South America and South Atlantic Islands

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• General
 

• The British Antarctic Territory is a British Overseas Territory. There is no formal British diplomatic or consular representation in the British Antarctic Territory and it is administered from London. See  Contact Details.
  
  
• You may require a permit issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office if you are organising a trip to Antarctica, including the British Antarctic Territory. You are also encouraged to travel with a company affiliated to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). See Guidance for visitors to Antarctica.
  
  
• The British Antarctic Territory is inaccessible during the winter (March-October) and during the rest of the year there will be times when, because of the prevailing weather conditions landings may be difficult. See Safety and Security - Local Travel.
   
  
• There is a low threat from terrorism.  But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be in public areas, including those frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. See General - Insurance.  

Safety and Security - Terrorism
The threat from terrorism is low. But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners. See our terrorism abroad page. 

Safety and Security - Crime
There is no history of crime within the Territory. The Territory has no indigenous population and the only residents are personnel who work at the few scientific research stations in the Territory.

See our victims of crime abroad page. 

Safety and Security - Local travel
There are no air links to the Territory and there are no road links within the Territory. Access to Antarctica is by sea only.
 
In winter (March-October) the Territory is inaccessible. And during the Austral summer (November-February) there will be times when, because of the prevailing westerly winds and lack of sheltered anchorage, landings may be difficult.

Safety and Security - Political situation
British Antarctic Territory Country Profile 

The British Antarctic Territory is a British Overseas Territory. The Territory has a comprehensive set of its own laws and is administered by a Commissioner, based in London. (See contact details below).

See our your trip page.

Entry Requirements - Permit
Before travelling to the British Antarctic Territory, and the wider continent of Antarctica, you will need a valid permit which your tour organiser may obtain from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.  For further information on permits, please see: guidance for visitors to Antarctica.

Entry Requirements - Passport Validity
There are no specific passport validity requirements for British Antarctic Territory, although to fly to the continent or to depart for the Antarctic from another country (e.g. Chile, Argentina) British nationals will require a passport (and a copy of some pages of an applicants’ passport is part of the permitting process). For passport applications in the UK, you should apply to the Identity and Passport Service.

There are no medical or search and rescue facilities within the Territory. You should be aware of the harsh climatic conditions in Antarctica.

Contact your GP around eight weeks before your trip to check whether you need any vaccinations or other preventive measures. Country specific information and advice is published by the National Travel Health Network and Centre, and useful information about healthcare abroad, including a country-by-country guide of reciprocal health care agreements with the UK, is available from NHS Choices.

Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation.

You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. See our HIV and AIDS page.

Our travel health pages offer further advice on how to stay healthy when overseas.

General - Insurance
You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. Check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. See our Travel Insurance page our guidance for visitors to Antarctica pages for further details of insurance requirements.

If things do go wrong when you are overseas then see our When Things Go Wrong. 

General - Insurance - Registration
Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency. 

General - Contact details
Government of the British Antarctic Territory
Polar Regions Unit
Overseas Territory Department
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
London
SW1A 2AH.

Tel: 020 7008 1921

Fax: 020 7008 2086

Office Hours (GMT): Mon-Fri: 0900-1300 and 1400-1700.

International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) - http://www.iaato.org/