Getting to Longyearbyen
When you have accepted a course of study at UNIS, you should arrive on, or a few days before the deadline specified in the acceptance letter. You must contact UNIS to inform about your arrival as soon as you have finalized your travel plans.
You can use your local travel agency or the internet when booking the flight. The only operator of flights to Svalbard is Scandinavian Airlines (SAS): www.sas.no.
The travelling time is about 1,5 hours with plane from Tromsø and about 4 hours from Oslo.
Visa for foreign students
No visa is required for staying on Svalbard. If you are an international student from outside the European Union and travelling to Svalbard through Norway, you are required to obtain a transit visa if citizens of your country need a visa to go to Norway. Please see the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration’s webpage for more information about visa regulations: http://www.udi.no/english
More important public information about coming to Norway can be found here:
Information for foreign citizens
The Governor of Svalbard ("Sysselmannen") has produced an information pamphlet with useful information for foreign citizens living in Longyearbyen. The pamphlet contains basic information about important rights and obligations of everyone living on Svalbard. It is translated into English, Thai and Russian, and we recommend you read through this before your arrival. The pamphlet can be downloaded as PdF on the Governor's webpage:
Arrival in Longyearbyen
New students: A representative from UNIS will meet you at the airport in Longyearbyen - if you have announced your time of arrival. The person will carry a poster with a large UNIS logo, and will be found in the arrival area. You will be transported to the student accommodation in Nybyen. All new students will receive an envelope with information about UNIS and Longyearbyen. This envelope will also contain a rental agreement and will specify which barrack and room you have been given.
If you haven't notified UNIS about your arrival, you can take the airport bus up to Nybyen (costs approx. 60 NOK). Returning students will have to organize their own transportation to Nybyen.
Please note: if you arrive in Longyearbyen on a Sunday, the grocery shop is open but has limited opening hours: 15:00-18:00 (3 PM-6 PM). Read more about Longyearbyen here.
The first days at UNIS
Your first days at UNIS will vary depending on what course you are enrolled in. All new students will participate in a safety course during the first few days. Some students may also leave on excursions relatively soon after the safety course. Other students may have to wait a couple of days before the regular classes begin.
You may use this time to familiarize yourself with Longyearbyen. We would like to emphasize that students should not take any trips outside the town unarmed.
Your address in Longyearbyen
If you need your post address before your arrival in Longyearbyen, contact the Longyearbyen Post Office (+47 79 02 16 04), tell them that you are a UNIS student and that you want a post office box in advance. Otherwise, your address will be your room and barrack number in Nybyen. Arrangements for post office box can also be organized after your arrival. |
