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Supporting materials for mineral title applications

To get a mineral title in the Northern Territory (NT), you must provide supporting information and documents depending on the type of mineral title you're applying for.

The submission process is the same no matter what type of mineral title you're seeking.

The following types of mineral title applications are available:

Information you will need

You must be able to prove you have the technical skills and financial resources to:

  • carry out the proposed exploration work program or
  • develop any proposed mine.

You will also need to provide a range of supporting information and documents as outlined below.

Minerals being sought

You will need to provide details of:

  • what minerals you want to explore for, extract or mine
  • your rationale.

Application area and land owner details

You will need to provide information about the area of land you're applying for including all of the following:

  • the size of the area in number of graticular blocks or hectares, depending on the type of mineral title you are applying for
  • a description of the area
  • a map clearly showing the area being applied for, including boundaries of land holdings and geographical features
  • names and addresses of every owner or occupier of each piece of land your application covers
  • other information that may be asked for, to provide a more detailed picture of your plans.

If your application covers land that is affected by native title, you may also need to supply details of all native title holders, claimants and their representative bodies.

Read about applying for a mineral title on native title land.

Proposed work program

You will need to provide details of a realistic exploration program for the first two years of an exploration licence, including proposed expenditure for each item.

The majority of expenditure should be for field work, with all other costs connected to that work.

A work program should take into account some or all of the following activities:

  • data research and interpretation
  • geochemical sampling
  • drilling - auger, vacuum, RAB, RC and diamond
  • geophysical survey
  • consultancies
  • analytical testing
  • labour costs
  • camp maintenance
  • fuel and other expenses.

Evidence of financial and technical resources

Financial

You will need to prove you have the financial resources to fund the proposed work program.

Evidence of financial resources could include copies of some or all of the following documents:

  • most recent audited financial report to the Australian Securities Exchange or, if not a publicly listed company, most recent audited annual accounts
  • bank statement showing cash resources
  • value of government or semi-government bonds, with copy of bond
  • value of listed shares
  • statement from recognised financial institution showing line of credit
  • prospectus of future fund raising
  • statement from accountant of available funds - it must be less than 3 months old and show the accountant is aware of the proposed amount of expenditure.

Any other exploration or mining interests and commitments you have may be taken into account for this assessment.

Read more about reporting expenditure and expenditure conditions on titles.

Technical skills

You will need to show you have the technical skills and qualifications available to undertake your proposed work program.

Suitable evidence could include a list of names of anyone, including consultants, providing technical advice, and their qualifications and field of expertise.

Read the guideline

This guideline summarises the requirements under the legislation to provision of evidence of technical and financial resources when making a mineral title application for the grant, issue or renewal of a mineral title.

Guideline 5: financial and technical resources DOCX (55.2 KB)
Guideline 5: financial and technical resources PDF (421.8 KB)

Search certificates

You will need to get copies of land title certificates for all parcels of land covered by your application.

These will  give you the names and addresses for each of the landowners.

You can get land title certificates from the:

The search must be no more than 6 weeks old at the time of submitting your application and should contain the ‘owner's last known address’.

Note: copies of searches or notification documents are not required to be submitted to the department. However, you must be able to provide a copy, if requested.

Proof of identity

If this is your first application, you will need to provide documents proving your identity like a photocopy of your passport or similar documents.

For a company, you must provide a copy of the certificate showing your Australian company number.

How to fill in the form

The application for a mineral title must be made by a legal entity such as an individual, company, registered association or other corporate body. It can't be made in the name of a business or family trust.

Each heading below relates to a section of the form and details the information you need to provide.

Particulars of applicant

Provide the full name, address, contact details and Australian Company Number for each person or entity involved.

Particulars of contact

You can nominate another person or corporation to administer your application.

This contact will then receive all correspondence from the department about the application.

This person or entity will have the authority to undertake all legal processes for the application.

You must provide the name and contact details and include a signed authorisation for this person to act on your behalf. You must tell the department if the contact person changes.

Length of term

You can apply for up to the maximum period allowed for each title as follows:

  • mineral exploration licence (EL) - 6 years
  • exploration licence in retention (ELR) - 5 years
  • extractive mineral exploration licence (EMEL) - 2 years
  • mineral authority (MA) - term decided by government
  • mineral lease (ML) - term decided by government
  • extractive mineral permit (EMP) - 5 years
  • extractive mineral lease (EML) - 10 years.

Read about titles for exploration or mining.

Particulars of area

You must provide details of the area being applied for. Each type of title has a different maximum area as follows:

  • EL - between 4 and 250 adjoining graticular blocks
  • ELR - all or part of your existing EL - must be described in hectares
  • EMEL - up to 4 graticular blocks
  • MA - determined by whether you want to explore for minerals or extractive minerals
  • ML - no limit
  • EMP - 100 hectares
  • EML - 100 hectares.

Read more about how to describe an area for a title application.

Map of application area

You must include a map that clearly indicates the area being applied for, including boundaries of land holdings and geographical features.

It must be on the GDA94 datum and at a scale that clearly shows which graticular blocks you're applying for.

Landowner details

You need to provide the names and addresses of the owner or occupier of each piece of land your application covers.

You can get this information from the land title searches you have conducted on the Northern Territory Land Information System (NTLIS).

For more information, go to the NTLIS website.

If your application covers land that is affected by native title, you may also need to supply details of all native title holders, claimants and their representative bodies.

For a full definition of a landowner, refer to Section 14 of the Mineral Titles Act 2010.

Documents to attach to your application

The following information must be detailed in separate documents and attached to your application, depending on the type of title you are applying for:

  • mineral or extractive mineral being sought, and your exploration rationale - EL, EMEL or EMP only
  • use of extractive mineral - EMP or EML only
  • proposed work program and expenditure for first and second year - EL or EMEL only
  • summary of proposal to develop or use the mineral deposit - ML only
  • details of available plant and equipment for extraction or rehabiliation work - EMP and EML only
  • details of financial resources
  • details of your technical skills and capacity
  • search certificates issued by the Office of the Registrar-General or printouts from ILIS
  • native title agreements held, if relevant
  • proof of identity - for first time applicants only.

Signatures

If you're submitting your application by mail, you or your authorised contact must sign the form.

You don't need to sign the form if you're submitting it by email.

Fees

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.

You don't need to include advertising costs when you submit an application for a mineral lease or extractive mineral lease, as you will be sent a request for payment for the actual costs later.

For more information, email titles.info@nt.gov.au.

How to pay

You can use any of the following methods to pay your fees:

  • personal cheques or money orders made payable to the Receiver of Territory Monies - they must be attached to the application
  • Visa or MasterCard
  • EFTPOS and cash payments for applications that are lodged in person.

You can't make payment by direct debit for mineral title applications.

How to submit your application

You can submit your completed application to the department by post, email, fax or in person.

Fees must be paid by credit card for emailed applications. There is no need to post the original documents.

By post, email or fax

Attn: Director of Mineral Titles
Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade
Mineral Titles Division
Level 5 Paspalis Centrepoint building
48-50 Smith Street (Corner of Knuckey Street and Smith Street Mall)
Darwin NT 0800
titles.info@nt.gov.au

Fax: 08 8981 7106

In person

Attn: Director of Mineral Titles
Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade
Mineral Titles division
GPO Box 4550
Darwin NT 0801

After you submit your application

Find out how your application is assessed.

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.