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from https://nypost.com/2024/11/09/lifestyle/move-to-svalbard-how-to-migrate-to-this-visa-free-region-in-norway/

You can move to this stunning European destination forever, no paperwork required — but there’s just one catch
By David Landsel
Published Nov. 9, 2024, 8:19 p.m. ET

106 Comments
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Americans looking for a sudden change of scenery can move immediately to
one idyllic, low-tax European destination without having to splash out
the investment cash or get in line for a residency permit — providing they’re cool with long, dark winters.

Svalbard, a frigid and beautiful archipelago governed by Norway but
existing outside the EU-regulated Schengen Area, allows anyone with the fortitude required to live 400 miles from the North Pole to simply book
a flight and stay forever — with a few ground rules, of course.

Local resident Daria Khelsengreen enjoying a summer heat wave in
Longyearbyen, Svalbard Archipelago, with Larsbreen and Longyearbreen
glaciers visible in the distance.
4
A local resident enjoys the sunshine in the North Pole-adjacent town of Longyearbyen in Svalbard, where temperatures reached a record 71 degrees
during a recent summer.
Getty Images
People walking dogs and riding bikes in Longyearbyen, Norway during
Midsummer with Lars Berger spotted among them
4
Anyone wishing to move to Svalbard can simply do so — providing they can prove they are able to support themselves.
Getty Images
To live in Europe’s only visa-free zone, where the largest town, Longyearbyen, tops out at just over 2,000 people, self-sufficiency is
key, due to scarce job opportunities.

Housing is also expensive, even for Norway, one of the priciest
countries on earth — if you can find a space, that is.

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The region experiences what’s known as “polar night” for a whopping 84 days a year — sunseekers, look elsewhere — and residents are required to carry weapons when they leave town, in case they’re confronted by
aggressive polar bears.

Other than that, life in Svalbard is pretty great, local resident
Cecelia Blomdahl told the Daily Mail recently.

The Swedish author, who packed up her life in relatively balmy
Gothenburg and moved to the frozen, far flung territory in 2015, cited “stunning nature” and a local population that loves to celebrate seasons and holidays together as reasons she’s in no rush to head back to the
Nordic mainland.

Northern lights dancing over the Spitsbergen Hotel in Longyearbyen,
Norway on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, taken on February 29, 2008.
4
Northern lights viewing is a high point of the region’s months-long
“polar night”season, when the sun doesn’t come up for more than 80 days straight.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Anti-avalanche wall protecting houses in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen
Island, Norway built after a deadly avalanche in 2015 due to climate
change impacts.
4
Housing is extremely scarce and can be quite pricey, insiders warn.
AFP via Getty Images
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She even loves the darkest months, she revealed.

“Each season has its own unique magic, but if I had to choose a
favorite, it would be the polar night. It’s a special time of year when
we sip coffee by moonlight, spend our days under star-filled skies, and,
if we’re lucky, get treated to the breathtaking display of the Northern Lights,” she explained.

When the sun comes back, there’s a major party in the village, Blomdahl
said.

“Everyone gathers by the old hospital staircase, the first spot where
the sun’s rays touch as they come around the mountain for the first time
in four months. Together, we sing and cheer to celebrate the return of
sunlight to our village after the long winter darkness,” she recounted.

Summers, the enthusiastic local noted, are magical. Then, she said, the
fjords nearby are the place to be.


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“You can spot all sorts of whales as well as walruses lounging on the beaches.”

Remote workers are well catered for here, she noted, citing some of the world’s best internet speeds — thanks to the underwater fibre-optic
cables running more than 500 miles from the Norwegian mainland, to serve
KSAT, the “world’s largest satellite ground station,” which counts NASA among its clients.

Filed under norway relocation 11/9/24

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