Industrial research permit

What it allows

To carry out the exploration work set out in the programme — mapping, geophysics, geochemistry, drilling, sampling — and no extraction. What comes out of the ground in the course of exploration and testing may be freely disposed of, subject to a declaration to the National Directorate of Mines.

Who may apply

Any legal person with sufficient technical and financial capacity, offering acceptable work and expenditure commitments. For one substance nobody may hold more than three permits for bauxite and iron ore, or more than five for other substances.

A company

At a glance

What it costs

• Fixed grant duty$3,000.00

  Payable when it is issued · Arrêté conjoint du Ministre chargé des Mines et du Ministre chargé des Finances fixant les droits fixes et redevances du secteur minier

• Annual surface fee (USD 10/km²)$0.10

  Payable every year · Code minier, art. 160 (redevances superficiaires)

Total, filing and issue$3,000.00

What to bring

Some of these depend on your answers; the list narrows as you fill the form in.

• Articles of association

  Code minier, art. 22 (attribution du permis de recherche)

• Evidence of technical capacity

  The company’s exploration record and the curriculum vitae of the geologist responsible for the work.

  Code minier, art. 22 (attribution du permis de recherche)

• Evidence of financial capacity

  Must be less than 6 months old

  Code minier, art. 22 (attribution du permis de recherche)

• Work programme and timetable

  Code minier, art. 26 (programme et début des travaux de recherche)

• Environmental notice

  Copies are filed with the National Directorate of Mines and with the CPDM, and it goes to the local authorities within six months of the permit (article 26).

  Ordonnance n° 045/PRG/SGG/87 du 28 mai 1987 portant Code de la protection et de la mise en valeur de l’environnement

• Prior environmental authorisation

  Required where the perimeter covers a protected area (articles 111 and 112).

  Must be less than 24 months old

  Loi L/97/038/AN du 9 décembre 1997 portant Code de protection de la faune sauvage et réglementation de la chasse

Before you start

• The coordinates of the requested perimeter, in decimal degrees or degrees-minutes-seconds.
• The work programme and its budget for the three years of the permit.
• The company’s articles and evidence of its technical and financial capacity.
• The environmental notice for the work planned.

How it is handled

1. Completeness check

   15 days

2. Cadastral assessment (CPDM)

   30 days

3. Technical and environmental assessment (DNM)

   45 days

4. Opinion of the Technical Titles Committee

   30 days

5. Decision

   15 days

6. Order of the Minister

   15 days

7. Notification and publication in the Journal officiel

   2 days

If the answer is no

The decision is notified and published in the Journal officiel and on the mining ministry’s site. An appeal may be lodged with the Minister for Mines within two months of notification, and then before the competent administrative court.

The texts this rests on

• Code minier, art. 19 à 27 (permis de recherche)
• Code minier, art. 21 (superficie et forme du permis de recherche)
• Code minier, art. 22 (attribution du permis de recherche)

Versions of this procedure

• Version 1 · 2026-01-01In force