Applicant platform
Please fill in the form carefully. This will make both our and your work easier and also speed up the procedure.
What this means for you is to fill out application forms completely, without references to applications from previous years, and with an anticipatory eye. This includes stating the permit period, the work or travel area, any intended activities or scientific work (such as sampling), including the planned use of equipment, comprehensively and including possible alternatives and eventualities.
Please submit your application documents in due time before the planned start of the activity, i.e. for category I at least three months before the start of the journey to Antarctica. For the processing of an application to carry out an activity of this category, a processing time of six weeks applies in principle. The receipt of the complete application documents is decisive for the start of the processing period. For category II and III activities, longer processing times apply.
Any change in an activity in terms of space or time or in terms of type and scope is subject to approval as an activity within the meaning of the AIEP and must therefore be reported to the German Environment Agency without delay. In principle, the aforementioned processing time and the requirements for the permit application also apply to the permit procedure that may be necessary here. In the case of change applications that require a short-term decision by UBA and no involvement of other authorities, a processing time of five working days applies. If other authorities (e.g. the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, BfN, or the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, BSH) are to be involved, a processing time of at least two weeks must be taken into account. If the agreement of the BfN must also be obtained, the processing time is four weeks.
We would like to point out that some activities in Antarctica are generally prohibited due to special bans and may only be carried out if the UBA has issued an exemption permit for this. For example, it is generally prohibited to kill, injure, capture, touch or molest individuals of native mammals or birds in the Antarctic. Whether there is significant disturbance to native mammals or birds must be decided on a case-by-case basis. In addition, it is prohibited to have a harmful interference on the animal and plant life native to the Antarctic. Exceptions to the above-mentioned prohibitions are only possible in agreement with the BfN and only for scientific reasons.
Introduction of soil and non-native animals or plants to the Antarctic or entering, moving within over or flying over Antarctic Specially Protected areas (ASPA) are also prohibited in principle. There are no special procedural requirements for exemptions from these AIEP prohibitions, as they are usually included in the general permit for the activity. Permission to enter, move within or fly over ASPAs can be issued by UBA if the planned activity is in accordance with the management plan of the ASPA concerned.
Five examples will help you choose the right questionnaires.
1. You want to do research south of 60° south latitude:
If so, please complete the "Research activity" questionnaire. If the proposed activity has at least a minor or transitory impact on the Antarctic environment, an Initial Environmental Study must be submitted upon request by the German Environment Agency. The "Leaflet on the preparation of an Initial Environmental Study for research projects in the Antarctic " has to be observed. If you would like to use acoustic measurement methods in your activities, please also complete the annex questionnaire "Acoustic measurement methods". If you wish to introduce soil or animals and plants not native to the Antarctic, please use the annex questionnaire "Introduction of soil, animals or plants not native to the Antarctic". If you wish to enter an ASPA, please complete the questionnaire "Entering, moving within or flying over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas". If there is a possibility that you will kill, injure, capture, touch or molest native mammals or birds in the course of your scientific activities, or if you intend to perform such an act, please complete the questionnaire "Application for a permit for exceptions from the prohibitions according to Article 17 para. 2 AIEP". This application must also be completed if native plants or invertebrates are to be removed or damaged in such quantities that their distribution or abundance will be significantly affected. If there is a possibility that your research activities will have a harmful interference on the native Antarctic fauna or flora as defined in Article 17 para. 1 no. 2 AIEP, an application for an exemption must also be submitted.
Please refer to the leaflet "Operation of Aircraft in the Vicinity of Animal Aggregations" for overflights of animal aggregations.
For the use of an unmanned aerial vehicles in the context of an expedition of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) or in the vicinity of AWI infrastructures, AWI requires their approval. Please submit the application for approval to UBA and additionally obtain the approval of AWI. More detailed information can be found here . You can attach the form submitted to AWI and any consent already obtained to the permit application to UBA.
2. You are organizing a cruise to the area south of 60° southern latitude:
Please fill in the questionnaire "Cruise", which consists of four parts. Prior to the journey, please complete (1) Part 1, Particulars of planned cruise, (2) Part 2, Basic ship data, and (3) Part 3, Proof of experience or crew in charge. Part 4, Post-visit report, must be completed after conclusion of the journey. If you wish to enter or move within an ASPA, please complete the "Entering, moving within or flying over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas" questionnaire. Please also refer to the "Fact Sheet Requirements for an Initial Environmental Study for Tourist Cruises to Antarctica ".
3. you would like to enter the area south of 60° southern latitude with your (sailing) yacht:
Please fill in the questionnaire "Yacht cruises", which consists of three parts. Prior to the journey, please complete (1) Part 1, Particulars of planned cruise, (2) Part 2, Proof of experience of crew in charge. Part 3, Post-visit report, must be completed after conclusion of the journey. If you plan to enter or move within an ASPA, please complete the "Entering, moving within or flying over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas" questionnaire.
4. If you are planning to do media activities (photos, film material, interviews, etc.) as part of an organized Antarctic trip (e.g. cruise, sailing trip), which are not to be used exclusively for private purposes, please complete the questionnaire "Media activities".
5. If you are planning a self-organized trip to Antarctica that does not fall under the above categories, please complete the questionnaire " Self-organised tourism and/or another activity " and contact the German Environment Agency as soon as possible. If you would like to enter an ASPA in this context, please also fill in the questionnaire "Entering, moving within or flying over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas".
The list below shows all questionnaires that can be used depending on the type of activity planned. If it is unclear which questionnaire is to be completed specifically for your project, please contact the responsible staff at the German Environment Agency. Please first save the respective questionnaire on your local drive and open it with the current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat Pro to fill it out.
Questionnaires
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Research
Research activity Acoustic measurement methods Introduction of soil, animals or plants not native to the Antarctic Entering, moving within or flying over Antarctic Specially Protected Areas Application for a permit for exceptions from the prohibitions according to Article 17 paragraph 2 AIEP
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Cruise
Particulars of planned cruise Basic ship data Proof of experience of crew in charge Post-visit report
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Individual travel / media
Media activity self-organised tourism and/or another activity
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Cruising yacht
Particulars of planned cruise Proof of experience of crew in charge Post-visit report
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Use of aircraft
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Cargo ships & Icebreaker
Particulars of planned trip Basic ship data Proof of experience of crew in charge Post-visit report