🇦🇶 Antarctica

The Antarctic Treaty does not stop tourists from visiting Antarctica, but visitors need an appropriate permit from a country that is a party to the Treaty.

Source: gov.uk · Checked 4 Oct 2026

Anyone on a British expedition – one organised in the UK, a British overseas territory or a Crown Dependency, or whose last departure point for Antarctica is one of these – and anyone taking a British-flagged vessel or British-registered aircraft into Antarctica needs a permit from the Polar Regions Department of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

Source: gov.uk · Checked 4 Oct 2026

A UK permit is not needed for an expedition that is organised in, and authorised in writing by, another country that is a party to the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty.

Source: gov.uk · Checked 4 Oct 2026

UK travel advice warns that travelling to any part of Antarctica without permission can lead to a fine or a prison sentence.

Source: gov.uk · Checked 4 Oct 2026

If you are a passenger on an organised visit, the tour operator usually arranges the permit. Check with your operator if you are unsure.

Source: gov.uk · Checked 4 Oct 2026

IAATO, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, was founded in 1991 to promote safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to Antarctica. Not every company that takes visitors to Antarctica is a member, but the vast majority are; IAATO publishes a directory of its current members.

Source: iaato.org · Checked 4 Oct 2026

UK travel advice suggests considering a tour operator that belongs to IAATO: its members sign up to codes of practice on operational and environmental safety.

Source: gov.uk · Checked 4 Oct 2026

Under US rules, non-governmental operators, including tour operators, that plan expeditions to Antarctica must submit environmental documentation to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) so the potential environmental impact can be evaluated.

Source: epa.gov · Checked 4 Oct 2026

The US Antarctic Conservation Act applies to all US citizens going to Antarctica and to all Antarctic expeditions that start from the United States. Without a permit it is illegal, for example, to take native mammals or birds, engage in harmful interference, enter Antarctic Specially Protected Areas or introduce species to Antarctica. Permits are handled by the US National Science Foundation (NSF).

Source: nsf.gov · Checked 4 Oct 2026

Get travel insurance that specifically covers Antarctica and make sure you can pay for an unexpected medical evacuation: medical facilities are very limited, and search-and-rescue teams may take several days to arrive.

Source: gov.uk · Checked 4 Oct 2026

Most visitors arrive by sea. UK travel advice says Antarctica is inaccessible during the winter months, from March to October.

Source: gov.uk · Checked 4 Oct 2026

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 and entered into force in 1961. It now has 58 Parties.

Source: ats.aq · Checked 4 Oct 2026

The Treaty's Protocol on Environmental Protection, signed in 1991, makes sure all human activity in Antarctica is carefully planned and managed, and prohibits commercial mining.

Source: gov.uk · Checked 4 Oct 2026

Seven countries – Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom – have territorial claims in Antarctica, some of them overlapping. Other countries do not recognise any claims; the US and Russia maintain a "basis of claim". Article IV of the Treaty preserves this status quo: no new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim, can be made while the Treaty is in force.

Source: ats.aq · Checked 4 Oct 2026