Issuing of general gem mining licenses

• The application form issued by the Authority should be duly completed and submitted along with the relevant documents. (Deeds required to prove ownership of 2/3 of the land according to the nature of the ownership, Judgments, genealogies, ten year deeds, if there is a plan for the land, a certified copy of the plan, birth, death, marriage certificates, title deeds, receipts from the partners, Affidavit and photocopy of National Identity Card etc.)

• Nature of the land If it is a paddy land Recommendation obtained from the Department of Agrarian Development, If the land belongs to a temple, Recommendation obtained from the Department of Buddhist Affairs, Recommendation obtained from the relevant Divisional Secretary if it is a land received on a government grant or a grant under the Land Development Ordinance, If the land is owned by the Land Reforms Commission, the recommendation obtained from the Land Reforms Commission, the recommendation obtained from the Mahaweli Authority if it is a land under the control of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, etc.

• After inspecting the relevant documents, the land requesting the license will be physically inspected on a date when the Regional Development Officer (Acting Officer) will inform the applicant when the applicant has fulfilled the minimum required rights to obtain a license.

• The land is inspected and an advertisement is displayed on the land stating that a “gem mining license has been applied for”. It is on display that if there are any objections to the issuance of a gem mining license for the land, they should come forward. If such objections are made, protests will be held.

• If the objections have not been lodged within the prescribed 14 days after the publication of the advertisements and all the requirements for the applicant to obtain a license have been met by computerizing the information of the applicant and the details of the land and after obtaining the recommendation of the officers and charging the relevant bail and license fees and the Chairman and Action will be taken to issue a license for a period of one year with the approval and signature of the CEO.

Conducting rights inquiries

After the advertisement is published by the Regional Development Assistant, if there are any objections, preliminary objections will be made to all such objections by the Regional Development Assistant of the relevant area or any other officer of the authority authorized by the Chairman.

Issuing mechanical permits for gem mining

Mechanical gem mining permits are issued for a period of one year with the recommendation and approval of the relevant officers (Excavation Engineer and Functional Officer) for lands with a general gem mining license, 01 acre or more.

Release of bail related to mechanical mining

• Normally two months before the expiry of the license, the licensee makes a request for bail by letter with the original copy of the license and the receipt of the deposit.

• After conducting a field inspection with the Licensing Officer or his agent to ensure that the pits are properly closed and the land is rehabilitated and submit a report to the Management Assistant, after obtaining any recommendations from other government agencies, to pay the bail. Referrals are made to the officers to obtain the necessary approval. Once approved, action will be taken to release the bail to the Financial Division

In the case of a mechanical mining permit, the release of the special guarantee and the deposit made in proportion to the area permitted to be mined shall be done in the same manner as above, and the relevant surety will be released in whole or in part.

Fees charged for obtaining a gem mining license

License Application Fee – Rs. 800. 00 + Tax
Initial Fee (Depending on the nature of the ownership) Single ownership – Rs. 1500.00 + Tax
Partnership – Rs. 5000.00 + Tax
Fees for an ordinary mine – Rs. 8000. 00+ Tax
Guarantee Deposit per Mine (Refundable) – Rs. 10000.00