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Mining permit

  • Permit or other obligation
  • Nationwide
  • Public service

A mining permit is required to establish a mine and undertake mining activity. The mining permit entitles the holder to exploit the mining minerals found in the mining area, to exploit the organic and inorganic surface materials, excess rock, and tailings generated as a by-product of mining activities, as well as other materials belonging to the bedrock and soil of the mining area to the extent th ...

Do the following

Prepare a free-form mining permit application and fill in the necessary attachments. The permit application shall include a report, which is both necessary and reliable in terms of permit consideration, on the following:

1) the applicant and the applicant's ability to carry out the activity that is the subject of the permit application;

2) the area covered by the application and its zoning situation, and restrictions on the use of the land and details on how these restrictions have been considered;

3) parties whose interests, rights or obligations may be affected by the permit (parties concerned);

4) the prerequisites for the activity:

b) in the case of an application for a mining permit, the usability of the recovered minerals in particular;

5) plans concerning the activities;

6) the environmental and other impacts of the activities, taking into account the nature and extent of the planned measures. However, a report is not required when the information required is contained in the environmental impact assessment report referred to in subsection 3(2) of the Mining Act;

7) termination of activities, along with related measures and after-care procedures.

The following shall be appended to the permit application:

1) official certificates, extracts from registers, and any corresponding documents to verify the information presented in the application and consideration of the related requirements;

2) if necessary, a report on the assessment referred to in section 65 of the Nature Conservation Act, and an environmental impact assessment report in accordance with the Act on Environmental Impact Assessment Procedure (468/1994);

3) a summary of the information presented in the application and related appendices.

In addition, the construction and production operations of a mine are subject to a mining safety permit. The contents of the application are specified in section 122 of the Mining Act. In addition to information concerning the applicant, the application shall include, for example, the mining operator’s methods for preventing accidents, an assessment of the elements endangering mining safety, an internal rescue plan for the mine and a general plan.

To whom and on what terms

A mining permit can be applied for by 1) natural persons who are over 18 years of age, who have not been declared bankrupt and whose legal competence is not restricted under the Guardianship Services Act; 2) legal persons. A redemption permit for a mining area can be applied for by a party who is applying for a mining permit in order to exploit the deposit in question. The mining permit holder is obligated to ensure that mining activities do not cause damage to people’s health or danger to public safety. The permit holder must also make sure that the mining activities do not cause significant harm to public or private interests, nor, in relation to the overall costs of the mining operations, reasonably avoidable infringement of public or private interests. The mining permit holder may not excavate or exploit mining minerals in a way that entails obvious wasting of mining minerals.

If a trader is established in another country belonging to the European Economic Area and provides its services temporarily in Finland, the trader must have a branch registered in Finland or the trader must be a legal person on whom national legal obligations can be imposed.


Deadline

A mining permit must be applied for before the launch of mining operations. A mining safety permit must also be applied for before commencing production operations.

Processing time

Case-specific processing time based on area location and research methods.

Period of validity

Until further notice; the regulations are re-evaluated at minimum every 10 years. For justified reasons, the permit may also be granted for a fixed period.

The service is provided by

Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes)

Responsible for the service

Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes)
Text edited by: Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes)
Updated: 22/8/2023