known as management area 10), there is no application requirement for research and educational activities. However, when traveling outside the travel area, several requirements apply:

• Permission from the Governor for research and educational activities is required to initiate travel, activity or stay outside the travel area. Applications must be submitted to the Governor no later than eight weeks before the travel, activity or stay begins. The application form can be found here.
  
  
• This application is in addition to any application for permission for the research activity itself, which must be submitted through the RiS-portal.
  
  
• There is a requirement for insurance for operators of research and educational activities when travelling, performing activities or staying outside the traffic area, see "Insurance for and coverage of rescue expenses" below.
  
  
• Communication equipment must be brought with you for notification and two-way communication when traveling, engaging in activities or staying outside the travel area.
  
  
• Research and educational institutions that are subject to the application requirement must report to the Governor no later than four weeks after the end of the activity. The reporting form can be found here.

Regulation under other regulations

Activities related to research and education operations may also require permits under other regulations, including the Svalbard Environmental Act and regulations. You must ensure that the necessary permits are obtained. The fact that a permit is granted under the field safety regulations has no bearing on whether a permit under other regulations will be granted.

See also our theme page about research and educational institutions.

Who is considered a visitor?

Visitors are people other than permanent residents when they are not participating in tourism or field activities. This means, for example, that if you are going on a private sailing trip in Svalbard and are not a permanent resident, you will be considered a visitor. Researchers who are staying in Svalbard for a period of time, but who are not entered in the population register for Svalbard, will also be considered visitors when they travel privately.

What requirements apply to visitors?

Visitors must ensure their own safety in a responsible manner. For visitors who travel outside the travel area ((formerly known as management area 10; see map below), the following also applies:

• The trip must be reported to the Governor no later than four weeks before you travel, carry out an activity or stay outside the travel area. You must receive a response from the Governor before anything starts.

Here you will find a report form for a trip to Svalbard that must be sent to the Governor.

• There is a requirement to have insurance when traveling, doing an activity or staying outside the travel area. For more information about the requirement to have insurance, see "Insurance for and covering rescue expenses" below.
• Communication equipment for notofication and two-way communication must be brought with you outside the travel area.
• A report must be sent to the Governor no later than four weeks after the activity has ended. Here you will find a report form after a trip to Svalbard that must be sent to the Governor.

Who is considered a permanent resident in Svalbard?

You are considered a permanent resident of Svalbard if you are registered in the population register for Svalbard. If you have previously been a permanent resident of Svalbard but are no longer registered in the population register for Svalbard, you are considered a visitor according to the field safety regulations.

What requirements apply to permanent residents of Svalbard?

Permanent residents of Svalbard must ensure their own safety in a responsible manner. Permanent residents are required to report any travel, activity or stay within Sør-Spitsbergen, Forlandet and Nordvest-Spitsbergen national parks, Søraust-Svalbard and Nordaust-Svalbard nature reserves, Hopen nature reserve and Bjørnøya nature reserve.

Travel notification must be sent to the Governor before commencement. The notification form for travel can be found here.

When traveling, engaging in activities or staying within areas covered by the reporting obligation, it is required to carry communication equipment for notification and two-way communication.

Permanent residents who are subject to the reporting obligation must report no later than four weeks after the activity has ended. Here you will find the reporting form to be sent to the Governor.

There is a requirement for insurance and coverage of rescue expenses (SAR) in Svalbard.

For tourism and field activities, the requirement applies to activity throughout Svalbard.

For research and educational activities and visitors, there is a requirement for insurance when traveling outside the travel area (see map below).

Permanent residents can only be required to pay for rescue expenses if they have acted intentionally or with gross negligence.

Insurance must be documented through an insurance certificate or other equivalent guarantee.

The size of the insurance and guarantees is given in the field safety regulations, and depends on where you will be traveling:

• 120,000 Norwegian kroner per search, rescue operation or medical transport in insurance zone A
• 350,000 Norwegian kroner per search, rescue operation or medical transport in insurance zone B
• 650,000 Norwegian kroner per search, rescue operation or medical transport in insurance zone C

Conventional, overseas cruises are ships that sail to Svalbard and only disembark in Longyearbyen before the ship then sails out of Svalbard waters.

Conventional, overseas cruises must report their activity to the Governor. The reporting form for this can be found here.

Cruise ships that disembark in places other than Longyearbyen must complete the application form for tourist businesses.