Artisanal mining in Kazakhstan: licence and rules
Who may obtain an artisanal mining licence in Kazakhstan, how to check an area and apply through the EPN, and the documents, restrictions and 2026 changes.
Updated 29 September 2026 · 6 min read
Contents
Artisanal mining is a separate regime for extracting precious metals and stones from placer and technogenic deposits. A Kazakhstan citizen may obtain this licence. First check the area and the intended work method: finding gold on a map does not give anyone the right to mine it.
This guide reflects rules checked on 29 September 2026. It is general information; restrictions for a particular area require a separate check.
Is an artisanal mining licence right for you?
Under Article 263 of the Code on Subsoil and Subsoil Use (the Subsoil Code), one person may hold one artisanal mining licence. The right may neither be transferred to another person nor encumbered. An offer to “buy an existing artisanal mining licence” therefore needs particular scrutiny: an ordinary sale of this right is prohibited.
The licence is for manual work or low-power equipment within the legal limits. It does not replace an industrial mining licence. A foreign investor needs to consider another legal regime; see the foreign-investor guide.
The licence lasts three years and may be extended once for another three years if Article 268's conditions are met. The area must measure between 500 m² and 5 hectares (Article 269).
1. Check the area
Regional local executive bodies designate artisanal mining areas after the required approvals. You cannot choose any place on a geological map and immediately begin work.
Check with the regional akimat and current EPN information:
- whether the area has been designated for artisanal mining;
- whether someone else already holds an artisanal mining licence there;
- territorial prohibitions;
- who holds land and subsoil rights, and whose consent is needed;
- whether the boundaries and area fit this regime.
For example, Article 264 excludes certain protected areas, settlements and an adjacent 1,000 m zone. This is not the full list. On private land, another user's land or another person's subsoil area, consider the consents required by law.
A geological map helps you understand geology. Check the right to work and the area's legal status in other records. See how to choose a geological map.
2. Decide how you will work
List the equipment and describe the types and methods of work in advance. If you plan to use machinery, you need an artisanal mining plan; carrying out such work requires a positive conclusion from the state environmental assessment of that plan (Article 273).
Key Article 270 limits:
| Check | Limit |
|---|---|
| Drilling and earthworks depth | No more than 3 m from the lowest point of the area's ground surface |
| Truck | One, with a load capacity of no more than 10 t |
| Excavator and/or bulldozer | Combined bucket capacity no more than 0.5 m³ |
| Machinery specified in the article | Must be owned by the subsoil user |
| Placer gold | No more than 50 kg per calendar year |
| Reagents and explosives | Prohibited |
| Soil and extracted rock mass | Must not be removed from the area |
Permanent structures are also prohibited. On water bodies and water-fund land, artisanal mining may be performed only by hand (Article 271). The environmental screening provision in Article 273 does not amount to general permission to use an excavator there.
Check the permitted method before selecting machinery. The general possibility of renting a machine does not mean you may use it under a particular artisanal mining licence.
3. Prepare the application and documents
The current Rules No. 339 provide for filing through the Unified Subsoil Use Platform (EPN). The service is provided by the regional local executive body.
Prepare:
- an application describing the area, its coordinates and size;
- proof of a representative's authority if a representative applies;
- a list of machinery and equipment and a description of the planned work;
- the necessary consents from right holders;
- an artisanal mining plan if machinery is planned in the first licence year.
Annex 3 to the Rules specifies the electronic document format and signing of consents through the EPN; some information comes from state systems. At the same time, Article 265(4)–(5) of the Code requires notarisation of attached copies and applications and documents in Kazakh and Russian. The electronic format does not itself remove these requirements. Before filing, ask the service provider how to meet them in the EPN for your document package.
The official starting point is EPN government services. Select the artisanal mining licence service and check its current service page.
4. Await the decision and meet the conditions before work
The Rules set a service period of seven working days. Applications for overlapping areas are reviewed in order; an earlier application may affect your route and timing. Seven days is therefore not a promise that an area will be granted in every case.
The government service is free, but other costs remain. The Code provides for a signature bonus, security for remediation of work impacts and reclamation duties. The regional executive body sets the security amount per hectare; check the final amount for the particular area and year.
Before work starts, meet the applicable conditions, including remediation security. Keep the licence, plan, conclusions and evidence that conditions were met. Production reporting is also required; the regular annual report is due by 30 January for the previous year (Article 272).
What changed in 2026?
Order No. 103 of 17 March 2026 updated the procedure: applications are filed and registered through the EPN, status appears in the user's account, and prescribed consents are processed electronically. The procedural changes did not remove the Code's restrictions on the activity.
The official act record gives 19 March 2026 as the publication date. The Order enters into force 60 calendar days after first official publication; counting from that date gives 19 May 2026. This guide uses the updated Rules No. 339 as of its check date.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy another miner's licence? No. Transfer of the right under an artisanal mining licence is prohibited. Other licences have different rules; see the guide to transferring subsoil rights.
Can I work anywhere gold is found? No. Check the area's regime and restrictions and obtain the right to the specific area.
Can I order an excavator as soon as I apply? Wait for the decision and check permissible machinery, ownership, the plan, environmental assessment and all other conditions for starting work.
Can a map show an area's potential? It is one source. Consider its scale, date, types of features and data limits. A map alone confirms neither reserves nor a right to mine.
Discuss an area
If you need help reviewing geological materials or preparing the process, describe your task to QAZNEDR. State the region and purpose. Agree with a specialist before sharing documents containing personal data; do not post them in an open description.
Sources
- Code on Subsoil and Subsoil Use: Articles 40, 263–274 and 276.
- Application and review Rules, Order No. 339: paragraphs 4–12 and Annex 3.
- Order No. 103 of 17 March 2026 and official publication record.