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Is it illegal to die on Svalbard?

The cemetery rules and the permafrost behind a popular myth.

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Short answer

No law makes it illegal to die on Svalbard, but the cemetery rules in Longyearbyen allow only urn graves and forbid coffin burial. Coffins have not been buried there since 1950, because the permafrost stopped bodies from decomposing. A 2024 government consultation paper says no new urn graves have been allowed there since 2016 because of landslide risk.

Longyearbyen a shield icon with a check mark next to a tent and a small no-campfire sign on a green hillside

Why

  1. The regulation on cemeteries in Longyearbyen, in force since 2008, defines a grave as an urn grave and states that coffin graves are not allowed.
  2. People who lived on Svalbard when they died have the right to a grave in Longyearbyen, and Svalbard Church can allow others to be buried there in special cases.
  3. The Governor of Svalbard (Sysselmesteren) can give permission on application to scatter ashes on the islands, but not in built-up areas.

Details

The cemetery was set up in 1918, after eleven people in the settlement died of the Spanish flu, and 44 people were buried there before burials stopped in 1950. In 2016 the Storting's foreign affairs committee wrote that Longyearbyen is not a community for a whole lifetime (livsløpssamfunn) and that there are clear limits on which services are available there.

Tip

If you visit the old cemetery in Longyearbyen, remember that it is a grave site and treat it with respect.

Common misconception

It is against the law to die on Svalbard.

What actually happens

There is no such law. The rules only allow urn graves in Longyearbyen, so a coffin burial has to take place outside Svalbard.

People also ask

  • Is it true that you are not allowed to die on Svalbard?
  • Why can't you die in Longyearbyen?

Sources

Information checked on 15 October 2026.

Longyearbyen

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