Our employees only speak German in the office and on the phone.

Applying for approval of a framework operating plan for mining without an environmental impact assessment (EIA)

  • Unternehmensstart und Gewerbezulassung

As a company that wants to prospect for, extract and process mineral resources, you must draw up a framework operating plan at the request of the competent authority.

  • Basic information

    If your company wants to prospect for, extract and process mineral resources, you must draw up a general operating plan for certain projects at the request of the competent authority.

    The general operating plan sets the outermost framework for your planned activity and defines the key data of your business project. In contrast to main and special operating plans, framework operating plans are drawn up for a longer period of time. The framework operating plan procedure clarifies whether or under what conditions a mining project can be realized at a specific location.

    You need a permit for such a framework operating plan.

    With an approved framework operating plan, you are not yet permitted to implement any specific mining measures, such as drilling or seismic investigations. For this purpose, separate procedures for the approval of main operating plans must be carried out in the further approval procedure. Only once these have been approved by the responsible mining authority may you carry out specific mining measures.

    Requirements

    Certain requirements must be met for your general operating plan to be approved:

    • Your project must not conflict with any overriding public interests.
    • You must prove that you have the necessary authorization for the exploration or extraction of these mineral resources.
    • You must take all necessary safety measures to prevent risks to life and health and to protect property, employees and third parties in the company.
    • Your work must not impair other mineral resources whose protection is in the public interest.
    • The waste produced must be properly reused or disposed of.
    • You must take precautions to ensure that
      • the surfaces can subsequently be made usable again to the extent required by the circumstances,
      • the safety of other mining operations is not jeopardized,
      • the exploration or extraction of mineral resources does not have any harmful consequences for the general public and
      • in the case of mining operations in the area of the continental shelf or coastal waters:
        • shipping facilities and signs are not impaired and
        • shipping and shipping routes, airspace, fishing and the flora and fauna are not unreasonably impaired,
        • underwater cables and pipelines as well as oceanographic or other scientific research are not impaired more than is unavoidable under the circumstances, and
        • the damaging effects on the sea are kept to a minimum.

  • Procedure

    You can apply for approval of your general operating plan online via the "BergPass" platform or in writing to your competent mining authority.

    Apply for approval online via the "BergPass" platform:

    • Call up the "BergPass" online platform and log in.
      • To register, you need a "My company account" or a BundID.
    • Call up the application form and fill it out completely and truthfully.
    • Upload the required documents as a file.

    Apply for approval in writing to the responsible mining authority:

    • You must draw up your framework operating plan in such a way that both the approval requirements and other concerns such as groundwater and nature conservation are described. For complex projects, it is advisable to contact your responsible mining authority and coordinate the required application documents. The mining authority is obliged to advise you or provide information on the procedural requirements and the respective procedure.
    • Submit all the necessary documents to your competent mining authority.

    Further procedural steps:

    • If any documents are missing, the authority will contact you.
    • You will receive a notification informing you of the decision on your application.
    • You will also receive a notification of costs. Pay the fees.

  • Necessary Documents
    • You should clarify with your competent authority which documents are required in your case. In principle, you must provide the following information in the optional general operating plan:
      • Indication of the mineral resource or resources you intend to prospect, extract or process (e.g. clay, feldspar, basalt lava, geothermal energy or hydrocarbons)
      • the company or consortium and associated authorized representatives
      • Proof of existing extraction authorizations (mining rights in the case of non-mining mineral resources or land ownership or lease in the case of natural resources)
      • possible old contracts
      • the planned area expansion
      • Description of the planned technical implementation
      • expected time frame
      • Possible effects on the environment
      • Information on nature conservation and species protection

  • Competent Department

  • Online Services

  • Fees / Costs

    575,00 EUR bis 17.251,50 EUR

  • Deadlines & processing time

    What deadlines must be paid attention to?

    10 years bis 50 years Period of validity:
    As a rule, operating plans are approved for a limited period of time. The validity of a framework operating plan is usually 30 years.
    The application must be submitted in good time before the planned realization.

    How long does it take to process

    1 month bis 3 months

  • Legal Bases

Feedback on quality

Your feedback will help us to identify and solve problems. You will not receive a personal response. Please do not submit any personal data.

Did you find what you were looking for?
How do you rate this page?*
*Mandatory field

This page has been automatically translated by DeepL. We cannot guarantee that the translation is correct.

The official information in German is complete and correct. 19.05.2026

Dienstleistungen · syfq nzm