Licensing

Solid minerals exploration licence in Kazakhstan: the process step by step (2026)

How to apply for a solid minerals exploration licence in Kazakhstan: priority and auctions, blocks, timelines, signature bonus, minimum spend, fees, mining.

Updated 26 September 2026 · 14 min read

Contents

In Kazakhstan, a solid minerals exploration licence is issued by the competent authority on an application filed through the unified subsoil use platform (EPN). Applications for the same block are considered in the order in which they are received; where several applications are filed for a newly free block, and on auction territories, priority is decided by an auction on the signature bonus. The licence is issued for 6 years with a single extension of up to 5 years, over an area of no more than 200 blocks. The holder bears annual minimum exploration expenditure, pays the subsoil area fee, reports by 30 April and, if a deposit is discovered, is entitled to a mining licence. The rules are stated as of 26 September 2026.

What the licence gives and who issues it

The licence grants the exclusive right to use a subsoil area to search for deposits and to estimate their resources and reserves (Art. 185 of the Code on Subsoil and Subsoil Use, the Subsoil Code). Foreign persons take part in subsoil use on the same terms as Kazakhstan persons, unless otherwise provided by the Code, laws or international treaties (Art. 2(4)). For more, see the guide on the rights of a foreign investor.

Who issues it. The competent authority (Art. 187(1)); under the Rules for Filing Applications (Order No. 365), this is the Ministry of Industry and Construction.
Where to file. Through the EPN, the state subsoil use information system (Art. 68-1 of the Code, para. 8 of the Rules); the service is free of charge.
How many licences. As a general rule, the number is not limited (Art. 29(3)), but a threat to national security or a concentration of subsoil use rights is a ground for refusal (Art. 190(1)(6)).

Blocks and the maximum area

For exploration, the country's territory is divided into blocks whose sides measure one minute of geographic coordinates; 25 blocks make a sub-section and 100 make a section (Art. 19(2)). The area of a block in km² depends on latitude, so the application lists block codes. Each block of an area must share a side with another block of the same area.

An application may cover no more than 200 blocks (Art. 187(2)).
A block cannot be granted if it lies wholly or partly within another holder's exploration licence, or wholly within a solid minerals mining area or a liquidation territory, or wholly within a hydrocarbon production area without the consent of its subsoil user (Art. 186(2)).
Restrictions under Art. 25: defence lands, settlements and a 1,000 m zone around them (exploration there is possible under an agreement on support for the local population), water fund lands and others.
An incomplete block counts as a full block when counting blocks and minimum exploration expenditure (Art. 188(5), Art. 192(5)).

Order of filing or auction

The general rule is order of filing. The moment of filing is fixed by the date and time of receipt (Art. 187(9)). The next application for the same block is considered only after the previous one has been refused, and no earlier than 10 working days after the notice of refusal (Art. 189).

Newly free block. Under Art. 189-1 (Law No. 249-VIII of 30 December 2025, in force from 2026), if several applications for such a block are filed within 15 working days after information about it is published on the EPN, priority is decided by an auction. Under Rules No. 170 of 14 April 2026, this is an ascending auction on the e-qazyna.kz portal with a starting price of 100 MCI (monthly calculation index, МРП) (para. 26). The bonus is paid within 20 working days after the auction protocol and is non-refundable (paras. 32, 40); if it is not paid, the winner is barred from auctions for 5 years (para. 35). If the auction does not take place, the order-of-filing rule applies (Art. 189-1(5)).

Territories included in the State Subsoil Fund Management Programme (PUGFN) for the first time. Applications are accepted no earlier than two months after the programme is approved. Applications filed during the first month have equal priority, and an auction is held for overlapping blocks (Art. 278(6)).

Auction territories (Ch. 28-1). Areas found prospective by state geological study, and the territories of exploration contracts that were terminated early, not extended or declared invalid, are granted only through an auction: up to 200 blocks, with the highest signature bonus winning (Art. 221-1, 221-2).

Law No. 337-VIII (in force from 7 September 2026) did not change Chapter 27 on exploration. It introduced Ch. 28-2: on the recommendation of a consultative and advisory body under the Government, an auction territory may be moved into a category for priority grant to a national company in the field of solid minerals, except coal and uranium (Art. 221-6), for up to three years (Art. 70(3), part 3, subpara. 1-1).

The regime of a specific block is checked on the EPN and against the State Subsoil Fund Management Programme. The Code does not define the term "newly free block" — check with a lawyer.

Application and documents

The contents of the application are set out in Art. 187:

information about the applicant and about the persons and states that directly or indirectly control it; for a foreign company, a legalised registration document;
block codes and a description of the types, methods, volumes and timing of work by year;
proof of financial capacity in the amount of the first year's minimum exploration expenditure: a statement from a Kazakhstan second-tier bank, a loan or financing agreement, audited financial statements or a letter from a rating agency (Art. 187(5));
proof of professional capacity: a geologist or geophysicist on staff or under contract, or a contractor or operator that has such a specialist (Art. 187(6));
a certificate of no tax debt above 6 MCI (Art. 187(4)(7));
where required, the consent of the hydrocarbon subsoil user and the agreement for the 1,000 m zone.

Copies must be notarised; documents are filed in Kazakh and Russian, and foreign documents with a notarised translation (Art. 187(7)–(8)). The bank statement is tied to a Kazakhstan bank, the financial statements to a Kazakhstan audit, and registration for an auction to a Kazakhstan identification number (para. 16 of Rules No. 170). Whether to apply through the foreign company or through a Kazakhstan subsidiary is a question of structure — check with a lawyer.

Review and issue

The application is reviewed within 10 working days; unsuitable blocks are excluded, and the applicant is notified (Art. 188(1)–(2)). The applicant must then provide liquidation security (Art. 198): a guarantee, a pledge of a bank deposit or insurance (Art. 55(4)). Under the Methodology (Order No. 373), per block this is 10% of 7,200 MCI for years 1–6 of exploration and 10% of 11,700 MCI for years 7–11. The licence is issued no later than 5 working days after the security is provided (Art. 188(1)).

The Code allows 40 working days for the security "from the day the notice is sent", but the same paragraph provides for refusal "after thirty-five working days from the day the notice is posted". It is safer to provide the security within 35 working days; check the interpretation with a lawyer. A refusal can be appealed within 10 working days (Art. 190(3)).

Step-by-step process: timelines and payments

Step	Timing	Document / payment	Provision
1. Select blocks, check their status	Before filing	Block codes (up to 200)	Art. 19, 187
2. Application through the EPN	Priority by date and time	Application and attachments	Art. 187, 189
3. Auction, if applicable	If several applications for a newly free block are filed within 15 working days after publication	Bonus from 100 MCI, paid within 20 working days after the protocol	Art. 189-1, Rules No. 170
4. Review of the application	10 working days	Notice to provide security	Art. 188(1)
5. Liquidation security	40 working days (refusal after 35)	Guarantee, deposit pledge, insurance	Art. 188, 198
6. Issue of the licence	5 working days after the security	Licence on the EPN	Art. 188
7. Signature bonus	10 working days after issue	100 MCI	Tax Code Art. 762, 764
8. Exploration plan	Before work begins	Copy to the authorised body	Art. 196
9. Subsoil area fee	Annually by 25 February	At the rates of Tax Code Art. 621	Tax Code Art. 623
10. Reports	Annually by 30 April	Four types of reports	Art. 195
11. Extension	Application in year 6	With 10+ blocks, relinquish 40%	Art. 193
12. Mining licence	At any time during the exploration term	KAZRC report, draft plans	Art. 201, 204

Signature bonus and subsoil area fee

The signature bonus for an exploration licence not issued following an auction is 100 MCI, at the MCI in effect on the payment date, payable no later than 10 working days from the date of issue (Art. 762 and Art. 764(2) of the Tax Code). After an auction for a newly free block, the Tax Code bonus is added to the bonus set by the auction (para. 38 of Rules No. 170).

The subsoil area fee, formally the fee for the use of land plots (rental payment), is charged for each block at the MCI in effect on the first day of the tax period (Tax Code Art. 621(1)):

Licence months	Rate per block, MCI
1–36	15 (fewer than 70 blocks); 30 (from 70 to 120); 40 (from 120)
37–60	23 (fewer than 60); 50 (from 60 to 100); 60 (from 100)
61–84	32 (fewer than 50); 60 (from 50 to 100); 80 (from 100)
From month 85	60 (fewer than 30); 80 (from 30 to 80); 100 (from 80)

The annual amount is paid by 25 February and the calculation is filed by 20 February; if the licence is granted later, the fee is calculated for the actual period (Tax Code Art. 623–624).

Minimum exploration expenditure

The annual minimum is a licence condition (Art. 191) and is set in MCI (Art. 192(2)):

Exploration year	1 block	2–5 blocks	6–10 blocks	Per block above 10
1–3	1,200	1,800	2,300	+120
4–6	1,200	2,300	3,500	+180
7–8	1,800	3,500	5,800	+230
9–10	2,300	5,800	8,000	+350
From year 11	3,500	8,000	11,500	+460

The MCI is taken as of 1 January of the reporting year (Art. 192(6)).
Work on the area counts, from mapping and drilling to a feasibility study (Art. 192(7)); administrative expenses may account for no more than 20% (Art. 192(8)); the purchase of a subsoil use right does not count (Art. 192(9)).
Any shortfall must be spent and reported within four months after the reporting year (Art. 192(10)).
If the licence conditions are breached, the holder is given three months to remedy the breach; otherwise the licence is revoked (Art. 200).

Work, reporting and reduction of the area

The exploration plan is approved by the subsoil user itself, for a horizon of at least three years. Work begins after a copy is submitted to the authorised body for solid minerals and, if an environmental permit is required, after that permit is issued (Art. 196).
Reports are due by 30 April: on the performance of licence obligations (expenditure is confirmed by an auditor), on procurement and local content, on controlling persons, and geological reports. The final geological report is due within three months after the licence terminates (Art. 195).
Relinquishment of part of the area is possible at any time, block by block, with a liquidation or inspection act (Art. 197, 199).
Extension is possible once, for up to five years, with the application filed during the sixth year. With 10 or more blocks, the holder must relinquish at least 40% of the blocks, not counting those applied for under a mining licence; an extension is refused if there are uncured breaches on payments and expenditure (Art. 193).
Transfer of the right under a solid minerals exploration licence is prohibited in the first year (Art. 40(2)(1)); after that, a permission from the competent authority is required (Art. 44). See the guide on transactions with subsoil use rights.

Moving to a mining licence

The holder of an exploration licence has the exclusive right to a mining licence within its area if the resources and reserves are confirmed by a report (Art. 201). The right may be exercised at any time during the exploration term, terminates together with the licence, cannot be assigned and does not extend to uranium deposits.

Documents: draft mining and liquidation plans, and a report on the estimation of resources and reserves prepared by a Competent Person under the KAZRC Code (Art. 204(3), (7)). For how the standards relate, see the guide on reserve classifications.
Timelines: 10 working days each at the competent authority and at the authorised body for subsoil study, then up to one year (extendable by up to one more year) for the environmental permit, expert reviews and approvals; the licence is issued within 5 working days (Art. 205).
Refusal under the exclusive right is possible only if there are uncured breaches under the exploration licence or a missed deadline for the mining plan (Art. 207(5)).
If the exploration licence expires during the review, it remains in force for the area applied for (Art. 201(5)).
A mining licence is granted for up to 25 years, extendable (Art. 211); the signature bonus is 200 MCI (Tax Code Art. 762), and the fee is 450 MCI per 1 km² (Tax Code Art. 621).

How QAZNEDR HOLDING can help

Area selection. Our geologists study archived geological reports and select blocks to suit the investor's objectives. The areas on our site are free according to our check as of the date shown; the licence is applied for as part of the deal.
Status check. We check the blocks against the EPN, the State Subsoil Fund Management Programme and the restrictions of Art. 25, and determine whether the order-of-filing rule or an auction will apply.
Application support. We prepare the work plan, check the documents and track the deadlines.
Due diligence and deal structure. We check the area or the subsoil user company and help choose the format: a new licence, the purchase of a right or a stake, or a joint venture.

We support the process; the decision to grant the licence is made by the state. For legal support, see the legal services page; to discuss an area, use our contacts.