Licensing Guide

A gateway to pegging mining claims. The holder of a NEPL is not entitled to exclusive rights for any specific mineral group or area. It is issued for a year and the annual fee is N$50.

Granted to Namibian citizens or to companies owned by Namibian citizens. A mining claim holder may contract a foreigner or a foreign-owned company to prospect and mine. An individual or company can be awarded a maximum of ten (10) mining claims at a time. Registration requires an Environmental Clearance Certificate from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

Used to conduct regional investigations such as airborne geophysical surveys and analysis of satellite images. Usually covers a large area (e.g. 1 million Ha). Issued for six (6) months, after which the holder should ideally apply for an Exclusive Prospecting Licence within the area previously covered.

For detailed investigations such as geological mapping, ground geophysics, geochemical sampling, trenching, drilling, bulk sampling, and trial mining. It is the most common type of mineral licence issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy — more than 70% of the licensing workload comes from EPL applications.

After conducting exploration under an EPL, the holder may find a deposit but certain circumstances may prevent taking the project to mining — such as commodity price, lack of infrastructure, or poor extraction technologies. The MDRL allows the holder to preserve rights over the deposit. The holder is not obliged to carry out any work.

After a successful exploration program, an EPL holder may apply for a mining licence to start mining activities. Depending on the deposit size and scale of production, a mining licence may be issued for up to twenty-five (25) years, renewable for periods not exceeding 15 years.

Entitles the holder to carry on business as a buyer, seller, and exporter of rough diamonds. Issued under the Diamond Act, 1999 and Diamond Regulations 2000, administered by the Diamond Commissioner.

Entitles the holder to polish diamonds for purposes of business or trade.

Entitles the holder to set unpolished diamonds in tools, implements, or to alter or crush those diamonds for the purpose of trade.

Entitles the holder to conduct research and testing in connection with diamonds, but not to polish diamonds for business or trade.

Allows the holder to carry on reconnaissance operations subject to terms and conditions stipulated under Section 22–28 of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act, 1991. A reconnaissance licence is non-exclusive. Companies can explore for oil and gas both onshore and offshore in Namibia.

Allows the holder to carry on exploration operations exclusively in the designated block(s), subject to the terms and conditions specified in the licence under Section 29–38 of the Petroleum Act.

Allows the holder to exclusively carry on production operations on the designated block(s), to sell or dispose of petroleum recovered, and any other activities stipulated under subsections 39–43 of the Petroleum Act.

Required when a licence holder needs to export minerals from Namibia for the purpose of sale or scientific examinations. Royalty rates apply based on commodity group: Precious Stones 10%, Dimension Stones 5%, Base and Rare Metals 3%, Precious Metals 3%, Nuclear Fuel Minerals 3%, Non-Nuclear Fuel Minerals 2%, Industrial Minerals 2%, Semi-Precious Stones 2%.

Required for the purpose of transporting minerals within Namibia.

For anyone who wishes to trade in High Value Minerals such as gold, silver, platinum, etc. Application forms can be found on www.mme.gov.na. After application, technical staff evaluate the value of the material and allowable deductions.