Tenement Application (SA)

Exploration Licences

To apply for an EL, the applicant must have a registered office in Australia before submitting an application. A person may apply for an EL on behalf of another party provided they have appropriate authorisation from the intended tenement holder. An applicant for an EL is required to submit the application

• through the South Australian Resources Information Geoserver (SARIG) or
• in person, by facsimile or email using Form 29 – Mineral Exploration Licence application / renewal

Application instructions can be found in the South Australian EarthResources Information Sheet Mineral exploration licences - general conditions, procedures and information.

Exploration release area

An expired, surrendered, or cancelled mineral exploration licence (EL) area may be released to industry as an ‘exploration release area’ (ERA). An ERA is released for a minimum four-week moratorium period after which it is open for application from Monday to Friday immediately following the moratorium period.

Applications for an ERA can only be made during the Application Week, the dates for which are published on the Department of State Development website and in the South Australian Government Gazette. Valid applications received during the application week will be assessed via a competitive process rather than on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

Applications over an ERA will be assessed against a predefined set of assessment criteria which are outlined in Minerals Regulatory Guidelines MG17 — Guidelines: applying for mineral exploration release areas (ERAs) in South Australia and also provided in the standard Mineral exploration release area (ERA): Application Form 29ERA. If more than one application is received over an ERA, these will be assessed by the Department of State Development’s Mineral Exploration Assessment Panel on a merits basis and the successful application will progress to the standard exploration licence application process.

Processing

Apart from exploration release areas, applications are treated on a first-come, first-served basis. If two or more valid applications arrive for the same area on the same day priority will be based on the relative merits of the applications. An applicant will be informed as to whether the application has priority for processing and may be required to provide further information.

Following assessment of the application, an offer will be made to the applicant, setting out the terms and conditions under which a licence may be granted. On acceptance of the offer, the application details will be published in the South Australian Government Gazette, the statewide newspaper and a local/regional newspaper. An advertising fee is charged and payable at the time of lodgement. Licences are normally granted for a 1 or ''''2-year term. An annual fee is payable annually in advance.