How the Zambia Mining Cadastre Works: Licences and Fees

The Zambia mining cadastre is the official register of every exploration licence, mining licence and artisanal right in the country, and since December 2023 it is also the only way to apply for one. The Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development built it on the Landfolio platform, moved it onto the Government Service Bus in February 2025, and has handed licensing decisions to a regulator created in 2024, the Minerals Regulation Commission (MRC). Whether you are exploring for copper, cobalt, gemstones or gold, your application starts on the national cadastre.

The legal ground has shifted too. The Minerals Regulation Commission Act, 2024 (Act No. 14 of 2024) and the Geological and Minerals Development Act, 2025 (Act No. 2 of 2025) replaced the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2015. Some portal pages and forms still use the old names, so applicants need to know which rules apply. We set out what we could verify from official portals, the text of the 2025 Act and legal guides published in 2025 and 2026, and say plainly where you should confirm with the authority.

“Zambia stopped accepting manual mining licence applications in December 2023: every application now goes online.”

Who runs mining licensing in Zambia: the Ministry of Mines and the MRC

Before the 2024 Act, the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development (MMMD) did almost everything: policy, the Mining Cadastre Department, licensing decisions and the Geological Survey. The 2024–25 reforms split those roles.

• Minerals Regulation Commission (MRC): set up under Act No. 14 of 2024 as a single, autonomous regulator. It grants, suspends and revokes mining and non-mining rights. It approves transfers, encumbrances and changes of control. It audits environmental performance with the Zambia Environmental Management Agency, and it regulates mineral marketing and valuation.
• Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development: keeps the policy role. It still operates the cadastre systems and ZamPortal services referred to on its site, and it authorises new portal accounts.
• Directors under the Geological and Minerals Development Act, 2025: a Director of Geological Survey, a Director of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, and a Director of Large-Scale Mining and Mineral Investment Promotion. The Act also creates an Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Fund.
• Other agencies: the portal links out to the Zambia Revenue Authority, the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) and the Zambia Development Agency, which you will need for tax clearance, incorporation and investment matters.

The Geological and Minerals Development Act was assented to on 8 April 2025, and ZambiaLII records its commencement on 13 June 2025. Under the new framework, licensing, compliance and enforcement sit with the MRC, while the Ministry sets policy.

Licensing decisions are taken in committee. The Ministry’s website publishes the results of each sitting of the Mining and Non-Mining Rights Licensing Committee, for example a second meeting held on 28 September 2026 after a first on 17 June 2026. If you are waiting on an application, or checking that a licence you plan to buy was really granted, look for the licence number in those notices and then on the map.

The Zambia mining cadastre portals: map, eGov portal and ZamPortal

There are three official entry points to the register, and it helps to know which one does what.

How the self-service system works

The Self-Service Online Mining Cadastre System (SSOMCS) lets you submit applications online, upload supporting documents and the coordinates or maps of your area, and have the application and spatial data validated online. You can pay by uploading a bank deposit slip, and the Government Service Bus adds card and mobile-money payment through ZamPay. When we checked in September 2026 the eGov portal still listed a payment gateway as a feature to come, so check the payment options when you file.

Registering an account

New users register with an email address, verify it, and then wait for a Ministry representative to authorise the account. On ZamPortal, new users register on the platform. Users who already had a Mining Cadastre account link it to a ZamPass account through an “Authorized Registration” service, which the Ministry says takes up to 48 hours. The Ministry’s support line is +260 211 428 600.

Using the cadastre map for due diligence

The public map is useful long before you apply, and it is the first thing a careful buyer checks. Before you sign a joint venture, option or share purchase over a Zambian licence, run these checks on the map:

• Licence number and type: does the map show the licence type the vendor describes? An artisanal or small-scale licence carries citizen-only rules that a foreign buyer can’t simply step into.
• Boundary: does the area in the deal documents match the boundary on the map? Overstated areas are a common problem in licence sales.
• Neighbours and overlaps: who holds the ground around the target? Neighbouring licences are useful geological and commercial context.
• Renewal stage: how far into its term is an exploration licence? After a renewal, half the original area has already gone.
• ⚠ Approval status of the deal: any transfer or change of control needs the MRC’s prior consent. A deal completed without it can leave you holding a company that no longer validly holds the right.

Save dated screenshots of what the map showed, and where anything looks inconsistent, ask the Ministry or the MRC before you go further. The Ministry’s Public GIS Data Portal is another official source of spatial mining data.

The Chambers 2026 Zambia mining guide reports a planned move to a replacement online system for the FlexiCadastre platform. If a portal address stops working, go through the Ministry of Mines website or the MRC rather than a third-party link. For comparisons with other African cadastres, see our mining cadastre portal guide by country.

If you already have an area in mind, you can get a satellite read on it while your account is being approved. Draw it on mining.farmonaut.com (Map Your Mining Site), or send the coordinates through our mining query form for a quote.

Login, registration and the FlexiCadastre name. The application portal at portal.miningcadastre.com still carries the FlexiCadastre name in its page title. Its home page offers Sign In, Become a User and Registration Options, and lists new licence and renewal applications, transfers, licence shape alterations, reports and proof of payment as services for registered users. When we opened it on 5 November 2026 it still described online payment through a payment gateway as a later addition, so on that portal registered users submit proof of payment for payments already made, while ZamPortal offers ZamPay for the services launched on the Government Service Bus.

The public map at portals.landfolio.com/zambia is a separate page and needs no account. It is a map of mining and non-mining rights, not of land title. The Act separately requires written consent from the relevant authority, landowner or chief for some ground, such as national parks, forests and customary land, so a clear spot on the map does not mean you can start work there.

Zambia mining licence types and terms

Legal guides published in 2025 and 2026 describe the following licence ladder under the MRC Act and the GMDA. The terms below are as reported in those guides. Confirm names, areas and conditions with the MRC before you file, because regulations under the 2024 Act were still being rolled out when we checked in September 2026.

How big is a cadastre unit? The Minerals Regulation Commission Act, 2024 defines a cadastre unit as a quadrilateral six sexagesimal seconds on each side, averaging 3.34 hectares. Applications must be made in whole, contiguous units. Small-scale exploration covers 3 to 300 units (about 10 to 1,002 ha) and large-scale exploration 301 to 59,880 units (about 1,005 to 200,000 ha). Small-scale mining covers 3 to 120 units (about 10 to 401 ha) and large-scale mining 121 to 7,485 units (about 404 to 25,000 ha). The calculator further down converts your own unit count.

Put the exploration numbers together and the arithmetic is unforgiving. Start with 10,000 hectares and you hold 5,000 after the first renewal and 2,500 after the second, ten years in. The area planner below shows what your own starting area shrinks to, and divides the application fee you enter by that area.

Citizen reservations and holding limits

The MRC Act and the GMDA lean towards Zambian participation. According to DLA Piper Africa’s analysis of the 2024 Act:

• Artisanal mining is limited to Zambian citizens or co-operatives made up entirely of citizens.
• Small-scale mining is reserved for citizens and for companies that qualify as citizen-owned, citizen-helped or citizen-influenced under the Citizens Economic Empowerment framework. The required Zambian equity varies with the size of the area.
• Licence areas of up to 1,000 hectares are reserved for citizen-controlled companies.
• ⚠ Limit on rights: the MRC Act caps the number of mining rights one holder may have, reported as a maximum of five.
• Large-scale rights are open to foreign investors through a Zambian-incorporated company. No joint venture with a local partner is required.

Keeping the small end of the market for citizens is a common pattern. Kenya, for example, limits its permits to citizens or companies at least 60% Kenyan-owned (see our Kenya mining cadastre portal guide), and our artisanal mining licence guide compares plot sizes, terms and eligibility across more countries.

Local content: preference for Zambian goods, contractors and staff

Section 10 of the Geological and Minerals Development Act, 2025 puts a local content duty on every holder of a mining right or mineral processing licence. When you buy, build, install or decommission facilities, you must give preference to materials and products made in Zambia. You must also prefer contractors, suppliers and service agencies located in Zambia that are citizen-helped or citizen-owned companies.

The same section requires holders to give preference in employment to Zambian citizens with relevant qualifications or skills, subject to the Employment Code Act, 2019. Holders must also run training programmes that transfer technical and managerial skills to citizens. The penalties are significant: a fine of at least one million penalty units, plus a further penalty for each day the offence continues. The Minister may set local content thresholds by statutory instrument, so check the Government Gazette for any thresholds made after September 2026 when you plan procurement.

What the Director of Geological Survey provides

Under section 6 of the same Act, the Director of Geological Survey compiles geoscience research and an integrated geoscience database, and studies the distribution and nature of Zambia’s mineral resources. The Director also maintains an accredited mineral laboratory and provides geological data and information to the public. For an applicant, this is the official starting point for regional geology before you choose ground on the map. The survey department may also provide consultancy and geological services for a prescribed fee.

Rules that catch applicants out

Small-scale exploration licences are not renewable, and the 50% relinquishment at renewal applies to large-scale exploration licences. A holder may apply for a mining licence only within the six months before the exploration licence expires, and the Commission must grant or reject that application within 45 days of receipt. If you have held an area for seven years, you cannot apply for it again until a year after expiry. After a grant, the holder has 180 days to survey and demarcate the area and register a pegging certificate. A person may hold no more than five mining rights unless compliant with licence conditions and able to finance more (all Act No. 14 of 2024, sections 17, 18, 21, 15 and 87). The Commission can also close an area to priority licensing, in which case the ground goes to bidding under the Public Procurement Act.

▶ Can a foreigner get a small-scale mining licence in Africa? Our video on the main routes. · 5:16

How to apply on the Zambia mining cadastre, step by step

The exact screens depend on which portal you use, but an application follows the same basic sequence.

1. Incorporate and get tax clearance. Applicants must be registered companies in Zambia (through PACRA) and hold a valid tax clearance certificate from the Zambia Revenue Authority. Artisanal and small-scale applicants must also meet the citizenship rules.
2. Register and get your account authorised on the eGov portal or ZamPortal.
3. Check the area on the public map. Look for existing licences and pending applications, and note neighbouring licence numbers.
4. Prepare the application polygon. The cadastre is built on a grid, and under the 2024 Act, each cadastre unit is six seconds by six seconds of latitude and longitude, averaging 3.34 hectares. Draw your area in whole units, with coordinates in the format the portal expects.
5. Upload documents and coordinates. The system validates the application and the spatial data online.
6. Pay the application fee by bank deposit slip or through ZamPay, and upload proof of payment.
7. Wait for the decision. Legal guides report that the MRC must grant or reject a mining licence application within 45 days of receipt.
8. Manage the licence online: reports, renewals, transfers and boundary changes all go through your account.

What to have ready before you open the application form

The portal checks your application and your spatial data as you file, so the fastest applications are the ones prepared offline first. Based on the eligibility rules and the portal’s own upload steps, have these ready:

• Company documents from PACRA showing that the applicant is registered in Zambia.
• A valid ZRA tax clearance certificate. Check the expiry date before you upload it.
• Evidence of citizen status or ownership if you are applying for an artisanal or small-scale licence, or for ground in the reserved band.
• Coordinates and a map of the area in whole cadastre units, checked against the public map.
• Any letters of authority if an agent or lawyer is filing for you.
• Proof of payment once you have paid by bank slip or ZamPay.

The MRC or the portal may ask for more, such as technical or environmental documents, depending on the licence. Check the current requirements for your licence type on the portal before you start.

Application fees

The Legal 500 Zambia mining chapter quotes the following application fees. Fee units and amounts change with regulations, and regulations under the 2024 Act may set different figures. Treat these as indicative only, and confirm the current amount with the MRC before paying.

• Exploration: ZMW 1,200 (small-scale) and ZMW 4,000 (large-scale).
• Mining: ZMW 1,200 (artisanal), ZMW 6,000 (small-scale) and ZMW 64,000 (large-scale).

What a licence costs beyond the application fee

The Act says only that each application is made “on payment of a prescribed fee” (the 2024 Act), so the amounts sit in separate fee rules. The Ministry publishes a Second Schedule of prescribed fees and area charges, updated for the April 2024 fee-unit change, and the figures above match it. It sits under the 2016 regulations made under the repealed 2015 Act, so the amounts stay indicative until the Commission confirms them under the 2024 Act. Note that they are fees per application, not prices per hectare: the Act itself sets no per-hectare price. The same Ministry schedule lists yearly area charges per hectare (for example K1.60 for large-scale exploration in years 1 to 4 and K22.40 for large-scale mining), so budget for those as well. The calculator below divides a fee you enter by your area so you can compare options. Budget for more than the fee. Environmental approval and the pegging survey are separate costs.

Royalties, transfers and keeping a Zambian licence

Mineral royalty

Zambia charges mineral royalty on gross or norm value, with a sliding scale for copper. The Chambers 2026 guide reports these rates. Royalty rates are set in tax law and change often, so confirm before modelling a project.

• Copper: 4% to 10%, on a sliding scale linked to the LME copper price.
• Cobalt and vanadium: 8% of norm value.
• Other base metals: 5% of norm value.
• Precious metals and gemstones: 6%.

“Zambia’s copper royalty slides between 4% and 10% with the LME copper price.”

Transfers and change of control

A mining right can’t be transferred, assigned or encumbered without the prior consent of the MRC. Share transfers that change control also need the Commission’s prior written approval. Legal guides report that the MRC must approve a transfer within 30 days unless the transferee is disqualified, and that property transfer tax applies. Buyers should check the cadastre record, the holder’s tax clearance and the approval status before completing any deal.

Renewal and relinquishment

Renewal applications have to be filed ahead of expiry, with longer notice periods for larger licences. For large-scale exploration licences, the 50% relinquishment at each renewal is the key planning point: after two renewals you hold a quarter of the ground you started with. You keep the half you choose, so the quality of your exploration data decides the quality of the ground you keep.

Before you file: make sure the ground is worth holding

The register tells you whether ground is open. With a five-right cap, citizen reservations and compulsory relinquishment, every block you apply for needs to earn its place. The best time to test that is before you draw the application polygon.

That is where satellite analysis fits. Our satellite-based mineral detection analyses multispectral and hyperspectral imagery of your area. Each mineral and alteration zone reflects energy in its own spectral signature. We use that to flag likely mineralised target zones, alteration halos and structures such as faults and fractures, without anyone going on to the land.

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• ⚠ Limitation: satellite targets are exploration targets, not a mineral resource. They tell you where to sample and drill first, and field work confirms them.

See a sample deliverable in the satellite-driven 3D mineral prospectivity mapping overview. We have scanned 100,000+ hectares for 20+ mineral types across 25+ countries.

A pre-application checklist

1. Confirm the licence type and whether citizen rules or the 1,000-hectare reservation apply to you.
2. Count your existing rights against the reported five-right cap.
3. Incorporate with PACRA and get a current ZRA tax clearance certificate.
4. Register on the cadastre portal or ZamPortal and wait for account authorisation.
5. Search the public map and record neighbouring licences and pending applications.
6. Screen prospectivity over your draft polygon and keep the strongest ground.
7. Draw the polygon in whole cadastre units with coordinates in the portal’s format.
8. Confirm current fees and forms with the MRC, then file, pay and upload proof of payment.

Key terms for Zambian licences

Cadastre unit

The grid cell licences are built from. Under the 2016 regulations it was a square of six by six seconds of latitude and longitude. Confirm the current rule under the new law.

SSOMCS

The Self-Service Online Mining Cadastre System at portal.miningcadastre.com, used to file and manage applications.

ZamPortal and ZamPay

The Government Service Bus portal and its payment gateway, through which some mining services and payments are offered.

MRC

The Minerals Regulation Commission, created by Act No. 14 of 2024 to license, monitor and enforce mining rights.

Relinquishment

Giving up part of a licence area. Zambian exploration licences shed 50% of their area at each renewal.

Citizen-owned, helped or influenced company

Categories of Zambian participation used to decide eligibility for small-scale rights and reserved ground.

▶ Why good rock can still be unmineable when land access blocks it. · 2:05

Frequently asked questions

Portal addresses and online procedures in this guide come from the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, ZamPortal and the Zambia Mining Cadastre eGov portal. Licence terms, fees, royalty rates and citizen rules come from the Geological and Minerals Development Act, 2025 and legal guides on the Minerals Regulation Commission Act, 2024 published in 2025 and 2026. Zambia’s mining law is in transition, so confirm the current position with the Minerals Regulation Commission before you file or pay. This guide is general information, not legal or investment advice.

Is there a login for the Zambia mining cadastre portal?

Yes. Applications are filed after you sign in at portal.miningcadastre.com, or through ZamPortal with a ZamPass account. New users start with Become a User on the portal; confirm with the Ministry how accounts are approved. The public map needs no login.

What is FlexiCadastre in Zambia?

FlexiCadastre is the name of the Landfolio software behind the portal. The page title of the Zambia Mining Cadastre eGov portal still shows it. The public map is a separate Landfolio page.

How much is a mining licence in Zambia?

The Act sets only a prescribed fee for each application. The Ministry’s published schedule (issued under the 2015 Act regulations) and a law-firm guide give ZMW 1,200 for an artisanal mining application, ZMW 6,000 small-scale and ZMW 64,000 large-scale, but treat these as indicative and confirm with the Minerals Regulation Commission.