Can I fly FPV alone, without an observer?

Norwegian rules apply: FPV requires an observer.

Can I fly in a Svalbard national park?

No: drones are prohibited in all of Svalbard’s protected areas; an exemption from the Sysselmesteren exists for a use other than leisure. See the The open category section.

Does Glydar display Svalbard’s zones?

No. Glydar’s map does not display Svalbard’s regulations — see the coverage page. The dronesoner.no map and the Longyearbyen no-fly zone map are to be consulted before flying.

What is the risk in case of an offence?

A fine or up to 1 year in prison (up to 5 years if aggravated), under the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act. See the Penalties section.

Is there a specific category? Why does this guide not cover it?

Yes: operations that fall outside the open category come under the specific category. Glydar does not cover it: it is aimed at pilots who fly mostly for leisure, so in the open category, and a short, verified guide is better than an approximate one on a more complex regime. The official guide is the Luftfartstilsynet’s: the specific category.

Is this guide enough to fly legally?

No: it simplifies the open category and points to the texts. Responsibility for checking is yours — see the Responsibility section.

Flying a drone in Svalbard: the regulations guide (open category)

1 · The open category

In Svalbard, Norwegian aviation law applies (regulation BSL A 7-2, “innenfor norsk område, herunder på Svalbard”), including European regulation 2019/947: the detail is in the Norway guide. Specific rules are added: the Luftfartstilsynet and the Sysselmesteren (the Governor) jointly administer the drone rules.

Protected areas: drones are prohibited in all protected areas of Svalbard (national parks, nature reserves, bird sanctuaries — 2014 regulation, § 6a, 22 and 33a); the Sysselmesteren may grant an exemption for a use other than leisure.
Bird cliffs: from 1 April to 31 August, no drone within 500 m of a bird cliff (Svalbard Environmental Protection Act, § 30).
Wildlife: disturbing wildlife is prohibited (§ 73).
Age: 16 (Norwegian rules); registration: 230 NOK per year for an individual on flydrone.no; insurance mandatory except under 250 g in the open category.

2 · Zones: Longyearbyen, Ny-Ålesund and dronesoner.no

Svalbard’s zones appear in the Norwegian layer of dronesoner.no (Luftfartstilsynet), which presents itself as a visual aid and not as an official aeronautical publication, and on a map of Longyearbyen’s no-fly zones.

Longyearbyen: no drone within 5 km of the airport without the tower’s permission; the whole town is therefore in the no-fly zone.
Ny-Ålesund: a 5 km zone around the airport and a 20 km radio-silence zone.
ED-269 file: the Norwegian zone dataset (1,394 zones, 34 of them in Svalbard: Longyearbyen, Ny-Ålesund, national parks, bird sanctuaries, Moffen, Festningen) is published in ED-269, ED-318 and KML formats, without an account, under the NLOD 2.0 licence: free reuse, including commercial, with the credit “Luftfartstilsynet / dronesoner.no”; fixed zones are updated manually.

⚠️ Glydar’s map does not display Svalbard’s regulations: the dronesoner.no map and the Longyearbyen no-fly zone map prevail, to be consulted before each flight — see coverage, country by country.

3 · Registration, exam and insurance

Registration, exam and insurance: those of Norway (see the Norway guide); courses and exams are free.

4 · FPV and night flying

Norwegian rules apply: FPV with an observer, night flying with a flashing green light; see the Norway guide.

5 · Before every flight

Protected areas: drones prohibited; bird cliffs: 500 m from 1 April to 31 August.
Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund: 5 km zones around the airports.
Registered operator (flydrone.no); insurance from 250 g.

This guide simplifies — it replaces neither the official texts nor an up-to-date check. In case of doubt: the Sysselmesteren (the Governor) and the Luftfartstilsynet.

6 · Penalties: what the law says

The Svalbard Environmental Protection Act and the Aviation Act provide:

Svalbard Environmental Protection Act, § 99: a fine or up to 1 year in prison, and up to 5 years in the case of significant environmental damage or aggravating circumstances; the 2014 regulation (§ 40) refers to this article.
§ 96 a: administrative fine (“overtredelsesgebyr”) imposed by the Sysselmesteren for intentional or negligent violation, including of § 30; the scale is not given in the sources consulted.
Aviation law: the Luftfartstilsynet’s “overtredelsesgebyr” (Aviation Act § 13 a-5); its amount is not given in the sources consulted.

The text of the law prevails, not this page.

7 · Your responsibility, and what Glydar does

Glydar informs; it exempts from nothing. This guide draws on official sources but is not an official source, does not guarantee their completeness or that they are up to date, and does not constitute flight authorisation.

The remote pilot remains solely responsible for their flight and its compliance, as the terms of use recall. Everything needed to check is within reach: coverage, country by country, the official map and the texts cited below.

Flying a drone in Svalbard: the regulations guide