Svalbard travel rules: landings and polar bear safety

KarloBag.eu reported on 21 October that Svalbard has travel rules on landings and bear safety. Norsk Polarinstitutt (the Norwegian Polar Institute) sets out its guidance in the Cruise Handbook for Svalbard.

On landings, the Norwegian Polar Institute said in the handbook that the area must be scanned with binoculars first. A landing must be aborted if bears are seen or the area is hard to survey. Landings should be avoided on small islands that bears visit in summer.

The institute said visitors must always carry a gun for bear protection outside the settlements. For an approaching bear, it advised making noise, then firing flares at the ground, the first at 150 to 200 m if possible. It said to avoid camping on beaches, at glacier fronts and near ravines. A bear killed in self-defence must be reported at once to the governor of Svalbard, and the carcass left intact.

Sysselmesteren (the Governor of Svalbard) sets the rules. Its firearms page, updated in March 2026, says anyone travelling outside the settlements must have suitable means of scaring off polar bears, and recommends carrying a firearm.

In its travel regulations chapter, the Norwegian Polar Institute said visitors must always have a big-game rifle with ammunition, a flare gun or signal flare pen, and tripwire with flares for camping. It said handling a rifle takes know-how and experience. The Svalbard Environmental Protection Act has applied since July 2002, on the islands and out to 12 nautical miles offshore. Under section 73, all access and passage must avoid harm to nature or unnecessary disturbance to people or animals.

The chapter defined Management Area 10 as roughly the area from Van Mijenfjorden in the south to Isfjorden in the north. The institute said visitors may travel privately inside it without notifying the governor, as on boat trips in Kongsfjorden and trips within 20 km of Ny-Ålesund. Visitors in the settlements or on tour operator activities need not notify the governor either.

For longer private trips outside the area, the institute said notification on a form is mandatory and an emergency beacon is required. Visitors must also have sufficient insurance or another guarantee for search and rescue costs, and the governor issues a registration card.

Visit Svalbard (the destination company) said in its pre-departure information that travellers should know polar bear safety. Its checklist also covers a valid passport or ID card, valid travel and health insurance, and booking activities with approved operators.

Correction, 28 October 2026: an earlier version gave only the Norwegian Polar Institute's handbook, which says visitors must carry a gun. The Governor of Svalbard's rule requires means of scaring off polar bears and recommends a firearm.

Coverage: KarloBag