Uganda Mining Licence: Types, Fees and How to Apply

A Uganda mining licence is a “mineral right” granted by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development under the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022. The Act lists seven kinds: prospecting, exploration, retention, large-scale, medium-scale, small-scale and artisanal. You apply through the Uganda Mining Cadastre portal run by the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines (DGSM), pay the fees listed there, and you need an environmental approval from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) before field work starts. Which licence fits you depends on your citizenship, your company, how much money you plan to put in, and how far along your ground is. This guide walks through each licence, who can hold it, the steps, the fees the portal publishes and the mistakes that stall applications. Fees and rules change, so check with the ministry before you apply.

Who decides: the Minister, the DGSM and the mining cadastre

Three bodies matter. The Minister grants the licences. The Act says the Minister is responsible for granting mineral rights, licences, permits and other authorisations, while the Directorate of Geological Surveys and Mines administers, manages and regulates the sector under the Minister’s policy guidance (sections 16 and 17). Inside the Directorate, the Mining Cadastre Department receives and evaluates applications, keeps the public cadastral maps and registers, and sends a recommendation to the Minister (section 20).

The “cadastre” is the official register and map of who holds which piece of ground. The Act sets up a Mining Cadastre and says every applicant must register on it (section 34). In practice that means the online portal described below. The ministry itself sits at Amber House, Plot 29/33, Kampala Road, Kampala, and lists its Mineral Development Programme as the unit that handles licensing, inspection and compliance monitoring.

Two other state actors appear later. The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) collects the fees, rent and royalties. The state-owned Uganda National Mining Company holds the government’s commercial interests in mineral agreements, and when the Minister announces an area for bidding, the announcement can require the applicant to sign an agreement with it as a condition of an exploration, medium-scale or large-scale licence (sections 21 and 31(4)).

Uganda mining licence types and what each one allows

Section 15 of the Act names the seven mineral rights. Terms and renewals below come from the Act. The 50 km² cap for large and medium licences is in the Act (sections 65 and 78). The small-scale limit (10 km²) comes from the DGSM portal’s licence table, because the Act leaves small-scale and artisanal areas to regulations (sections 89 and 99).

Source: Mining and Minerals Act, 2022, sections 15, 37, 45, 47, 48, 55, 56, 66, 67, 78, 79, 90, 100; DGSM Mining Cadastre portal, “How to obtain a licence” page (opened 9 November 2026).

Prospecting licence

Prospecting means searching for minerals and testing the mineral-bearing qualities of an area. The licence is valid for one year and cannot be renewed (section 37). It is non-exclusive, which means other people can hold the same type of licence over the same ground. It lets you enter or fly over land that is not already under an exploration or mining licence, set up temporary camps and take samples up to a limit set by regulations. It does not let you drill or excavate. It also does not cover reserves, national parks, forests, wetlands, urban centres or protected areas unless you first give notice to the relevant authorities and obtain their permission (section 39).

Minerals you obtain while prospecting belong to the Government. You need written consent from the Minister to keep or sell more than the small quantities allowed for sampling and assay (section 40). The portal says anyone starting in mining, other than buying, selling or adding value to minerals, begins with a prospecting licence.

Exploration licence

The exploration licence gives the holder the exclusive right to explore for the named mineral in the named area (section 49). That exclusivity is why it is the licence most investors and junior companies chase. An application must name the minerals, include a plan of the area, a work programme with the estimated cost, evidence that the minerals exist in the area, proof of financial and technical capacity, and plans for employing and training Ugandans and buying local goods and services (section 41).

The Act has several limits to plan around. One person cannot hold more than five exploration licences directly or through beneficial ownership (section 43(5)). The area cannot exceed 250 km² per licence, and at the end of the first term at least half of the area must normally be given up, with an exception if you can show the mineral target extends beyond half of the area (section 45). You must start exploring within four months of the licence being issued (section 50). Applications are handled on a first-come, first-served basis (section 30), although the Minister may also announce areas open for competitive bidding (section 31).

Retention licence

Think of the retention licence as a holding pattern for a find that cannot yet be mined. An exploration licence holder who has identified a deposit of potential commercial significance, but cannot develop it right now because of temporary market or economic factors, can apply at least three months before the exploration licence expires (section 53). The application needs a pre-feasibility study by an accredited consultant. A retention licence runs for up to three years, can be renewed once for up to two, and gives the exclusive right to apply for a mining licence over the area (sections 55 to 57). The Minister can also call on the holder to apply for a mining licence if development has become possible (section 58).

What happened to the location licence

Older guides and some mining forums still talk about the “location licence” and the “mining lease”. Both come from the Mining Act, 2003, where Part IV was devoted to the location licence. The 2022 Act repealed that law. Its list of mineral rights in section 15 has no location licence and no mining lease; the mining lease has been replaced by the large, medium and small-scale mining licences. Licences issued under the old Act continue for the rest of their term as if they had been granted under the new one (section 290). If you hold an old location licence, ask the Directorate how it has been mapped to the new categories.

Large-scale, medium-scale and small-scale mining licences

The three mining licences are separated by how much capital the operation needs, measured in “currency points”. One currency point equals UGX 20,000 (Schedule 1 of the Act). The large-scale licence applies above 19,410,000 currency points, which is UGX 388.2 billion. Artisanal operations stay at or below 19,410 currency points, which is UGX 388.2 million. The bands for medium and small scale are in Schedule 3 of the Act; ask the Directorate which band your budget falls in before you choose a form.

• Large-scale. Up to 50 km², up to 21 years. The application needs a valid exploration or retention licence, a feasibility study, a certificate of environmental approval, written proof of surface rights and a business plan (section 60 and the portal’s checklist). The State may take an ownership interest, at no cost to it, of up to 15% in a large or medium-scale licence, and total State participation may not exceed 35% (section 179).
• Medium-scale. Up to 50 km², up to 10 years, and the area must sit inside the holder’s own exploration or retention area (section 78). It cannot be granted to an individual, a cooperative or an association (section 74).
• Small-scale. Up to 10 km², up to 5 years. Reserved for Ugandan citizens, wholly Ugandan-owned companies and partnerships, and cooperatives made up exclusively of Ugandans (section 85). A licence can be revoked if the holder arranges for a non-citizen to take the benefit of it, or if mining has not started within six months (section 91).

Artisanal licence

The artisanal licence is for hand and small-tool operations. The Minister, together with the Directorate and the local government, can declare an artisanal mining area where the deposit and its economics do not support larger-scale operations. An area that already holds a valid mineral right cannot be declared artisanal (section 95). Where an association or entity of artisanal miners has been formed and is operating, individual artisanal miners who are not registered or are not members of it are barred from mining there (section 95(3)). Holders must be Ugandan citizens or wholly Ugandan-owned entities, and the application needs proof that the mineral occurs, a plan of the area and a statement of the proposed operations (sections 96 and 97). For a regional view of small permits, see our guide to artisanal and small-scale mining permits.

Buying, selling and processing minerals

Mining is not the only activity that needs a licence. The Act requires separate licences for mineral dealers and for processing, smelting and refining (Parts VI and VII), and the portal has a separate page for those applications. This guide covers the mining and exploration rights only.

Who can apply for a mining licence in Uganda

Section 13 of the Act sets the ground rules. A mineral right cannot be granted to or held by an individual who is not a Ugandan citizen, who is under 18 or who is an undischarged bankrupt. It also cannot be held by a company that is not registered under the Companies Act, 2012, or that is in liquidation. Beyond artisanal and small-scale licences, rights go to registered companies, other Uganda-registered bodies, partnerships, cooperatives, trustees or registered associations.

The practical consequence is that a foreign individual cannot hold any licence in his or her own name. A foreign-owned company registered in Uganda can hold exploration and mining licences, and the medium-scale licence can also go to a partnership of Ugandans and foreigners. The small-scale and artisanal licences are closed to foreign ownership. If you are a Ugandan citizen working on a claim with a foreign backer, check that the structure meets the 100% Ugandan ownership test before you apply for either small-scale or artisanal rights.

Applicants also have to disclose who owns them. Exploration and large-scale applications must name every shareholder who is a beneficial owner of five percent or more, and list any other mineral rights held in Uganda by the applicant or by anyone who controls it, is controlled by it, or is under common control with it (sections 35, 41 and 60).

How to apply for a mining licence in Uganda, step by step

1. Check the ground. Search the public Mining Cadastre Map for existing licences and applications over the area. The Act bars an exploration licence over ground that is under a large, medium, retention, small-scale or artisanal licence, or inside a fragile or protected area without written consent from the responsible agency (section 46). The Act also bars a second exploration licence over ground already under one.
2. Register on the portal. Registration comes before any application. First-time applicants without any mineral right use the portal’s online Self Registration form. People who already hold a right, or have a pending application, download the registration form and take it, in person, to the Directorate in Entebbe with proof of identity and, for an agent or employee, a signed letter of authority from a company director. The Directorate then creates a user profile and emails a link to set a password. A company needs certified copies of its certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles, a registered board resolution, a tax identification number and ID for the person using the portal.
3. Get a tax clearance certificate. The portal checklist asks for a certificate from the Uganda Revenue Authority issued to the ministry for each licence application.
4. Prepare the technical package. For an exploration licence the portal asks for proof of mineral occurrence, a work programme and budget, proof of financial resources, and certified CVs showing at least three years of experience for the lead technical staff (geologists, geophysicists, geochemists as applicable). For a mining licence you add a mine plan, a feasibility or technical study and proof of surface rights or, for small-scale and artisanal licences, a provisional agreement with the landowner.
5. Prepare the environmental file. Mining licence applications on the portal list a certificate of approval of the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) as a required document. Section 41(3) says an exploration application must also comply with the National Environment Act, 2019. See the environmental section below.
6. Submit and pay on the portal. Registered users can submit new and renewal applications and make payments through the portal’s payment gateway. The portal says incomplete applications are not received. If you list two or more different areas in one submission, only one will be considered, at the Commissioner’s discretion.
7. Public notice and objections. For ground put out to bidding, the Minister must publish notice of the application in the Gazette (the government’s official notice publication) and the press within 14 days of receipt. Affected parties then have at least 30 days to object, and the Minister decides an objection within 14 days. A party unhappy with that decision can appeal to the High Court within 30 days (sections 32 and 33).
8. Processing and decision. For an exploration licence, the Mining Cadastre Department must process the application and send its recommendation to the Minister within 30 days of receiving it (section 42). The Minister grants or refuses; a refusal must come with written reasons (section 43). The portal shows applications as “Pending Payment and Documentation Verifications” while they are under review, and emails you when there is a decision.
9. Pay the rent before the grant and start work. The annual mineral rent is payable before the grant and then on or before each anniversary (sections 50 and 190). An exploration licence holder must begin exploration within four months of the licence being issued.

The bidding route is different from the first-come route. When the Minister announces areas for exploration, medium-scale or large-scale licences, the announcement must run for at least three months, and the Minister picks the bid most likely to promote prompt and beneficial development, judging the work programme, expenditure commitment, finance, technical ability and past record (section 31).

Uganda mining licence fees and annual rent

The DGSM portal publishes the amounts below on its “How to obtain a licence” page, listed as statutory fees in Uganda shillings. The Act leaves the amounts to regulations, and the portal page is undated, so confirm them with the Directorate or on the payment screen before you pay.

Source: DGSM Mining Cadastre portal, “How to obtain a licence” page, opened 9 November 2026. On the exploration and retention lines the portal prints a second per-km² rent after the renewal fee; the portal does not label it, so it is shown here as the likely rate on renewal; confirm it with the Directorate.

The rent scales with area, so area is the lever that matters. The calculator below uses the portal’s exploration-licence figures for the first year. It does not include the cost of the environmental assessment, tax clearance, certified documents, surveys, or the exploration work itself, which will usually be larger than the government fees.

Two notes on rent. The Act says rent is paid before the grant and on each anniversary, and that the Minister must automatically cancel an exploration licence if the rent is unpaid fourteen days after the due date (section 50(2)). Rent is also due on retention and mining licences, and on artisanal and small-scale licences (section 190). Treat the anniversary as a hard date. For companies planning a small exploration licence, our exploration budget guide for small licences shows how government fees sit alongside the cost of the work itself.

Deadlines and terms to put in your diary

Most lost licences are lost on dates, not on geology. These are the deadlines the Act sets.

Source: Mining and Minerals Act, 2022. The portal also says it emails a renewal notice one month before a licence is due for renewal; do not rely on that email alone.

The Uganda mining cadastre portal and its map

The portal is the “Uganda Mining Cadastre eGov Portal”, built on Trimble Landfolio software and operated by the Directorate. It has a public side and a registered-user side. On the public side you can read the licence guidance, download forms and open the Mining Cadastre Map. Registered users can view their licences, submit new and renewal applications, pay online, submit reports and file transfers, surrenders and withdrawals.

Two points on its status. First, the Directorate describes the portal as a phased implementation and says all data on it is provisional while a data-cleaning exercise is under way. It asks licence holders to help correct their records. Second, an EITI validation report published in April 2024 describes the map as an interactive public platform that needs no login, where you can filter licences by type and click an area to see holders, application, award and expiry dates, commodities, location and size, with coordinates. It adds that the map shows active licences only, not expired ones, and does not let you download the data in an open format. The same report notes that issuing of mining licences was temporarily halted between 2022 and 2023 while guidelines for the new Act were developed.

So use the map as a first screen, not a final answer. If a block looks open, confirm it with the Directorate in writing. If you want to see how other countries handle the same problem, our mining cadastre portal guide by country lines them up side by side.

Environmental approval from NEMA

Under section 216 of the Act, every holder of a mineral right must carry out an environmental and social impact assessment under the National Environment Act, 2019, and may start field operations only after securing a certificate of approval from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). The holder must also carry out an annual environmental audit. The applicant for a mineral right submits an environmental management and monitoring plan approved by NEMA (section 217).

NEMA’s own regulations, the Environmental and Social Assessment Regulations (S.I. 143 of 2020), add three practical points. A developer cannot implement a covered project without the certificate, and government bodies cannot issue a licence or permit without proof of it (regulation 4). NEMA must decide within sixty days of receiving a complete impact statement (regulation 24). The certificate is valid for up to ten years, and it becomes invalid if you do not start activities within twelve months of its issue unless NEMA allows more time (regulation 25).

The sequencing is where people trip. The portal’s mining licence checklists ask for the certificate of approval with the application. Start the NEMA process early, and budget for the consultant. Also keep in mind the land: a licence does not give you title to the surface. The Act requires a prospecting licence holder to compensate land users for damage (section 39), and the portal checklist asks large and medium-scale applicants for written proof of surface rights from the registered owner, customary owner or lawful occupant.

Royalties and who collects them

All minerals obtained in prospecting, exploration or mining are subject to royalty on the gross value of the minerals produced, at the prevailing market price, at rates the Minister sets with the finance minister by statutory instrument (section 180). Small samples taken for testing are not liable unless they exceed the value set by regulation. The Act splits the royalty four ways: 70% to Government, 15% to local governments, 10% to the sub-county or town council, and 5% to the owners or lawful occupants of the land under the mineral right (Schedule 2).

The Commissioner General of the Uganda Revenue Authority collects royalties and other payments, while the Minister is responsible for assessing them, and all fees, charges and royalties are paid to URA with a statement giving the mineral and the point of sale (sections 181 and 182). The URA’s page on mining says royalties are assessed by the DGSM and collected by URA, and that royalty paid is recoverable for income tax purposes in the year of income. The per-mineral rates are set by statutory instrument and are not listed on the pages cited here, so ask the Directorate for the current schedule for your mineral before you model a project.

Who to contact in Uganda about a licence

• Mining Cadastre office: [email protected] (from the portal’s Contacts page).
• Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development: Plot 29/33 Amber House, Kampala Road, P.O. Box 7270, Kampala. General line +256 414 344 414; email [email protected] (portal Contacts page).
• Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines: in Entebbe. Existing rights holders deliver their portal registration forms to the Directorate there, in person.
• Portal problems: the portal’s FAQ says to check your spam folder for registration emails and, if they still do not arrive, contact the Ministry.
• Tax questions: URA on 0800117000 or 0800217000, as listed on its mining page.

Common mistakes that stall a Uganda mining licence application

• Applying in the wrong category. A foreigner or a company with any non-Ugandan shareholder cannot hold a small-scale or artisanal licence. Picking the category before you check ownership wastes the application fee.
• Treating the prospecting licence as a mining right. It lasts a year, cannot be renewed, is non-exclusive and does not allow drilling or excavation.
• Applying over taken ground. The Act bars an exploration licence over ground held under another exploration, retention, mining, small-scale or artisanal right. Check the map, then check the Directorate’s records, because the portal data is still provisional.
• Submitting several areas in one application. The Commissioner considers only one at his or her discretion.
• Missing the 14-day rent window. Non-payment of rent leads to automatic cancellation of an exploration licence.
• Leaving the NEMA approval to the end. The mining checklists ask for the certificate, and it takes a consultant, a statement and a decision period of up to sixty days from a complete statement.
• Leaving the renewal and conversion late. The exploration renewal and the retention application both fall three months before expiry, and the mining licence application is due at least sixty days before. These dates overlap, so set reminders against all of them.
• Weak local-content plans. An exploration application must include a plan for employing and training Ugandans and for buying local goods and services; the Minister must be satisfied on both before granting it (sections 41 and 46).
• Selling samples or minerals without consent. Minerals obtained under a prospecting licence are the property of the Government.

Screening a licence area before you spend on it

The government fees are a small part of the cost. The rent runs by the square kilometre, the work programme is a binding commitment, and an exploration licence must give up at least half the area at the end of its first term. That makes it worth reading the ground before you apply. Satellite imagery can show surface and near-surface signatures such as alteration, iron staining, structures and drainage, and it can help you decide which part of a block to keep. Satellites map surface signatures; drilling and sampling confirm them. Our guide to checking your licence area sets out what to look for, and a sample exploration report shows what a satellite mineral report looks like. Farmonaut offers a satellite mineral report for areas with a recommended minimum of 10 acres, delivered in 5 to 20 business days, and you can read how satellite screening fits next to field work on our satellite mineral detection page. Results are exploration targets, not a resource estimate, and they do not replace the ground checks the Act requires.

If you are comparing East African systems, the neighbouring guides cover the Kenya mining cadastre portal and the Tanzania mining cadastre and licences.

Frequently asked questions

How do I apply for a mining licence in Uganda?

Register on the DGSM Mining Cadastre portal, prepare the documents the portal lists for your licence type (tax clearance, technical and financial proof, company papers and an environmental approval where required), submit the application and pay the fees online. The Minister grants the licence on the Directorate’s recommendation. Check with the ministry before you apply, because forms and amounts can change.

How much does a mining licence cost in Uganda?

The portal lists an application fee from UGX 200,000 for a prospecting licence up to UGX 20,000,000 for a large-scale mining licence. Exploration costs UGX 2,000,000 to apply plus rent of UGX 75,000 per square kilometre. Registration and gazetting fees apply on top, and rent is due every year. The table above shows every line.

Can a foreigner get a mining licence in Uganda?

Not as an individual: the Act bars non-citizen individuals from holding a mineral right. A company registered in Uganda can hold exploration and mining licences even if foreign-owned, and the medium-scale licence can go to a partnership of Ugandans and foreigners. Small-scale and artisanal licences are for Ugandan citizens and wholly Ugandan-owned entities only.

How long does an exploration licence last?

Up to four years, renewable once for up to three more. The area is capped at 250 square kilometres, and at least half must normally be given up at the end of the first term unless you can show the target extends beyond it.

Is there a location licence in Uganda?

Not under the current Act. The location licence belonged to the Mining Act, 2003. The Mining and Minerals Act, 2022 lists seven mineral rights and a location licence is not one of them, although licences issued under the old law continue for the rest of their term.

Who collects mining royalties in Uganda?

The Uganda Revenue Authority collects royalties and other payments, while the Minister assesses them. The Act shares royalty 70% to Government, 15% to local governments, 10% to the sub-county or town council and 5% to the landowners or occupants. Rates for each mineral are set by statutory instrument.

Can Farmonaut apply for a licence for me?

No. The application and registration are made by the applicant on the DGSM portal. Farmonaut gives satellite-based mineral reports that help you decide where to apply or which part of an area to keep.