Mining permits: exploration and extraction
Exploration permits, extraction concessions and artisanal or semi-industrial titles, built with licensed local counsel.
Updated on 29 October 2026 · Published under the responsibility of Jason Pivron, director · Who we are
What the service covers
- Prior check of the perimeter: existing titles, overlaps, excluded zones.
- Local company, technical file and financial capacity required by the mining code.
- Filing with the competent ministry and follow-up through to the decision.
- Schedule of royalties and work obligations, delivered with the title.
In practice
Mining law usually distinguishes three titles: the exploration permit, which allows a perimeter to be explored for a limited period; the concession or mining licence, which allows extraction; and artisanal or semi-industrial titles, reserved for small operations. An exploration permit holder does not automatically obtain the mining right: a deposit must be shown and a study presented. Each title carries work, royalty and site-restoration obligations, checked by the mining administration. The holder pays annual fees linked to the permit's surface area and files work reports; a permit left without work may be withdrawn by the administration. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the 2018 Mining Code (Act 18/001) sets the exploration permit at five years, renewable once, and the mining licence at twenty-five years; the mining cadastre (CAMI) keeps the title register.
Framework and documents
In Guinea, mining titles fall under the 2011 Mining Code, amended in 2013, and the ministry in charge of mines; in Sierra Leone, under the National Minerals Agency. Documents usually requested: articles of the local company, map and coordinates of the perimeter, work programme and budget, proof of financial capacity.
Recorded on 1 October 2026; to be checked for each file.
What we tell you before we start
Granting a mining title is a sovereign decision and cannot be guaranteed. We prepare and defend the file; we buy no decision, and we decline files that would ask us to.
Mining permits: exploration and extraction: frequently asked questions
Mining permits: exploration and extraction: how much does it cost?
On quote, after the scoping call.