Ministry of Mines, Energy & Rural Electrification

Solomon Islands Government

Ministry of Mines, Energy & Rural Electrification

Alluvial Miners Permit

An Alluvial Miner's Permit may be issued by the Director of Mines to any Solomon Island citizen who meets the requirements.

Holders of an Alluvial Miner's Permit may sell gold to a holder of a Gold Dealer's Licence.

  • Prerequisites +

    An intending Applicant must fulfil the following requirements before applying for an Alluvial Miner's Permit :

    • Applicant must be over 21 years of age
    • Applicant must not have been convicted of an offence involving dishonesty or fraud

    pdf Application for Alluvial Miners Permit (181 KB) Contact the Director of Mines

    If the intending Applicant is applying on behalf of a group, the leader of the group must satisfy the Director that he/she is not disqualified based on the above requirements and that he/she has obtained the consent of the group to hold the Alluvial Miner's Permit on behalf of the group.

    An Alluvial Miner's Permit may only be issued to landowners of the area in question, unless the landowners of that area agree in writing to it's issuance to the Applicant who is not a landowner.

    The period of an Alluvial Miner's Permit must not exceed one year and may be renewed for additional periods of one year.

    An Alluvial Miner's Permit is non-exclusive and not transferrable. It may be cancelled by the Director on the Holder of the Permit being convicted of any offences which, in the opinion of the Director, renders the Holder unfit to hold the Permit.

  • Application Requirements Checklist +

    Applications for an Alluvial Miner's Permit must be made using the approved application form which shall require that specific information is provided to the Director of Mines. Applications that are lodged that do not meet the threshold requirements will not be considered. 

    The following information must be provided as a requirement of a standard Alluvial Miner's Permit Application :

    • Individual Applications: the Applicant's full name, address, age, place of birth and proof that the Applicant is a citizen of Solomon Islands
    • Group Applications: the leader of the group must provide their name, address, age and place of birth and all other members of the group must also provide their names, addresses, ages and proof that they are all citizens of Solomon Islands - written proof that all members of the group give consent to the identified leader holding their Alluvial Miner's Permit must also be provided
    • Details of the alluvial mineral to be mined
    • The mining method that will be used
    • The area in which the alluvial mining is to be carried out
    • Two recent, passport-sized photographs of the Applicant(s)
    • Any additional information that the Director requires

    The Applicant must also be able to provide the following :

    • Written consent of the landowners in the area for which the Application is made
    • Evidence of payment of application fees for each Application

    Contact the Director of Mines

  • Alluvial Miner's Permit Granted +

    The intending Alluvial Miner's Permit Applicant must lodge their Application to the Director of Mines using the appropriate form.

    The Application must include the written consent of the landowners in the area for which the Application is made.

    A fee of SBD $40.00 (for Individual Applicants) or $50.00 (for Group Applicants) must also be paid to the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification.

    Contact the Director of Mines

    Officers of the Mines Division will prepare submitted documents and submit them to their Director.

  • Permit Holder Sells Gold to Gold Dealer +

    Holders of an Alluvial Miner's Permit may sell their gold to Holders of a Gold Dealer's Licence. Please consult the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification for more information on Licensed Gold Dealer's.

    Contact the Ministry Contact the Director of Mines Gold Dealer's Licence Process

  • Notes for Permit Holders +

    Rights of Alluvial Miners

    Subject to the consent of the landowners and the Mines and Minerals Act, an Alluvial Miner shall have the right to enter any land and undertake alluvial mining in soft, unconsolidated material lying on or beneath the surface of the ground and formed by natural geological processes.

    An Alluvial Miner must fulfil the following :

    • Employ panning or washing techniques using hand-operated equipment or mechanical suction dredges with a capacity of less than 4m2 per hour using water in rivers or streams
    • Not use bulldozers, scrapers, excavators or any other mechanised earth-moving equipment
    • Not use engine-driven rock crushers nor employ any mineral extraction techniques requiring cyanide, mercury or any other poisonous substance
    • Not dig underground shafts, drives, adits or pits unless such excavations are vertical, not deeper than 2 meters from the surface and not greater than 10 square meters in area at the surface, unless the Director otherwise directs
    • Not use explosives

    Alluvial Miners are not permitted to operate in areas that are subject to a Prospecting Licence or Mining Lease without the written consent of the Holder of the Licence or Lease.

    Obligations of Alluvial Miners

    An Alluvial Miner must fulfil the following :

    • Not dispose of any gold obtained other than to a Licensed Gold Dealer, who may export gold on behalf of the Alluvial Miner
    • Backfill all excavations and not leave any part of the area covered by the permit in an unsafe condition
    • Not pollute or interrupt or adversely affect the flow of any water
    • Comply with all rules and procedures as directed by the Director

    Gold obtained by members of a group must be disposed of only by the Permit Holder on behalf of the group and only to a Licensed Gold Dealer.

    Each person holding an Alluvial Miner's Permit on behalf of a group must issue a membership card to each member of the group.

    The holder of an Alluvial Miner's Permit or member of an Alluvial Miner's group shall produce his Permit, or, in the case of a member of a group issued with an Alluvial Miner's Permit, their membership card, upon request by the Director, any police officer, any inspector or other officer authorised under this Act.

  • 1