Notification and insurance procedures are imposed in accordance with "Regulations relating to tourism and other activities in Svalbard". You are required to notify the Governor of Svalbard about your projected trip. Get in touch well in advance, at firmapost@sysselmannen.no and we will send you information and the notification form which you need to fill in and return. When filling in the form, please state the names of other members of your party, as well as the type of gear you are taking with you and a description of your route. People travelling together in a group only submit one form.
The search and rescue (SAR) insurance
When the Governor has received your notification, you will be informed of the size of the SAR-insurance required for you to be allowed to go through with your plans. Normally, the sum insured will range between NOK 75 000,- and NOK 200 000,-. The insurance is needed to cover the cost of potential search and rescue operations or the conveyance of patients (SAR), regardless of whether this is due to negligence or recklessness. Your usual travel insurance will normally not cover SAR expenses for trips in Svalbard. Most people will have to take out a separate insurance. Once you have obtained the search and rescue insurance, the Governor will require a copy of the insurance contract, in Norwegian or English, clarifying that SAR is covered.
Registration card
When the Governor has acknowledged your insurance, a registration card will be issued to you. If you come to Svalbard by air, come by the Governor's office (open Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 AM-3:30 PM) to collect your registration card. Do not forget to bring documentation of your SAR insurance, unless you have sent it in advance. If you are travelling by ship, the Governor will be able to send you a confirmation by e-mail, provided you have been in touch with us well in advance, and sent the notification form and documentation of insurance. When you arrive Longyearbyen you need to come by the Governor's office to collect your registration card.
Inspections
You will need to take the registration card with you on your trip as a proof, it if you meet the Governor's field inspectors. The card confirms that you have correctly carried out the notification and insurance procedures.
Handing in the registration card
When you have ended your trip and are back in Longyearbyen (or have left Svalbard's waters, if you are travelling by sea) the registration card shall be returned to the Governor, as quickly as possible. Please remember to fill in the information requested. Even if the Governor has not received your registration card by the time you were scheduled to have ended your trip, no search operation will be triggered. This is why you should have a binding agreement with somebody you trust so that you are reported missing if you fail to turn up within a set time.
