Mining law in Georgia rests on the system of use licenses for state resources: from the extraction of minerals to the use of underground space, a use license is issued by auction, and the acquisition procedure is regulated in detail by the law on licenses and permits. If your activity concerns the resources of the subsoil, this page explains which license types exist, what documents you submit for the auction and how the issuance procedure runs.
Types of use licenses
The law distinguishes the following types of use license: a license for the extraction of useful minerals; a license for the use of underground space; a general license for the use of oil and gas resources — comprising special exploration and extraction licenses; a special license for a hunting economy; a fishing license; a license to use the radio frequency spectrum; and a license to use, for the purpose of export, fir cones together with the bulbs of snowdrops and the tubers of cyclamens included in the annexes to the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild flora and fauna. Two positions of the list have been abolished and can no longer be demanded. Choosing the right type is decisive: the application must state exactly which type of use license the seeker requests.
Documentation to submit
When a license is issued by auction, the seeker submits a written application indicating the desired license type. The application is accompanied by: for a private-law legal entity and an individual entrepreneur — extracts from the state registry; for a natural person — copies of identification documents; a public-law legal entity attaches certified copies of its founding documents. The application is also accompanied by proof of payment of the license fee; the amount of the fee and the rules of its payment and refund are determined by the law on license and permit fees.
Timing matters as well: an application for participation in an auction is accepted no less than fifteen days from the announcement of the auction, and the final deadline for accepting applications in each concrete case is set by the license issuer. If the seeker withdraws before the deadline expires, the paid fee is subject to return.