Applying for an extension of the mining license

If your company is involved in mining and you would like to extend your permit to prospect for mineral resources, you can apply to the competent authority.

A mining permit for the exploration of one or more mineral resources is initially granted for a maximum of 5 years. Once these 5 years have expired, you can extend the permit for a further 3 years under certain conditions.
You must apply for such an extension.

There are 3 types of mining permits:

• Permit for commercial purposes: exclusive right to discover deposits and determine their extent,
• Permit for scientific purposes: exclusively for research purposes and
• Permission for large-scale exploration: to determine the characteristics of possible deposits.

The exploration permit does not allow you to implement any technical measures, such as drilling or seismic surveys. The permit only allows you to explore mineral resources in the permit field granted to you. A commercial permit for a specific mineral resource cannot be covered by another commercial permit for the same mineral resource at the same surface location.

This does not apply to scientific and large-scale exploration of non-mining mineral resources, as the exploration objective is different here.

The permit under mining law extends to so-called non-mining mineral resources that are of particular macroeconomic importance. These include energy resources such as hard coal and lignite or crude oil and natural gas, as well as precious and non-ferrous metals and salts. The area covered by the permit is limited to the earth's surface and theoretically extends to the center of the earth.

The mining department of the Darmstadt Regional Council is responsible.

• Proof of the original exploration permit
• Proof of the original work program with the following details:
  • Period for which your permit was applied for
  • Description of the work and the type of exploration
  • financial expenditure
  • original schedule for the exploration activities
• Proof that the permit field could not be sufficiently explored at the end of the permit despite the planned exploration.

Certain requirements must be met before you can extend the permit:

• You are the holder of an exploration permit.
• The permit field could not be sufficiently investigated after the expiry of the permit despite planned exploration coordinated with the competent authority.

Action before the administrative court

You can apply to extend your permit online via the "BergPass" platform (if available in the relevant federal state) or in writing to your local mountain authority.
Apply for the extension of your permit online:

• Call up the "BergPass" online platform and log in.
• To register, you will need a BundID and an identity card or residence permit with an active online ID function.
• Call up the application form and fill it out completely and truthfully.
• Upload the required documents as a file and send the application.

Apply for the extension of your permit in writing:

• Contact your responsible mining authority and coordinate the required application documents.
• Submit the application and all required documents.

Further procedural steps:

• The competent authority will check your application and the documents submitted. If any documents are missing, the authority will contact you.
• You will receive a notification by post informing you of the decision on your application. In addition, the decision will be sent electronically to the relevant mailbox (BundID or ELSTER company account) in advance and information will be displayed in BergPass.
• You will also receive a notification of costs. Pay the fees.