How to get a Svalbard and Jan Mayen visa from South Africa

About 2000 people are living in Longyearbyen (in Svalbard), most of which are Northern Norwegians, and the rest are foreigners from all over the world.

Foreign citizens do not need a visa or a work or residence permit from Norwegian authorities in order to settle in Svalbard.

GSM/3G phones work in the main towns of Svalbard. The Internet connection in Svalbard is top class, courtesy of NASA renting bulk capacity on undersea fibre optic cables running at seabed to mainland Norway for its experiments and Longyearbyen has several public Internet terminals.

You will need windproof outerwear, several layers of wool and/or fleece, wear warm winter boots (with space for two pairs of wool socks) and to keep your hands, face and head warm with warm and windproof mittens/gloves, a balaclava and a warm, windproof hat.

In certain localities, mosquitoes are found in large numbers. You should get mosquito nets and insecticides for your protection when visiting.