Mining licences and quarry licences: exploration, small-, medium- and large-scale mining, trading and processing licences under Law N° 072/2024, block sizes and terms, applications on GIMCS and competitive rounds, RMB fees, the local shareholding rules, transfers and pledges, reporting duties, suspension and cancellation, and the three quarry licences

The licences in the 2024 Law

Every mining or quarry activity in Rwanda needs a licence (Articles 3(b) and 3(c) of Law N° 072/2024 of 26/06/2024 on mining and quarry operations, the Mining Law). Article 7 lists four kinds of licence for mining operations: an exploration operations licence; a mining licence for small-scale, medium-scale or large-scale mining; a mineral trading licence; and a mineral processing licence. Any activity involving radioactive minerals, from exploration to export, requires a separate special licence, whose holder reports monthly (Article 25). Article 28 creates three quarry licences: non-commercial small-scale, commercial small-scale and industrial. Law N° 58/2018 already provided for the same three tiers of mining licence and the same maximum block sizes (its Articles 8 and 9), so Be Rwanda Wise FAQ 103, which lists only exploration, large-scale mining, trading and processing licences, is incomplete rather than reflecting an older law.

Licences are exclusive by type. RMB cannot issue a mining licence over land already covered by an existing licence of a similar type, although it may, "for the purpose of national interests", authorise another person to explore for other minerals in an area already licensed (Article 12(1)). A holder may not extract a mineral not covered by its licence without RMB's prior authorisation (Article 12(2)), must notify RMB immediately if it finds one (Article 24(2)), and may apply within 90 days to add it to the licence (Article 23(2)). A quarry licence and a mining licence may coexist over the same area if RMB finds that the operations will not interfere with each other (Article 36).

The area of a licence consists of one or more contiguous blocks, each reported on separately in the business plan (Article 8). The maximum size of each block is 400 hectares for exploration, 50 hectares for small-scale mining, 100 hectares for medium-scale mining and 400 hectares for large-scale mining. The categorisation criteria in Regulations N° 005/MINES/RMB/2019 of 18/07/2019, which RMB still applies (The Mining Law 2024 and the regulators), align with those sizes: a large-scale mine has a block of more than 100 and up to 400 hectares, a medium-scale mine more than 50 and up to 100 hectares, and a small-scale mine up to 50 hectares. Large and medium mines must also use modern equipment, process up to export grades and employ qualified staff, including, for a large mine, a mine manager and professionals in mining engineering, processing, environment, health and safety and community relations (Articles 7 and 8 of the Regulations).

Applying directly: GIMCS, the One Stop Center and the Committee

An application for a mining licence is addressed to RMB and, under Article 9(2), the application and the response pass through the One Stop Center. In practice the applicant first checks on the Geological Information and Mining Cadastre System (GIMCS) that the area is free and then files online, using RMB's prescribed forms (FAQ 104). The Chief Executive Officer refers a complete file to the Licensing Committee, which assesses it and advises (Article 11 of Regulations N° 005/MINES/RMB/2019), and the applicant must be notified of the decision within 90 days of the date a complete file was received (Article 12). An approved applicant receives the licence in the format set by Regulations N° 004/MINES/RMB/2019; a refused applicant may ask RMB's Board of Directors in writing to review the decision within 15 days of notification (Article 13).

RMB's form for an exploration licence asks for the registration certificate, an exploration plan and budget, an RRA tax clearance certificate, two years' proof of financial capacity, proof of technical capacity with curricula vitae of key personnel, and an employment and skills transfer plan. The form for a mining licence adds the shareholding split, the economic value of the resource, the mine design and development programme, a social and environmental management plan based on the approved environmental and social impact assessment, infrastructure, health and safety, and compensation and resettlement plans, a feasibility study, a business plan, a processing and value addition plan and a community development plan. RMB fixes the term on the basis of the feasibility study and programme it approves (Article 13(3) of the Law).

Processing and trading licences follow a lighter procedure under Regulations N° 003/MINES/RMB/2019. The application, with the registration certificate, profile, business plan, tax clearance and proof of capacity, goes to the Chief Executive Officer, who decides within 60 days of a complete file; an appeal lies to the Board within 15 days (Articles 3, 4, 8 and 9). A trading licence applicant must also prove that it holds the Rwandan franc equivalent of USD 250,000 in a local bank (Article 8). Industrial quarry licences go to RMB, and small quarry licences to the District or Sector, as described below.

Obtaining an exploration or mining licence by direct application

1. Register the company in RwandaIncorporate with RDB and obtain a tax identification number; a tax clearance certificate is part of every file.
2. Check the area on GIMCSConfirm that the ground is free (Article 12) and not offered in a competitive round, and fix block coordinates within the Article 8 maximum.
3. Prepare the fileUse RMB's form for the licence type; for a mining licence the feasibility study and the approved impact assessment are the critical path.
4. File online and through the One Stop CenterSubmit on GIMCS, through the One Stop Center (Article 9(2)), and keep proof of the date the file was complete.
5. Committee assessment and decisionThe Chief Executive Officer refers the file to the Licensing Committee and notifies the decision within 90 days of a complete file (Regulations N° 005/MINES/RMB/2019, Articles 11 and 12).
6. Review of a refusalAsk RMB's Board of Directors in writing to review a refusal within 15 days of notification (Article 13 of the Regulations); a court challenge may follow.
7. Pay the licence fee and sign the agreementPay the grant fee; an industrial mining licence holder also signs an agreement with RMB (Article 73).
8. Start on timeBegin exploration within 90 days or mining within 180 days of issue (Articles 22(a) and 24(1)(b)), after lodging the rehabilitation guarantee and settling leases or compensation with landowners (Article 4).

Competitive rounds: the Mining Investment Pitchbook

Article 10 of the Mining Law allows RMB to call for applications "through open competition" for exploration or mining licences, and Chapter V of Regulations N° 005/MINES/RMB/2019 sets the tender rules: publication on RMB's website and in media in Rwanda and abroad, evaluation against published criteria, disqualification of bidders who are debarred, insolvent or in liquidation, publication of the Committee's evaluation report, and negotiation with the successful bidder before the licence is issued (Articles 16 to 29). RMB has used this route since 2025 through its Mining Investment Pitchbook. The first round, launched in May 2025, offered 10 blocks with a deadline of 16 August 2025 and drew 73 applications. The second, published on 3 December 2025, offered another 10 blocks, four for mining, four for exploration and two for gemstones, with a deadline of 3 March 2026.

The December 2025 instructions show how RMB assesses bids. Applicants must be registered with RDB or, for cooperatives, the Rwanda Cooperative Agency, submit in English through RMB's cloud platform, and keep their proposals valid for 90 days. Mining blocks are scored on pledged budgets for mine development, further exploration, beneficiation, community, infrastructure, environment and employment, on the approach to value addition up to metal, on track record, and on financial capacity shown by bank statements or three years' audited accounts, which may be a parent company's. The stated minimum financial capacity is USD 5,000,000 for a large-scale block and USD 2,000,000 for a medium-scale block, or the equivalent in Rwandan francs. The evaluating committee reports to the licensing committee, which reports to the Chief Executive Officer, and results were to be announced within 90 days of the deadline. The winner then negotiates a mining agreement with RMB; if negotiations fail within 60 days of their start, RMB invites the second-ranked applicant. Budgets pledged in a bid become commitments that RMB will monitor, and they set the investment against which the 30% threshold for transfers is measured.

Terms, renewal and the step from exploration to mining

An exploration licence runs for an initial period of up to four years and may be renewed once for up to four years, and RMB may require the holder to relinquish part of the area on renewal (Articles 13(1) and 14(2)). The renewal application includes a report on the work done and its cost, detailed results and interpretation, the programme and budget for the renewal period, and a plan of the area to be kept (Article 14(1)). The holder has the primary right to a mining licence over any part of its area where a deposit is discovered, on meeting the conditions for a mining licence (Article 21(1)(e)). It must apply within the 90 days before its exploration licence expires; if the licence expires before RMB decides, exploration may continue until the decision is notified, and if the mining licence is refused the holder receives 90 days' notice to close (Article 21(2) to (4)). If the holder lets the licence lapse without applying for renewal or a mining licence within two years, its exploration records and reports become State property (Article 27).

A mining licence runs for an initial period of up to 15 years, fixed on the basis of the feasibility study and programme approved by RMB (Article 13(2) and (3)). It may be renewed "more than one time when considered necessary", each time for up to 15 years (Article 14(4)). The renewal application must be made within the 90 days before expiry and must include reserves verified by an independent consultant at the applicant's cost and approved by RMB, the capital investment, costs and revenue forecasts for the renewal period, the planned activities, any change in extraction or processing methods, and the likely social and environmental impacts with mitigation and compensation measures (Article 14(3)). RMB renews where the holder meets the criteria and has implemented its programme well (Article 14(5)), notifies its decision within 60 days, may change the terms, lets the holder continue operating if the licence expires before the decision, and on refusal fixes a notice period to close (Article 15).

A holder may relinquish all or part of a mining area on at least 90 days' notice, with a map of the area, detailed activity reports, a tax clearance certificate, a certificate from the District labour inspectorate that it owes nothing to its employees, and a rehabilitation certificate; liabilities already incurred survive (Article 26). Under Article 15 of Regulations N° 005/MINES/RMB/2019, an exploration licence holder that gives up at least half of its area on renewal pays a fee linked to the annual fee instead of the full renewal fee.

Fees and when they fall due

The fees in the table come from the 2019 Regulations, which RMB still applies; Article 47 of the 2024 Law calls for new fee regulations, none of which had been published at 10 October 2026. Fees are paid into RMB's account. Article 34 of Regulations N° 005/MINES/RMB/2019 requires the annual licence fee and surface rent to be paid "before 31st December of following year", and Article 15 of Regulations N° 003/MINES/RMB/2019 uses similar words for processing and trading licences; because the wording does not state clearly which year a payment covers, holders should obtain RMB's written statement of each year's amount and due date. Failing to make any payment required under the Law leads to provisional suspension (Article 52(a)), and persistent failure without cause to cancellation (Article 53(b)).

Who may hold which licence: the local shareholding rules

The Mining Law contains no nationality condition: "person" includes an individual, a company, a cooperative, a subsidiary and a partnership, without any residence test. The ownership limits come from Regulations N° 005/MINES/RMB/2019, which RMB still applies. Article 8 provides that a medium-scale mine must "have at least forty percent (40%) local shareholders", and Article 9 that a small-scale mine must "be owned by Rwandan nationals". Article 2 defines local shareholders as "Rwandan citizens who hold shares in a company". The model agreements in Regulations N° 004/MINES/RMB/2019 repeat these as 40% and 100% local shareholding. No equivalent rule applies to exploration licences, large-scale mining licences, processing licences or trading licences. RMB's application forms ask for the local and foreign percentage of shareholding for every licence type, so the structure is visible from the first filing.

Be Rwanda Wise FAQ 105 states that there is no general restriction on foreign ownership and no mandatory local partner. That is right for exploration and large-scale licences but overlooks the 2019 rules for small and medium mines and the Government's possible free carried interest under Article 49 of the Law (Mining agreements, local content and community). The practical consequences are these. A foreign investor that discovers a deposit too small for a large-scale licence must either bring in Rwandan shareholders holding at least 40% for a medium-scale mine, or limit its role to that of a buyer, processor, lender or service provider to Rwandan-owned small-scale miners and cooperatives. A foreign-owned trader needs USD 250,000 in a Rwandan bank and must bank all its mineral trade through institutions in Rwanda (Article 12 of Regulations N° 003/MINES/RMB/2019). Because these limits rest on regulations made under the repealed 2018 law, the position could change when RMB issues regulations under the 2024 Law (Sectors open to foreign investors and licensing).

Transfers, share sales and pledges

Article 16 of the Mining Law treats almost any change in the holder as a transfer of the licence. For a private company, a transfer includes any assignment, sale or disposal of the licence, the pledge of the licence or the seizure of a pledged licence, and "the transfer of any share by one or more shareholders having rights on a mining licence" (Article 16(3)). For a public company it means acquiring a controlling interest, defined as the direct or indirect power over more than 50% of management or a majority holding (Article 16(4) and Article 2). Every transfer needs RMB's prior written authorisation (Article 16(2)), and no transfer by assignment of shares may take place until the holder has spent at least 30% of the investment it pledged when the licence was granted (Article 16(1)). On registration of the new holder, the transferor's rights and obligations pass immediately to the transferee (Article 16(5)).

The application under Article 17 includes the holder's written application, minutes of the shareholders' or members' meeting approving the transfer held before a notary authorised by the Government, the transferee's profile and mining experience, its certificate of registration, a tax clearance certificate for the transferor, a document showing the value of the transaction, a disclosure of any other relations or common business interests between the parties, and the transferee's commitment to uphold the transferor's obligations. RMB must notify its decision within 60 days of receipt (Article 18). A transfer made without complying with the Law is a ground for cancellation (Article 53(e)), and the 2019 Regulations charge a transfer fee equal to the grant fee. Quarry licences may be transferred only if they are commercial small-scale or industrial licences (Article 32).

Two consequences matter for transactions. First, the purchase of even a small minority stake from an existing shareholder is a transfer requiring approval, a new share issue that changes the ownership of the holder should be cleared with RMB in the same way, and a pledge of the licence and its seizure are both transfers, as is the enforcement of a share pledge; a buyer or lender should build the 60-day approval and the 30% investment test into its timetable and conditions precedent (Due diligence in Rwanda). Second, since 29 May 2025 Law N° 014/2025 of 27/05/2025 extends the 10% capital gains tax to transfers of licences as well as shares, withheld by the seller or buyer for a licence and by the Rwandan company for shares, and declared within 15 days after the month of the transfer (Capital gains, property and other taxes).

Obligations while the licence runs

An exploration licence holder must start within 90 days, report every six months, keep detailed technical and expenditure records at its address in Rwanda and file an audited statement of exploration expenditure within 90 days after each anniversary of the licence (Article 22). A mining licence holder must mine under the approved mine development programme and environmental management plan, start within 180 days, install beacons, keep technical and financial records in Rwanda and send copies to RMB every six months, manage tailings as RMB requires, and give RMB one year's notice of permanent closure, six months' notice of temporary suspension and three months' notice of a reduction in output (Article 24).

Every licence holder files audited annual financial statements prepared under International Financial Reporting Standards with RMB and RRA within three months of its financial year end (Article 44), except a non-commercial small-scale quarry, and keeps separate books for any activity not connected with the licence (Article 45). Regulations N° 005/MINES/RMB/2019 require quarterly reports on prescribed forms (Article 35), more frequent than the six-monthly reports in the Law, and processing and trading licence holders must report quarterly, keep records of contracts with miners, suppliers, buyers, smelters, refineries and banks together with assay reports and customs records, and send a sample of every export to RMB or a designated laboratory (Articles 7 and 12 of Regulations N° 003/MINES/RMB/2019). Traceability and export certification duties are covered in 3T, gold and traceability.

Suspension, cancellation and what follows

When RMB suspends a licence it notifies the holder in writing of a remedy period, and once the problem is remedied authorises resumption by written notice (Article 37(1)). The Law does not fix the length of the remedy period; the 30-day period described in some commentary is not in the 2024 text. On cancellation, RMB gives the holder 90 days to rehabilitate the site where necessary, clear its liabilities and complete any other step RMB indicates (Article 37(2)). The holder remains liable for environmental protection until the final rehabilitation certificate is issued (Article 40(2)), and the rehabilitation guarantee stands behind that obligation. An urgent safety decision by an inspector may also require immediate rectification or suspend operations, with an appeal to the head of the organ that issued the licence (Article 42).

Quarry licences

Quarry operations cover the extraction, processing and trade of geological materials used in works, such as building stone, sand, gravel and clay. An application for an industrial quarry licence goes to RMB; one for a commercial small-scale quarry licence to the Administrative Head of the District, with a copy to RMB; and one for a non-commercial small-scale quarry licence to the Executive Secretary of the Sector, with a copy to the District (Article 29). The categorisation criteria and application requirements are in Regulations N° 007/MINES/RMB/2019. A non-commercial licence lasts one year and a commercial small-scale licence five years, both renewable, and an industrial licence up to 15 years, fixed on the feasibility study and renewable (Article 30).

Commercial and industrial quarry holders may explore, extract, transport, sell, use, process and add value to quarry products; a non-commercial holder may only extract, transport and use them (Article 33). Quarry holders must report as the regulations require, pay leasing fees and compensation for damage to land and property, meet health, safety and environmental standards and pay taxes (Article 34). They may relinquish the area on 30 days' notice for a non-commercial licence and 60 days' for others, with a tax clearance and a certificate of no debt to employees (Article 35). Industrial and commercial quarries need an environmental and social impact assessment before starting (Article 38), and an industrial quarry holder signs an agreement with RMB (Article 73). Trading in illegally extracted quarry products carries two to five years' imprisonment and a fine of RWF 10,000,000 to RWF 20,000,000, or RWF 30,000,000 to RWF 50,000,000 for a legal person (Article 68). Artisanal miners of minerals, as distinct from quarry operators, use the small-scale mining licence, not a quarry licence, contrary to the suggestion in FAQ 114.