From May 1, travelers to Svalbard will meet customs officers on arrival in Longyearbyen due to a change in the Customs Act.
“With the current security policy situation, we urgently need to establish control of goods brought in and out of Svalbard to prevent Svalbard from being used to circumvent the sanctions and export control regulations,” the bill that was passed on Friday stated.
The change in the law comes as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the security situation in Europe.
“We want to avoid Svalbard being used as a port to bring goods to Russia,” Minister of Finance Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (SP) told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
Until now, Svalbard has been exempt from the Customs Act, so Customs didn’t control goods brought in and out of the archipelago.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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