Flying to Svalbard: bring a valid travel document, and a double-entry Schengen visa if you need one

Every traveller to Svalbard must carry a valid travel document, even though the archipelago is part of Norway, according to the Governor of Svalbard. The reason is a legal particularity: Norway’s Immigration Act does not apply to Svalbard.

Passports are accepted, as are Norwegian national ID cards and the documents listed in Appendix 4 of Norway’s Immigration Regulations. Foreigners do not need a visa, or work and residence permits, from the Norwegian authorities to travel to Svalbard itself.

The catch is the route. Travellers who need a Schengen visa to travel via mainland Norway must still have one, and the Governor advises getting a double-entry visa so that they can return to the Schengen Area, meaning mainland Norway, on the way back. Schengen visa applications are made at the nearest embassy.

For private flights there is an extra step: the carrier must send an advance notification with information about passengers and crew. Before booking, check which document you will travel with, whether your nationality needs a Schengen visa for the mainland leg of the journey and, if it does, that the visa allows more than one entry.