Geological exploration and mineral extraction in Estonia

Anyone who wants to explore for or extract mineral resources in Estonia needs a permit under the Earth's Crust Act (maapõueseadus) from the Environmental Board (Keskkonnaamet)⁵⁹¹⁰¹³. Exploration is done under a geological exploration permit; extraction is done under an extraction permit, which in the act in force is an environmental permit issued for extraction⁵⁷. Below: who must apply, what is filed, the state fees and the statutory time limits.

Information as of 11 November 2026. Every numbered statement of this page was checked in the official text named below and re-checked by a second reviewer on 2026-11-11. The page is general information, not legal advice; the authority decides on every application.

What the activity is

The Earth's Crust Act distinguishes three activities:

general geological research (üldgeoloogiline uurimistöö): scientific research or geological work done to clarify the geological structure of the earth's crust¹;
geological exploration of a mineral resource (geoloogiline uuring): geological work done in order to register a mineral resource and extract it²;
extraction (kaevandamine): the work preparing the removal of a mineral resource from its natural state, the removal itself, and the transport and primary processing of the extracted material within the mining claim and its service land³.

Not covered by a permit: general geological research without fieldwork, or where fieldwork is limited to describing outcrops, examining rock in an outcrop, collecting rock pieces from the surface, hand-auger or spade sounding and sampling, or geophysical studies⁴; geological exploration without fieldwork, or where fieldwork is limited to describing outcrops and collecting rock pieces from an outcrop, a drill core or the surface⁵; further exploration inside a mining claim under an extraction permit⁵; and a natural person who, as owner, takes mineral resources on his or her own property for use in the personal household⁶.

The legal acts and the authority

Maapõueseadus (Earth's Crust Act, MaaPS) — the permits, the procedure and the requirements.
Keskkonnaseadustiku üldosa seadus (General Part of the Environmental Code Act, KeÜS) — the environmental permit procedure, which applies to the extraction permit with the special rules of the Earth's Crust Act⁷. An environmental permit gives the right to extract mineral resources⁸.
Riigilõivuseadus (State Fees Act) — the state fees.

The authority is the Environmental Board (Keskkonnaamet): it issues the general geological research permit and the geological exploration permit⁹ and the extraction permit¹⁰. Applications for these permits are made and processed through the environmental decisions information system (keskkonnaotsuste infosüsteem)¹¹. Registered mineral deposits are recorded in the mineral resources register (maavarade register)¹².

Who must apply

Anyone carrying out general geological research with fieldwork beyond the exemptions needs a general geological research permit⁴.
Anyone carrying out geological exploration of a mineral resource needs a geological exploration permit⁵.
Anyone extracting mineral resources needs an extraction permit, unless the act provides otherwise¹³.

The applicant may be a company (business name and registry code) or a natural person (name and personal identification code)¹⁴. Extraction without a permit is a misdemeanour; for a legal person the fine is up to EUR 400,000¹⁵.

Special rules on who may obtain a permit:

The state has a pre-emptive right to an exploration permit for phosphorite and metal ores, unless the responsible minister waives it¹⁶.
The holder of an exploration permit for a state-owned mineral resource has a pre-emptive right to the extraction permit for that resource in that area during the permit's validity and for one year after it ends¹⁷.
An exploration permit is not issued for the same part of the earth's crust to another person¹⁸. In the cases set out in the act (for example, a second application for the same state-owned part of the earth's crust filed within 30 days of the public notice of the first, where both cannot be granted), the applicant whose application is processed further is chosen by auction¹⁹.

Requirements for the applicant

Whether share capital, own funds, a seat in Estonia or anti-money-laundering (AML/CFT) duties apply is specified for the client's situation. The requirements of the Earth's Crust Act set out below concern competence, land rights and the work itself:

Competence. General geological research and exploration are organised and managed by a person with the necessary knowledge, skills and experience, acquired through professional training and work experience²¹.
Responsible specialist. The mining project is drawn up, extraction is organised and managed and the mine surveys are made by a competent responsible specialist, whom the extractor appoints in writing²².
Mining project. Extraction may be done only according to a mining project²³.
Land and neighbour consents. For exploration on municipal or private land not owned by the applicant, the owner's consent is needed²⁴; for extraction of a privately owned mineral resource not belonging to the applicant, the landowner's consent is needed²⁵; if the mining claim or its service land is closer than 100 metres to a dwelling, the dwelling owner's consent is needed (not for the underground mining area)²⁶.
Local authority. For an exploration or extraction permit the authority asks the local government for an opinion, given within two months²⁷; the permit is refused if the local government does not agree, though the Government of the Republic may consent where there is an overriding state interest²⁸.
Past conduct. The Environmental Board may refuse an exploration or extraction permit if the applicant has been given more than one penalty for a crime or misdemeanour in the field of the permit (research, exploration or extraction) or extractive waste handling and the record has not been deleted²⁹.
Restoration and charges. The permit holder must restore the explored or mined land³⁰. A fee for the right to extract is paid under the Environmental Charges Act³¹.

Documents filed with the application

Geological exploration permit (and general geological research permit)³²:

application data;
explanatory memorandum;
graphic annex;
where needed, an extractive waste management plan and the landowner's consent²⁴³³.

Extraction permit (in addition to the environmental permit data under KeÜS § 42)³⁴:

application data;
explanatory memorandum;
graphic annex: plan of the mining claim, geological cross-sections and plan of the restored land;
the geological exploration report;
an extractive waste plan, the exploration permit holder's consent where relevant, and the land and dwelling owners' consents²⁵²⁶³⁵.

Under KeÜS the application also includes the location plan and documents showing the lawful possession of the land or another legal basis for using it³⁶.

State fee and processing time

State fees (State Fees Act, paid before the application is filed³⁷):

geological exploration permit, grant or amendment: EUR 1,060³⁸;
environmental permit for mineral extraction: EUR 1,990; micro-enterprises pay 50% and large enterprises 125% of that rate³⁹.

Statutory time limits, counted from receipt of an application that meets the requirements:

general geological research permit: 30 days⁴⁰;
geological exploration permit: 120 days⁴⁰;
extraction permit: one year⁴¹.

The Environmental Board may extend these limits⁴⁰⁴¹, and the time taken to remedy deficiencies in an environmental permit application is not counted⁴². Exploration and extraction permits are as a rule granted in an open procedure⁴³. These time limits are the law's, not a promise of a decision date.

A geological exploration permit is issued for up to five years⁴⁴. An extraction permit is issued for up to 30 years; for sand, gravel, lake lime, lake mud and sea mud for up to 15 years⁴⁵.

What LexorCorp Global OÜ does and how to order

This activity has no dedicated service page; it is ordered as the general row Activity licence application documentation⁴⁶. Within it, LexorCorp Global OÜ checks the requirements of the Earth's Crust Act and the related acts against the client's project from their official text, drafts the application documents and assembles the application⁴⁶, and manages the procedure with the Environmental Board, including written follow-up of its questions.

The price is from €3,500 (one-time, fee for the standard scope)⁴⁶. LexorCorp Global OÜ is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added. The state fees above are separate and paid by the applicant⁴⁷.

Not included: geological fieldwork, the exploration report, the mining project or environmental impact assessment, the work of the responsible specialist, legal advice, audit and tax advice. The Environmental Board alone decides whether to grant the permit; no result or date can be promised.

Order: order form.

Sources

MaaPS § 4 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 4 (2) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 6 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 17 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 17 (2) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 95 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 1 (4) — text in force from 01.07.2026
KeÜS § 41 (1) p 4 — text in force from 01.09.2026
MaaPS § 26 — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 48; KeÜS § 41 (5) — text in force from 01.07.2026
KeÜS § 40^1 (1) p 2 and 3 — text in force from 01.09.2026
MaaPS § 21 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 42 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 28 (2) p 1; § 50 (2) p 1 — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 114 (2) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 33 (8)-(9) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 53 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 33 (3) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 33 (7), § 34 (1), § 53 (5), § 54 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 17 (3) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 74 (1), (3) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 75 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 28 (5^1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 50 (8) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 50 (10)-(11) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 27 (7), § 49 (6) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 35 (1) p 10, (3); § 55 (2) p 11, (4) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 35 (2) p 1; § 55 (3) p 1 (MaaPS § 55 (1) applies only KeÜS § 52 (1) p 1 and 3-10, not p 1^1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 80 (1) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 65 — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 28 (1)-(4) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 28 (5) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 50 (1)-(5) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 50 (6)-(7) — text in force from 01.07.2026
KeÜS § 42 (3) p 1-2 — text in force from 01.09.2026
Riigilõivuseadus § 9 (1); KeÜS § 42 (4) — text in force from 01.11.2026 / 01.09.2026
Riigilõivuseadus § 136^1 (1) — text in force from 01.11.2026
Riigilõivuseadus § 136^2 (1) p 4, (4), (5) — text in force from 01.11.2026
MaaPS § 32 (1), (1^1), (2) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 52 (1)-(3) — text in force from 01.07.2026
KeÜS § 49 (1^1) — text in force from 01.09.2026
MaaPS § 29; KeÜS § 44 — text in force from 01.07.2026 / 01.09.2026
MaaPS § 36 (4) — text in force from 01.07.2026
MaaPS § 60 (1)-(2) — text in force from 01.07.2026
LexorCorp Global price list and service description (price list)
LexorCorp Global price list and service description (price list)

Official sources

The laws this article names, each linked to its official text, as read on 9 October 2026. For the Estonian acts we read the English translation in Riigi Teataja; the legally binding text is the Estonian one.

State Fees Act — Riigi Teataja, English translation

Sources in the text are named without links; the official texts are linked under Official sources. To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.

Geological exploration and mineral extraction in Estonia: exploration permit and extraction permit