China Passes Antarctic Law With Permits, Environmental Rules and Tourism Fines

New rules take effect on January 1, 2027

China has passed its first law devoted specifically to Antarctic activities and environmental protection, requiring approval for expeditions, tourism and other operations while setting penalties for unsafe tours, interference with research stations and failures to report activities. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress adopted the law on November 6. It takes effect on January 1, 2027.

The Antarctic Activities and Environmental Protection Law contains 59 articles across seven chapters. It brings scientific research, fishing, tourism and shipping into a national framework that combines permission to operate with environmental duties, safety requirements and government supervision.

For tourism operators, failures to provide equipment or transport that meets safety requirements, or to take appropriate safety and emergency measures, can bring fines of 50,000 to 500,000 yuan. Serious violations involving visits to national Antarctic research stations or interference with expeditions can also lead to a ban on applying to visit those stations for five years.

China has conducted Antarctic research for more than 40 years, including work on marine ecosystems, geology, space science and climate change. Its Antarctic krill catch and the number of Chinese tourists visiting the region rank among the world's highest. The legislation addresses the practical demands of managing those activities while also seeking to protect China's personnel, assets and other interests in Antarctica.

What will applicants need before departure?

Individuals and organizations conducting Antarctic activities must obtain administrative approval. Shipping that merely passes through without approaching Antarctica is exempt. The law sets approval procedures covering scientific expeditions, tourism, shipping and fishing, with different authorities responsible for different activities.

Applicants seeking permission for expeditions, tourism and shipping must submit an activity plan, environmental impact assessment documents, an emergency plan, financial security and proof of insurance to the State Council's marine authority. Approval will involve environmental, safety and other conditions.

An environmental impact assessment explains what a proposed activity could do to its surroundings and how the organizer plans to limit damage. For an Antarctic voyage, that connects decisions made before departure, such as the route and planned operations, with responsibilities once the vessel reaches the region.

The application package brings several questions together: what an organizer intends to do, what harm could result, how an emergency would be handled and what financial protection exists. Permission is therefore tied to preparations for the activity, alongside its scientific, commercial or tourism purpose.

Tour operators face specific safety duties

Antarctic tourism operators must provide equipment and transport that meet safety requirements and take appropriate preventive and emergency measures. A company that fails these duties can be ordered to correct the problem, fined between 50,000 and 500,000 yuan and have the violation entered into its credit record.

Travelers have responsibilities of their own. They must follow safety requirements and environmental protection rules adopted by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, the forum through which participating governments make decisions about activities covered by the treaty system.

Visits to China's national Antarctic research stations and their facilities must follow rules set by the State Council's marine authority. Visitors must not interfere with national Antarctic expeditions. A research station is a workplace supporting scientific operations, so permission to travel to Antarctica and permission to visit a station involve different requirements.

Violations of station visiting rules or interference with national expeditions can bring an order to correct the conduct and a fine of 10,000 to 50,000 yuan. Serious cases carry fines of 50,000 to 500,000 yuan and a prohibition on applying to visit national Antarctic stations for five years.

Environmental protection reaches beyond waste disposal

The law requires Antarctic activities to protect animals and plants, handle waste properly, prevent marine pollution and follow rules for protected areas. Organizers and participants must avoid or reduce harmful effects on the Antarctic environment.

Waste duties cover the full process of managing what an activity produces. Participants must reduce the amount of waste, sort it, arrange appropriate treatment or disposal and record the results. Arbitrary dumping is prohibited. Keeping records gives supervisors a way to examine how waste was handled after an operation has ended.

Protected areas create another layer of responsibility. An activity may require general administrative approval while also having to meet the rules governing the particular place where it occurs. Environmental planning therefore has to account for both the operation and its location.

The legislation also encourages activities that use less energy and produce fewer carbon emissions. It supports equipment and technologies for saving energy, reducing emissions and preventing pollution, as well as the use of clean energy. These measures connect the operation of Antarctic facilities and transport with the law's broader environmental purpose.

China already had Antarctic environmental rules

China's new law builds on an existing administrative framework. The United Nations Environment Programme's legal database lists China's 2018 environmental provisions, dated February 8, 2018, which contain 19 articles addressing the environmental protection of Antarctic activities.

Those provisions require applicants to prepare environmental impact assessment documents and submit them to the National Oceanic Administration. They cover a broad range of activities, including expeditions, tourism, exploration, cultural education, sports, fishing and transport.

The 2018 provisions also call for a regional system to control the total amount of Antarctic activity according to the natural environment's ability to support it. Put simply, the amount of activity permitted in a place is meant to reflect how much pressure its environment can bear.

The new legislation contains 59 articles, compared with 19 in the earlier provisions, and combines environmental requirements with licensing, inspection, support for expeditions, supervision and legal liability. Its seven chapters cover general provisions; activity permits; environmental protection; inspection, observation and examination; safeguards and supervision; legal liabilities; and supplementary provisions.

Reporting and inspections connect several authorities

The law strengthens reporting and emergency arrangements alongside the permit system. Failure to fulfill reporting duties, or to report in the required way, can result in an order to correct the problem and fines of 100,000 to 200,000 yuan.

The State Council's marine authority and other relevant departments will establish an information sharing mechanism for Antarctic activities. This gives the framework a means of connecting information held by agencies responsible for different types of operations.

Antarctic inspections will be organized by the State Council's foreign affairs department together with its marine authority. Fisheries authorities and relevant institutions will organize observation and inspection of vessels conducting Antarctic fishing or fisheries research.

These responsibilities address different parts of China's Antarctic presence. Scientific stations, tourism operations, ships and fishing vessels do not all operate in the same way, so the law assigns supervisory work across authorities rather than placing every task with a single department.

The law also establishes daily continuing penalties for violations. Such penalties allow financial consequences to accumulate while a violation continues, creating pressure to correct conduct rather than simply pay a single fine and carry on.

What changed during the drafting process?

The bill contained 57 articles when it was introduced for a first reading. The second review draft also contained 57 articles, while the adopted law has 59. The second review draft left its commencement date blank; adoption fixed January 1, 2027 as the date the law takes effect.

The second review draft set out a broad proposed scope. It covered Chinese citizens and organizations conducting Antarctic activities, as well as foreign individuals and organizations arranging such activities within China or departing from Chinese territory to undertake them. The precise scope of the enacted law should be checked against its final text when planning an activity.

The draft also described fishing permits, vessel certification, scientific samples and data, emergency costs and penalties for operating without authorization. Those details show how lawmakers approached the links between expeditions, commercial operations and environmental responsibility during the legislative process.

The main milestones are:

• February 8, 2018: China's earlier Antarctic environmental provisions were dated, establishing a framework of 19 articles.
• First reading: lawmakers considered a proposed law containing 57 articles.
• Second review: the draft still contained 57 articles and had no completed commencement date.
• November 6: the NPC Standing Committee adopted the law with 59 articles in seven chapters.
• January 1, 2027: the new law takes effect.

National rules sit within Antarctic agreements

China's Antarctic environmental framework refers to three international instruments: the Antarctic Treaty, its Protocol on Environmental Protection and the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The 2018 provisions expressly cite all three.

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959, and China joined it in 1983. It reserves Antarctica for peaceful purposes and supports scientific cooperation. The environmental protocol was adopted in 1991 and prohibits activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research.

The fisheries convention provides the conservation framework for Antarctic marine living resources. That makes it relevant to China's krill fishing as well as to the observation and inspection of vessels. Krill are small marine animals that provide food for whales, seals and penguins, connecting fishing activity with the wider marine ecosystem.

A responsible official from the Civil Law Office of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission said the legislation would strengthen coordination and supervision of China's Antarctic activities and place their management on a legal footing. The official described the law as combining international treaty obligations with China's practical experience in Antarctic operations.

Research expansion brings practical responsibilities

China's legal changes come alongside investment in Antarctic research capacity. Its atmospheric monitoring station has been operating for two years, observing changes in the atmosphere and supporting work related to climate change.

Plans for further expansion have also drawn attention. A proposed sixth research station in Marie Byrd Land, described in July 2025, would accommodate up to 25 researchers and focus on climate and marine studies. The plan forms part of a broader discussion about research infrastructure, transport access and environmental protection in Antarctica.

The new law establishes and strengthens the national expedition system while supporting the capacity to reach Antarctica safely, conduct research and use the region peacefully. It also provides for the lawful protection of Chinese citizens and organizations operating there.

For organizers, the practical changes begin before departure: securing approval, preparing environmental documents, arranging insurance and planning for emergencies. During operations, the obligations extend to safe transport, wildlife protection, waste handling, station access and reporting. For supervisors, the framework links those duties to inspection powers and financial penalties.

January 1, 2027 is the next fixed date. From then, China's first dedicated Antarctic law will bring the permissions, environmental duties and penalties described in the legislation into effect.

Key Points

• China adopted the Antarctic Activities and Environmental Protection Law on November 6. It takes effect on January 1, 2027.
• The law contains 59 articles in seven chapters and establishes an Antarctic activity licensing system.
• Applications for expeditions, tourism and shipping require plans, environmental assessments, emergency arrangements, financial security and insurance evidence.
• Tour operators face fines of 50,000 to 500,000 yuan for failures involving safety equipment, transport or emergency measures.
• Serious violations involving research station visits can bring a ban on applying to visit for five years.
• Environmental duties include wildlife protection, waste reduction and sorting, disposal records, marine pollution prevention and compliance with protected area rules.
• The framework builds on China's Antarctic environmental provisions dated February 8, 2018.