Being buried other than, under special licence, as ashes in an urn
Svalbard is far north and is frozen year-round or nearly so; because of the extremely low temperatures, bodies of the dead - and any accompanying viruses and bacteria - do not decompose. This would pose considerable risk of infections if the ground were to thaw, and burial of bodies has been prohibited since 1950. Although people who are close to dying are encouraged to move to the mainland, there is no formal prohibition related to dying on the archipelago.
