About The Governor
The Governor of Svalbard is the Norwegian government’s highest-ranking representative on the archipelago. The Governor acts as both the chief of police and county governor.
Administratively, the Governor falls under the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, but as a county governor also has tasks that fall under other relevant ministries.
As chief of the police, the Governor has the same responsibility and authority as the police chiefs on the Norwegian mainland. The Governor is responsible for the rescue service, and is responsible for the civil protection and preparedness, both as chief of the police and as county governor.
As county governor, the Governor of Svalbard is the regional, national environmental protection authority on Svalbard and is responsible for enforcing the environmental regulations and overseeing compliance with the regulations.
The Governor’s office is organized into three departments: Environmental Protection Department, Police Department and Administration Department. In addition, there is a staff unit working across the departments.
The Governor's tasks
The Governor of Svalbard has many, varied tasks. The main tasks are related to policing and environmental protection work.
The Governor of Svalbard is the environmental protection authority for Svalbard. The Environmental Department’s most important tasks include:
• nature supervision and monitoring of the environment
• safeguarding environmental considerations in spatial planning, development and business activities
• management of protected areas
• management of flora and fauna
• management of outdoor activities, tourism and travel in the countryside
• processing of tourism cases
• processing of pollution cases and waste management
• oil spill preparedness
• registration, surveys and information related to cultural monuments
• maintenance and care of cultural monuments
• control of the import and export of pets
• coordination of veterinary services
Svalbard is its own police district. Among other things, the Police Department is responsible for the following tasks:
• criminal investigations
• rescue service
• traffic control at sea and land
• preventive work
• law enforcement
• passport and visa issuance
• oil spill response
• maritime authority
• traffic control
• weapons permit
In addition to being the police and environmental protection authority, The Governor of Svalbard performs several services that fall under various agencies on the mainland:
• public safety and emergency preparedness
• criminal prosecution
• notary public
• legal advice
• fire protection
• hosting and representation tasks
• media contact
• information
• weddings
• permission for separation and divorce