Permit for Antarctica

Do you want to organise activities in Antarctica from within the Netherlands? For example, scientific research, tourism, or fishery activities? You need a permit for this.

Applying for a licence

You must apply for the Antarctic Protection Act permit (in Dutch) to Rijkswaterstaat Zee en Delta to get a licence. You have to send the application form (in Dutch) by post or digitally to Antartica@rws.nl.

Please note that the process to get a permit takes 7.5 months. The season for visits to Antarctica is between the beginning of November and the end of March. Make sure you get your application with Rijkswaterstaat Zee en Delta before 15 March. A specialist from the licensing department of Rijkswaterstaat can help you with your application. You can contact the licensing department by emailing Antartica@rws.nl.

Protected areas in Antarctica

You are not allowed to organise activities everywhere in Antarctica. In certain areas tourists are not allowed, or you can only visit for special research. The protected areas on Antarctica are listed in the Antarctic Protected Areas Database. In your application you must indicate, among other things, whether you plan to visit these protected areas.

Digital application with Message Box

Using Message Box, you can apply digitally to Rijkswaterstaat for your permit for the Antarctic Protection Act. Message Box is a secure email system which allows you, the entrepreneur, to exchange digital messages with Dutch government organisations.