Guide · the rules
Svalbard rules, explained
About two-thirds of Svalbard's land is protected; these rules shape every landing.
Rules checked . Rules change; the Governor of Svalbard's site is the authority: sysselmesteren.no (opens in a new tab).
Wildlife distances, to scale
500 m ≈ 21 lengths of Cap II
Each shaded segment is one Cap II length (23.5 m). The animal is at the left edge; Cap II is drawn to the same scale, as close as the rule allows.
Walrus haul-outs
150m≈ 6 lengths
Polar bears, 1 July to end of February
300m≈ 13 lengths
Polar bears, 1 March to 30 June
500m≈ 21 lengths
Distances: sysselmesteren.no · environmental rules 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Governor of Svalbard (Sysselmesteren)
Svalbard
10 rules in three groups: who may run a trip, wildlife distances, what's protected.
Permits and guides
Who may take you there, and on what terms.
- §1
8 weeks
Permit
Every tourist trip in Svalbard needs a permit from the Governor of Svalbard (Field Safety Regulations, in force since 1 January 2026). We apply at least 8 weeks before each departure.
Source: lovdata.no · FOR-2025-06-06-940 (opens in a new tab) - §2
Search-and-rescue insurance
The same rules require search-and-rescue insurance for every tourist trip, with minimum cover set by zone.
Source: lovdata.no · FOR-2025-06-06-940 (opens in a new tab) - §3
1 Jul 2027
Guides
From 1 July 2027, paid trips beyond the settlements must use Governor-approved Svalbard guides.
Source: lovdata.no · FOR-2025-06-06-940 (opens in a new tab)
Wildlife distances
How close you may get, how fast, and where a drone may fly.
- §4
300–500m
Polar bears
The law keeps everyone at least 500 m from polar bears from 1 March to 30 June, and 300 m from 1 July to the end of February. Sightings are never promised and never chased.
Source: sysselmesteren.no · environmental rules 2025 (opens in a new tab) - §5
150m
Walrus and birds
150 m from walrus haul-outs, and no faster than 5 knots within 300 m of them. No faster than 5 knots within 500 m of bird cliffs from 1 April to 31 August.
Source: sysselmesteren.no · environmental rules 2025 (opens in a new tab) - §6
500m
Drones
Banned in protected areas, and within 500 m of bird cliffs from 1 April to 31 August.
Source: sysselmesteren.no · environmental rules 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Protected areas, heritage and ice
Where you may land, and what stays as it is.
- §7
200
Protected areas
Landings only at designated sites, with a guide. Ships with more than 200 passengers are banned; Cap II carries a handful of guests.
Source: sysselmesteren.no · environmental rules 2025 (opens in a new tab) - §8
300m
Moffen
The walrus island near 80°N is closed from 15 May to 15 September, with a 300 m belt around it. We stay outside.
Source: sysselmesteren.no · Moffen Nature Reserve (PDF) (opens in a new tab) - §9
1946
Heritage
Everything people left before 1946 is protected. Look, don't touch.
Source: visitsvalbard.com · rules (opens in a new tab) - §10
Ice
We sail to the ice edge, never into the pack. Breaking fast ice is banned in Svalbard.
Source: sysselmesteren.no · environmental rules 2025 (opens in a new tab)
What this means aboard Cap II
Our skipper and crew have sailed these waters many times. The Svalbard season is June–July 2027, with provisional dates, and this is how these rules shape every departure:
- We apply for the Governor of Svalbard's permit at least 8 weeks before each departure, and no Svalbard departure sails without one.
- We keep at least the legal distance from polar bears and walrus. Sightings are never promised and never chased.
- Within 300 m of a walrus haul-out, and within 500 m of a bird cliff from 1 April to 31 August, Cap II goes no faster than 5 knots.
- In protected areas we land only at designated sites, with a guide, and we stay outside the Moffen reserve.
- Anything people left before 1946 stays where it is: look, don't touch.
Also on our routes
In winter we sail from Tromsø, our home port, under Norway's own rules.
Visit Tromsø, the regional tourist board · Norway: whale-safari regulation
Norway in winter
Northern lights & whales voyages from Tromsø, our home port, in the sheltered fjords of Northern Norway. Here the sky, and the herring, have the final say. From November to January, orcas and humpbacks follow the herring, in recent winters into the fjords north of Tromsø: likely in season, never guaranteed. Norway's whale-safari rules apply.
- §1
Aurora
Aurora and clear skies are forecast, never promised. The region's tourist board puts it plainly: a clear sky decides, and there are never guarantees.
Source: visittromso.no · northern lights (opens in a new tab) - §2
300m
Whales
Norway's whale-safari regulation forbids disturbing whales, and boats keep at least 0.2 nm (370 m) from fishing vessels and their gear. Tromsø's guidelines add: under 5 knots within 300 m, approach in parallel (never head-on or from behind), and engine off or in neutral when whales come close. Nobody goes in the water with the whales.
Source: lovdata.no · FOR-2019-12-05-1651 (opens in a new tab)
Planning to sail up here?
Cap II's 2027 season sails from Tromsø: Svalbard in June–July, northern lights and whales in winter 2027–28. All dates are provisional.