1. The most common route to reach Svalbard is to fly via Oslo, Norway to Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen.
2. Flying time is 3 hours between Oslo and Longyearbyen.
3. Longyearbyen airport is the world’s most northerly airport to receive regular scheduled flights.

Do you need a visa to go to Svalbard?

Although Svalbard is part of Norway, the Immigration Act does not apply to the archipelago. Foreigners do not need a visa or work and residence permits from the Norwegian authorities to travel to Svalbard.

The official language is Norwegian. However, nearly everyone speaks English. In Barentsburg, Russian and Ukrainian are spoken.

Although Svalbard belongs to the Kingdom of Norway, two settlements in the archipelago are mostly populated by Russians and Ukrainians. Around 450 people live in the modern mining community of Barentsburg, while fewer than 10 live in the Soviet ghost town of Pyramiden.