Notification, application, insurance and reporting obligations
All tour operators must report planned activities in Svalbard to the Governor of Svalbard well in advance of each season, and no later than eight weeks before the activities are scheduled to start.
Conventional, overseas cruiseships that only visit Longyearbyen during their cruise must fill out a separate notification form.
The Governor of Svalbard sets the requirements for what such a notification must contain. Only one notification should be submitted per season, which includes all activities for the current season. The Governor of Svalbard requires that all notifications of tour schedules are delivered electronically via the “Notification for tour operators” form.
Tour operators are responsible for taking out insurance or providing a bank guarantee to cover expenses related to potential searches, rescue operations or patient transport that may be necessary in connection with the activities in Svalbard. The Governor of Svalbard determines the amount based on the information given in the notification about the trip schedule.
The tour operator is required to report back on the completed activity. Cruise and boat operators report via sailing reports.
In addition, all camping in tourism activities, field activities, and under the auspices of research and education activities require permission from the Governor.
Applications must be submitted to the Governor no later than four weeks before the planned camping (see link to the right).
Camping activities that require an application to the Governor must be secured with an alert and organized polar bear guard when there are people in the camp.