Mineral licences: field data collection, prospecting, exploration, feasibility study and mining in Laos: statutory documents, competent authority and legal basis

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Who can apply

Both Lao citizens and foreigners may apply; the documents differ.

Competent authority: Mining administration runs at three levels (Art. 117): the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the provincial and capital departments and the district offices. The ministry decides all five stages, field data collection, prospecting, exploration, the feasibility study and mining (Arts. 43, 46, 50, 58 and 71); provincial departments issue and renew licences under Arts. 86 and 92 and may propose suspension or withdrawal (Art. 119). The investment licence before concession negotiation and the intake for industrial non-metallic minerals sit with the one-stop investment service office (Arts. 67 and 92)

At a glance

Statutory document list

Field data collection permit, the first step and without exclusive rights

• Application to collect field data (Art. 43.1) (required)
• Copy of the enterprise registration (Art. 43.2) (required)
• Mining qualification certificate of the people who will do the field work (Art. 43.3) (required)
• Map of the area where data will be collected (Art. 43.4) (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Prospecting licence, after the investment licence

• The investment licence (Art. 46.1); without it this step cannot start (required)
• The field data collection report (Art. 46.2) (required)
• Map showing where prospecting is proposed (Art. 46.3) (required)
• The prospecting plan and minimum spend with the source of funds (Art. 46.4) (required)
• Qualification and experience certificates of the technical staff (Art. 46.5) (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Renew the prospecting licence, ninety days before expiry

• Renewal application: ninety days before expiry for prospecting and exploration (Arts. 48 and 53) and twelve months for mining (Art. 73); late applications are not considered (required)
• Results report and a plan to continue. For prospecting and exploration at least sixty per cent of the approved plan must be done and at least twenty-five per cent of the uneconomic area returned (Arts. 48 and 53) (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Exploration licence

• The prospecting licence and prospecting report (Art. 50.1) (required)
• The exploration plan and minimum spend with the source of funds (Art. 50.2) (required)
• The social and natural environment management and monitoring plan (Art. 50.3) (required)
• Evidence that financial and other obligations have been met (Art. 50.4) (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Renew the exploration licence, ninety days before expiry

• Renewal application: ninety days before expiry for prospecting and exploration (Arts. 48 and 53) and twelve months for mining (Art. 73); late applications are not considered (required)
• Results report and a plan to continue. For prospecting and exploration at least sixty per cent of the approved plan must be done and at least twenty-five per cent of the uneconomic area returned (Arts. 48 and 53) (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Economic and technical feasibility study permit

• Application for the feasibility study permit. Art. 58 says only that it may be filed with the ministry and decided within fifteen working days, and lists no attachments; its closing sentence refers the study to regulations issued by the ministry, so follow those and what the counter says (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Negotiating the mine development concession contract through the one-stop investment service office

• Application to the one-stop investment service office for the investment licence in order to negotiate the mine development concession contract. Art. 67 says only that the holder may apply and lists no attachments; prepare the investment licence papers under that matter (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Mining licence, after the concession contract is signed

• The investment licence and the signed mine development concession contract: Art. 71 makes both preconditions for applying for the mining licence (required)
• Application for the mining licence. Art. 71 gives the ministry thirty days from receipt to decide and lists no other attachments, so follow what the counter says (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Renew the mining licence, twelve months before expiry

• Renewal application: ninety days before expiry for prospecting and exploration (Arts. 48 and 53) and twelve months for mining (Art. 73); late applications are not considered (required)
• Results report and a plan to continue. For prospecting and exploration at least sixty per cent of the approved plan must be done and at least twenty-five per cent of the uneconomic area returned (Arts. 48 and 53) (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Industrial non-metallic mineral mining permit, a shorter route

• Copy of the enterprise registration (Art. 91.1) (required)
• Operating plan: extraction method, crushing and processing, equipment, minerals and end products, and the number of workers (Art. 91.3) (required)
• Land rehabilitation and mine closure plan (Art. 91.4) (required)
• The environmental certificate approving the social and natural environmental impact assessment (Art. 91.5); obtain it through the environmental certificate matter first (required)
• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Traditional panning: not this licence, and only for Lao citizens living in that village

• Power of attorney, if someone files on your behalf (optional)

Statutory requirements

Common issues

• Traditional panning needs no licence and companies cannot obtain it: Art. 86 allows it only to Lao citizens resident in that village
• The first step confers no exclusivity: the data collection permit holder has no exclusive right over the area (Art. 43)

The full list has 10 items; work through them in the guided form — Open the guided form

Legal basis (Lao Official Gazette texts)

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for a Mineral licences: field data collection, prospecting, exploration, feasibility study and mining in Laos?

Both Lao citizens and foreigners may apply; the documents differ. Competent authority: Mining administration runs at three levels (Art. 117): the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the provincial and capital departments and the district offices. The ministry decides all five stages, field data collection, prospecting, exploration, the feasibility study and mining (Arts. 43, 46, 50, 58 and 71); provincial departments issue and renew licences under Arts. 86 and 92 and may propose suspension or withdrawal (Art. 119). The investment licence before concession negotiation and the intake for industrial non-metallic minerals sit with the one-stop investment service office (Arts. 67 and 92).

What documents are required for a Mineral licences: field data collection, prospecting, exploration, feasibility study and mining in Laos?

23 statutory items: Application to collect field data (Art. 43.1); Copy of the enterprise registration (Art. 43.2); Mining qualification certificate of the people who will do the field work (Art. 43.3); Map of the area where data will be collected (Art. 43.4); The investment licence (Art. 46.1); without it this step cannot start; The field data collection report (Art. 46.2); Map showing where prospecting is proposed (Art. 46.3); The prospecting plan and minimum spend with the source of funds (Art. 46.4); Qualification and experience certificates of the technical staff (Art. 46.5); Renewal application: ninety days before expiry for prospecting and exploration (Arts. 48 and 53) and twelve months for mining (Art. 73); late applications are not considered; Results report and a plan to continue. For prospecting and exploration at least sixty per cent of the approved plan must be done and at least twenty-five per cent of the uneconomic area returned (Arts. 48 and 53); The prospecting licence and prospecting report (Art. 50.1); The exploration plan and minimum spend with the source of funds (Art. 50.2); The social and natural environment management and monitoring plan (Art. 50.3); Evidence that financial and other obligations have been met (Art. 50.4); Application for the feasibility study permit. Art. 58 says only that it may be filed with the ministry and decided within fifteen working days, and lists no attachments; its closing sentence refers the study to regulations issued by the ministry, so follow those and what the counter says; Application to the one-stop investment service office for the investment licence in order to negotiate the mine development concession contract. Art. 67 says only that the holder may apply and lists no attachments; prepare the investment licence papers under that matter; The investment licence and the signed mine development concession contract: Art. 71 makes both preconditions for applying for the mining licence; Application for the mining licence. Art. 71 gives the ministry thirty days from receipt to decide and lists no other attachments, so follow what the counter says; Copy of the enterprise registration (Art. 91.1); Operating plan: extraction method, crushing and processing, equipment, minerals and end products, and the number of workers (Art. 91.3); Land rehabilitation and mine closure plan (Art. 91.4); The environmental certificate approving the social and natural environmental impact assessment (Art. 91.5); obtain it through the environmental certificate matter first. Competent authority: Mining administration runs at three levels (Art. 117): the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the provincial and capital departments and the district offices. The ministry decides all five stages, field data collection, prospecting, exploration, the feasibility study and mining (Arts. 43, 46, 50, 58 and 71); provincial departments issue and renew licences under Arts. 86 and 92 and may propose suspension or withdrawal (Art. 119). The investment licence before concession negotiation and the intake for industrial non-metallic minerals sit with the one-stop investment service office (Arts. 67 and 92).

What is the legal basis for a Mineral licences: field data collection, prospecting, exploration, feasibility study and mining in Laos?

Based on Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 42; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 43; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 44; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 45; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 46; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 47; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 48; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 50; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 52; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 53; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 58; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 59; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 63; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 64; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 65; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 67; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 68; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 71; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 72; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 73; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 85; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 86; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 87; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 91; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 92; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 98; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 99; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 100; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 101; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 103; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 104; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 105; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 108; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 110; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 117; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 118; Law on Minerals (Amended) Article 119. The full texts are available in the LaoPaniti law library, sourced from the Lao Official Gazette.

Are there time limits or hard requirements for a Mineral licences: field data collection, prospecting, exploration, feasibility study and mining in Laos?

Mining is not one licence but a chain of five stages, each applied for and issued separately: field data collection (Art. 43), prospecting (Art. 46), exploration (Art. 50), the economic and technical feasibility study (Art. 58), negotiating and signing the mine development concession contract (Art. 67), and mining itself (Art. 71). Stages cannot be skipped. The investment licence gates the whole chain: Art. 46 says the prospecting application comes after it is obtained. The investment licence is handled by the one-stop investment service office, not by the ministry. Holding the licence is not enough: Art. 65 provides that if prospecting, exploration or the feasibility study has not begun within one hundred and twenty days of the licence being granted, it is revoked. Art. 64 lists six grounds for suspension, with the ministry giving written notice and a period to put things right; after two such notices without correction the licence is revoked (Art. 65). The prohibitions are specific (Art. 110): mining investment is forbidden in protected forest, conservation forest, natural tourism areas and historical or cultural areas. Art. 108 sets general prohibitions and Art. 109 those for inspectors. Cost: the Mining Law sets no schedule of charges and only requires licence holders to pay concession land rent, mineral resource royalties, duties, taxes, fees and service charges (Arts. 101, 103 and 105). The 2021 fees ordinance (No. 002) has no energy and mines section at all. Figures circulating online come from the 2012 ordinance No. 003, expressly replaced by Art. 60 of the 2021 ordinance, so do not budget from them. The rate posted at the counter prevails. This step gives no exclusivity: Art. 43 states that the permit holder has no exclusive right over the area where data is collected. The decision comes within ten working days of the application, and a refusal must also be given in writing within that period (Art. 44). A prospecting licence runs no more than two years and may be renewed once for no more than one year (Art. 48). The decision comes within thirty working days of a correct and complete application (Art. 46). An exploration licence runs no more than three years and may be renewed once for no more than one year (Art. 53). The decision comes within thirty working days of the prospecting report being approved and the application received (Art. 50). Art. 50 also offers a short cut: where an area has already been prospected and geological data exists, any legal entity may apply for exploration directly. Feasibility study: the ministry decides within fifteen working days of the application (Art. 58); the study runs no more than two years, renewable once for no more than one year, with concession land rent payable throughout (Art. 59); and the results report is approved within one hundred and twenty days at the latest (Art. 63). The concession negotiation is not handled by the ministry: once the feasibility report is approved, apply to the one-stop investment service office for the investment licence in order to negotiate; the negotiation involves representatives of the energy and mines ministry, the planning and investment ministry, the sectors concerned and local administration (Art. 67). Negotiation runs at most one hundred and eighty days; if it does not conclude, one renegotiation may be requested by applying to the planning ministry within sixty days, and the second round runs at most one hundred and twenty days (Art. 68). Large projects and those affecting protected or conservation forest, water sources or communities go to the National Assembly Standing Committee. The mining licence can only be applied for after the investment licence and the signed concession contract, and the ministry decides within thirty days (Art. 71). It runs no more than twenty years, renewable ten years at a time, and that term includes the post-closure monitoring period (Art. 73), so it is not twenty years of extraction. Industrial non-metallic minerals take a shorter route: the application goes to the one-stop investment service office, the energy and mines sector studies and checks the requested area and gives its opinion to that office under the Investment Promotion Law; at provincial level the provincial department reports to the ministry, seeks its opinion on the area and passes it to the provincial one-stop office. The permit runs no more than five years, renewable five years at a time (Art. 92). Traditional panning does not need this licence: Art. 85 defines it as panning with traditional tools and no chemicals, and Art. 86 allows it only to Lao citizens residing in the village concerned, managed by the provincial department and district office. Foreigners and companies are outside it and must follow the five-stage chain.

How much does a Mineral licences: field data collection, prospecting, exploration, feasibility study and mining cost in Laos and how long does it take?

Cost: The Mining Law sets no schedule of charges; Arts. 101, 103 and 105 require licence holders to pay concession land rent, mineral royalties, duties, taxes, fees and service charges, and Art. 59 adds concession land rent during the feasibility study. The 2021 fees ordinance has no energy and mines section at all. Schedules circulating from the 2012 ordinance No. 003 were expressly replaced, so do not budget from them. The rate posted at the counter prevails.. How long: The periods the law fixes: ten working days for field data collection (Art. 44); thirty working days for prospecting (Art. 46); thirty working days for exploration (Art. 50); fifteen working days for the feasibility permit (Art. 58) with the results report approved within one hundred and twenty days (Art. 63); at most one hundred and eighty days for concession negotiation and one hundred and twenty for a second round (Art. 68); and thirty days for the mining licence (Art. 71). Terms: prospecting two years plus one, exploration three plus one, feasibility two plus one, mining up to twenty years renewable ten at a time including post-closure monitoring, and industrial non-metallic minerals up to five years renewable five at a time..

Can LaoPaniti obtain the Mineral licences: field data collection, prospecting, exploration, feasibility study and mining for me?

LaoPaniti organises the document list, offers online form filling, document upload and pre-check hand-off by staff. It is not a government filing, does not represent acceptance or approval by any authority, and promises neither results nor expedited handling. Formal processing follows the current requirements of the Mining administration runs at three levels (Art. 117): the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the provincial and capital departments and the district offices. The ministry decides all five stages, field data collection, prospecting, exploration, the feasibility study and mining (Arts. 43, 46, 50, 58 and 71); provincial departments issue and renew licences under Arts. 86 and 92 and may propose suspension or withdrawal (Art. 119). The investment licence before concession negotiation and the intake for industrial non-metallic minerals sit with the one-stop investment service office (Arts. 67 and 92).

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