Expeditions to Greenland
Photo credit: Alex Savu – Visit Greenland
How do you plan expeditions to Greenland?
What requirements must be meet? Do I need permits to do expeditions in Greenland? This is some of the question you might already have asked yourself considering an expedition to Greenland. At Taavani we have gathered some useful information for you in this section to learn more about expeditions to Greenland.
Planning is everything
Planning an expedition to Greenland is very important as it requires careful preparation to meet legal requirements and ensure the safety and success of the journey. All expeditions to Greenland, which will take place in the grey area on the map will require a permit from the Government of Greenland.
Legal Requirements and Permits
Entry Requirements:
Check if expedition members need a visa to enter Greenland. Ensure all participants have a valid passport, typically with at least six months of validity remaining.
VISA
If you are a citizen in one of the countries listed below you DO NOT need a VISA to travel to Greenland. Citizens of countries marked with an asterisk (*) must have biometric passports (e-passports) to qualify as visa-free.
- A: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Albania*, Argentina, Australia or Austria
- B: Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina*, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam or Bulgaria
- C: Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus or Czech Republic
- D: Dominica
- E: El Salvador or Estonia
- F: Finland, France
- G: Georgia*, Germany, Greece, Grenada or Guatemala
- H: Honduras, Hungary, Hong Kong
- I: Iceland, Ireland, Israel or Italy
- J: Japan
- K: Kiribati
- L: Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania or Luxembourg
- M: Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova*, Monaco or Montenegro*
- N: Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia* Northern Marianas or Norway
- P: Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland or Portugal
- R: Romania
- S: Samoa, San Marino, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Serbia*, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Spain, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sweden or Switzerland
- T: Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago or Tuvalu
- U: Ukraine*, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States or Uruguay
- V: Vanuatu, Vatican City State or Venezuela
My country is not on list – what do I do?
If your country is not on the list above, you will require a VISA prior to your travel to Greenland.
As rules and regulations are often changing, we, at Taavani don’t hold a complete overview on all requirements for countries around the world. Therefore we recommend that you visit New in Denmark, where you are able to obtain detailed information concerning VISA application to Greenland: https://nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/Short-stay-visa/Visa-to-the-Faroe-Island-or-Greenland
Expedition permits:
Obtain an expedition permit from the Government of Greenland. This is crucial for all organized expeditions, particularly those involving scientific research, filming, or exploration in remote areas.
You need to apply for the permit directly with the Government of Greenland, if your expedition takes place in any parts of the grey area.
You are able to download the application form here:
Photo credit: PlanetVisible – Visit Greenland
We encourage you to visit Exp.gl to learn and read more about the specific permits needed for your expedition and to get in directly contact with the Expedition Office, Ministry of Independence, Nature, Environment and Agriculture.
You will also need to submit any application directly to expeditioner@nanoq.gl.
Other permits:
Besides your permit for the expedition in Greenland you might also need other additional permits related to the specific purpose of your expedition. Below you will find some examples:
- Access permit to protected areas, contact the Ministry of Housing, Nature and Environment at ipan@nanoq.gl
- Export permit for CITES species (Washington Convention), contact the Cites Office at citeskontor@nanoq.gl
- A survey licence for the acquisition, collection or a combination of both of genetic resources in connection with research into biological resources
- Survey licence for the acquisition, collection or a combination of both of genetic resources in connection with research into biological resources, contact the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources at: isiin@nanoq.gl
- Research permits for studies on wildlife and fish; contact the Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture at apnn@nanoq.gl
- Studies involving animal welfare and handling of wildlife; contact the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources at: isiin@nanoq.gl
- Studies involving cultural heritage:; contact the Ministry of Education, Research and Nordic Cooperation at iiin@nanoq.gl
- Archaeological studies, collection of fossils and meteoroids; contact the Greenland National Museum and Archive at nka@natmus.gl
- An area allotment for establishing camps or setting up ground based instruments for more than 2 months; contact the Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Transport at ipan@nanoq.gl
- Activities related to mineral resources including geological surveys etc. are permitted only according to licenses granted by the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum, which can be contacted at bmp@nanoq.gl
Application forms for such permits can be downloaded under Procedures and Forms – Additional Permits, but should be send to the responsible Ministries and Authorities as stated above.
Expedition insurances:
The Goverment of Greenland requires that all expeditions in Greenland, whether it is an expedition through sailing along parts of the coast or an expedition over the Greenlandic ice sheet, must purchase a Search and Rescue insurance (SAR insurance).
In case your expedition gets in trouble you must send a distress-signal, which means the police in Greenland coordinates a SAR operation using helicopters, aeroplanes and trained rescue personnel.
You can learn more about the SAR insurance at Kalaallit Forsikring – https://www.forsikring.gl/da/forsikringer/sar-insurance
Fees:
Please do also note that applicants must pay a non-refundable application fee of DKK 4.000 per expedition to the Government of Greenland.
Please not that Taavani ApS do not have any responsibility for updated or incorrect information for the content above. The latest and most accurate information you will get from exp.gl.
