Exploration permit

Upon amendments to permit

• In case of a permit for geological exploration of mineral resources, an application for amendment must be submitted to the Environmental Board and a state fee of EUR 400 is paid in the environmental decision information system KOTKAS
• In case of a geological investigation permit, an application for amendment must be submitted to the Environmental Board in the environmental decision information system KOTKAS.

For re-registration of the permit

• Submit an application and pay the state fee of EUR 30 euros (§136¹ (2) of the State Fees Act).

ATTENTION! 

The holder of a permit for geological investigation or an exploration permit is obliged to reclaim the service plot of a geological exploration area and submit a report for approval to the Environmental Board.

Reminder of the holder of a permit

Directly applicable requirements arising from law apply to the holder of an exploration permit, in addition to the requirements determined by a specific permit. In order to simplify the day-to-day work of the holder of an earth's crust permit, the Environmental Board has prepared a list of the most important directly applicable requirements according to permits and stages of activity.

General obligations arising from an exploration permit

1. BEFORE STARTING FIELD WORK

• If needed, apply for other necessary environmental permits or registrations (e.g. permit for the special use of water, waste permit, etc.) and other permits and consents.

2. DURING THE VALIDITY OF THE PERMIT

• Ensure compliance with the requirements and limits of the permit.
• Follow strictly all environmental protection and safety equipment requirements.
• Use equipment in good working condition, and it is prohibited to use materials that harm the environment when working.
• Reclaim the service plot of the geological exploration area as soon as possible (§80 of MaaPS). When the works are completed, the area around the pits and boreholes must be taken to a pre-exploration condition. The work is carried out in compliance with the requirements arising from legislation.
• After the reclamation of the geological exploration area (before submitting the exploration report to the Ministry of the Environment), submit a report concerning the reclamation of the area, approved by the owner of the immovable, to the Environmental Board (§86 of MaaPS).
• If necessary, apply for a timely amendment of the permit (including an extension of the period of validity). It should be taken into account that most of the amendments require public proceedings, which is why the amendment procedure takes minimum six months.

3. EXPLORATION RESULTS

Information on the preservation of geological information can be found in §25 of MaaPS. The obligations of the holder of the permit are not limited to fulfilling the informational references, pointed out in this publication, and/or the requirements set out in the environmental permit. The holder of the permit must have the relevant knowledge and be prepared to take into account, in addition to these requirements, the requirements directly applicable to him or her based on other legislation (including the requirements that have been amended later).

If an extraction permit is being applied for within the boundaries of a geological exploration area determined by a valid permit for geological investigation or an exploration permit issued for prospecting or within one year after the expiry of such permit and the applicant is not the holder of such permit, the applicant for an extraction permit shall submit the consent of the holder of such permit for geological investigation or exploration permit.

Pursuant to the Environmental Charges Act, environmental charges must also be paid by a person who is required to hold an environmental permit but who has acted without the corresponding permit. In the case of activities without a permit, the environmental charge is calculated at an increased rate. If a company has operated without a permit before the environmental permit entered into force, information on the use of the environment during the period without the permit must be submitted to the Environmental Board. The information provided must include the volume of activity that has taken place, the period and emissions of pollutants. A processed application for a permit is not equal to holding a permit, so during the application procedure it is dealt with as an activity without a permit.