Apply for a mineral exploration licence

In the Northern Territory (NT), you must have a licence to do any mineral exploration, except for certain types of preliminary exploration.

A mineral exploration licence (EL) allows you to search for minerals. If found, these minerals are typically mined for processing or export.

Summary

An EL gives you the right to occupy the title area and the exclusive right to explore for minerals in the title area using any or all of the following methods:

digging pits, trenches and holes, and sinking bores and tunnels in the mineral title area
drilling to find out the quality, quantity or extent of other material in the title area
extracting and removing samples of ore and other substances from the title area in amounts necessary to evaluate the potential for mining in the title area - large samples need ministerial approval.

An EL also gives you the right to apply for a mineral lease over all or part of the title area.

Area covered by an EL

The area for an exploration licence must be between 4 and 250 adjoining blocks, although you can apply for a smaller area if circumstances justify it.

A block is approximately 3.22km².

Application over expired EL area

To apply for an area previously covered by an EL, you must wait at least 30 days after the previous licence expires, is surrendered, or cancelled. Then, you can apply for a new licence over the same area.

This 30-day period is known as the EL moratorium period.

Licence term

An EL can granted for up to 6 years. It can be renewed more than once for periods up to 2 years.

Reduction of licence area

You must surrender half the blocks of an exploration licence every 2 years in the initial grant period.

You can apply for an exemption to this rule or for it to be deferred or reduced.

For more information, read the information bulletin.

Reduction of title area of exploration licence PDF (559.4 KB)
Reduction of title area of exploration licence DOCX (63.7 KB)

Before you apply

Before you apply for this exploration licence, read the:

You should also read land access for exploration.

How to apply

To apply, follow the steps below:

Step 1. Fill in the form and prepare supporting materials

Use this form to apply for a mineral exploration licence or a mineral authority.

Mineral exploration licence or mineral authority (approved form 1) DOCX (119.9 KB)
Mineral exploration licence or mineral authority (approved form 1) PDF (805.7 KB)

Read about the required supporting materials.

Step 2. Submit your application and pay the fee

To find out how much you must pay, read about rents, fees and other costs.

You must include the application fee and any advertising costs when submitting your application.

After you apply

Find out how your application is assessed.

Process

The flowcharts below detail the processes and requirements for applying for a mineral title over the different types of land tenure in the NT.

The land tenure affects the way an application is processed, and you need to follow different steps depending on the tenure. The tenure can also affect the length of time it takes for a title to be granted.

Find out the grant process of an EL:

Tell the landowner/manager

You must notify landowners when you apply for a mineral title and there are specific processes you must follow.

When you apply for any mineral title, you must tell each landowner affected by the application. You must do this within 14 days of submitting the application to the department.

Read more about landowner notification under mineral title: grant of tenure.