Guide Certification Requirement Postponed
Posted: 13 November. 2026
The Norwegian government has postponed the requirement for approved Svalbard guides, allowing tourism and field activities to continue while the certification scheme is finalized.
The scheme has taken longer to establish than anticipated, including delays in the administrative systems needed to support it. AECO, the tourism industry, Longyearbyen Local Council and the Governor of Svalbard have called for the requirement to be postponed over concerns that there would not be enough approved guides available when it came into effect.
As a result, there will be no government-mandated competency requirements for guides in Svalbard until further notice.
More information is available on the Governor of Svalbard’s website (Norwegian).
The Governor of Svalbard is also seeking clarification on whether the deadline for applying for approval under the transitional arrangements will also be postponed.
The information will be updated once the applicable dates have been confirmed.