Mining Cadastre Tanzania: How Online Mineral Right Applications Work in 2026
How do you apply for a mineral right through the mining cadastre in Tanzania? On the Mainland, the Mining Commission's Mining Cadastre receives applications under the Mining Act, Cap. 123. You register on the Commission's online portal, define the area by coordinates, lodge the form and documents, and pay against a GePG control number. The first valid application received wins the ground. Government fees are separate from any adviser's fee.
The mining cadastre Tanzania runs is the single gate for every mineral right on the Mainland. A primary mining licence for a citizen co-operative and a prospecting licence for a listed explorer start in the same place: an account on the Mining Commission's online portal and a block of ground drawn by coordinates. This guide covers the mechanics. It explains how an application moves through the system, what the first-come rule means in practice, how fees and rent are paid, and why applications fail.
It does not repeat our licence-by-licence guides. For the rights themselves, read our guides to the primary mining licence, the prospecting licence and the mining licence. This post is about the portal and the paperwork that sits behind it.
What the law says
The Mining Act, Cap. 123 governs mineral rights. Section 2 of the consolidated text on TanzLII states that the Act applies to Tanzania Mainland. The Act was revised again in 2023, and law firms now cite Cap. 123 R.E. 2023. The section numbers in this guide come from the public consolidation as at 30 November 2019. Several sections were renumbered in the 2023 revision, so confirm each pinpoint against R.E. 2023 before relying on it in a filing.
Section 27G of that text establishes the Mining Cadastre. Its three functions are to receive and process applications for mineral rights and mineral processing licences, to administer those rights, and to maintain public cadastral maps and registers. The cadastre is therefore a statutory office, not a website. The website is the tool it uses.
The procedure sits in the Mining (Mineral Rights) Regulations, GN 1 of 2018, gazetted on 10 January 2018. The Regulations set the forms, the shape and size of areas, the priority rules and, in the First Schedule, the fees and rents. They have been amended several times. GN 741 of 2019 revised the primary mining licence fees and rents. GN 937 of 2020 added grant forms for mining and special mining licences. GN 562 of 2025, published on 12 September 2025, added a primary mining licence rent line for salt at TZS 20,000 a hectare.
Who is affected?
Anyone who wants to explore for or extract minerals on the Mainland applies through the cadastre. In practice that means four groups.
- Citizens, partnerships and citizen-owned companies applying for a primary mining licence (PML). Section 8(2) of the Act bars grant of a PML to an individual who is not a citizen. The PML form, MRF.5, adds that a company applicant must be incorporated under the Companies Act with all members and directors Tanzanian citizens.
- Local and foreign companies applying for a prospecting licence (PL), a mining licence (ML) or a special mining licence (SML).
- Holders renewing, transferring, amalgamating or surrendering an existing right.
- Processors, smelters and refiners, whose processing licences the cadastre also handles under section 27G.
Mineral dealers and brokers are licensed under separate trading regulations, GN 2 of 2018. Whether a given trading application runs on the same portal or on a separate Commission system should be checked when you open the account. Our guides to the mineral dealer licence and the mineral broker licence cover those routes.
How does the mining cadastre portal work?
The Commission's public site is tumemadini.go.tz. Applications run on a separate portal at portal.madini.go.tz, which is built on the Landfolio cadastre framework from Spatial Dimension, now part of Trimble. Tanzania launched its Online Mining Cadastre Transactional Portal in June 2015, according to TanzaniaInvest. Officials said then that applications, renewals, transfers and payments would all move online.
Inside the portal, the work follows five stages.
| Stage | What happens | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Account | The applicant registers, verifies an email address and completes an applicant profile | Applicant. |
| 2. Area | The applicant defines the block by coordinates and checks it against existing rights on the cadastre | Applicant, then cadastre staff. |
| 3. Lodgement | The form and supporting documents are uploaded and the date and time of receipt are recorded | Applicant and Mining Cadastre. |
| 4. Review | Technical and legal checks, then an offer of grant or a rejection with reasons | Mining Commission. |
| 5. Grant | The applicant accepts, pays against a control number, and the right is entered in the register | Applicant and Commission. |
Treat the stage labels as a guide to the sequence, not to button names. The screens change between upgrades, and in April 2026 the Minister for Minerals announced a new digital system for automatic compliance monitoring of exploration licences, reported by the Daily News.
How do you choose the area on the map?
An application stands or falls on its coordinates. GN 1 of 2018 requires a sketch plan with coordinates on the Arc 1960 datum and the area stated in hectares. Regulation 6(1) requires a square, or a rectangle no more than five times as long as it is wide, bounded by north-south and east-west lines. The Commission may approve another regular shape where that rule cannot work on the ground.
Size limits are set by regulation 7. The table shows the limits as gazetted in January 2018.
| Right | Maximum area (GN 1 of 2018, reg. 7) | Term (Mining Act and forms) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary mining licence, minerals other than building materials | 10 hectares | 7 years, renewable (s.55(2)). |
| Primary mining licence, building materials | 5 hectares | 1 year for sand and fast-depleting building materials (s.55(4)). |
| Prospecting licence, metallic, energy and industrial minerals, kimberlitic diamond | 300 square kilometres | Initial period up to 4 years (s.32(1)(a)). |
| Prospecting licence, building materials and gemstones other than kimberlitic diamond | 5 square kilometres | Initial period up to 4 years. |
| Mining licence | 10 square kilometres, or 1 for building materials and gemstones | Up to 10 years (Form MRF.13, GN 937 of 2020). |
Before drawing, search the cadastre for live rights and pending applications. Ground under a valid licence is not available, and an application that overlaps it will be cut back or refused. Our post on overlapping mineral claims explains how to read the cadastre record and what a surface title does and does not give you.
What does the first-come rule mean?
Section 14 of the Act gives priority to the application registered first, provided the applicant is not disqualified under section 8 and is otherwise entitled to the grant. GN 1 of 2018 adds the detail. Regulation 3(3) requires the Commission to record the date and time each application is received. Regulation 19(4) uses that record to rank overlapping applications.
The exception is the same-day case. Under regulation 19(1), applications received on the same day during business hours are treated as simultaneous. The applicants are then asked to submit bids within a period of up to six months, and the best bid wins. A law firm note from FB Attorneys in January 2018 summarised the same rule.
Three practical points follow. First, an incomplete application is a weak place in the queue, because an applicant who is not entitled to the grant loses priority. Second, the clock runs from receipt by the cadastre, so a draft saved but not submitted holds nothing. Third, two related companies filing over the same block can find themselves bidding against each other.
Which licences can you apply for online?
Section 27G says the cadastre receives applications for mineral rights and mineral processing licences. Mineral rights under the Act are the prospecting licence, the mining licence, the special mining licence and the primary mining licence. Reports at the portal's launch listed prospecting, special mining, mining and primary mining licences, together with renewals and transfers.
The Commission has not published a current list of every transaction type on the portal that we could read for this guide. Treat these as confirmed for the cadastre route: PML, PL, ML and SML, with their renewals and transfers. Treat processing, smelting and refining licences as cadastre matters under section 27G, but check the portal screen. Treat dealer and broker licences as a separate route until the portal shows otherwise. Our guide to mineral processing licences covers the processing side.
What documents does an application need?
The forms in GN 1 of 2018 fix the content. The portal asks for the same information in its own screens and uploads.
| Document or detail | PML (Form MRF.5) | PL (Form MRF.1 or MRF.2) |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant name, nationality and address | Yes | Yes. |
| Shareholders and directors with nationalities | Yes, for a company; all must be citizens | Yes. |
| Memorandum and Articles, certificate of incorporation | Company applicants | Yes (Appendix 1). |
| Mineral type and location (region, district, locality) | Yes | Yes. |
| Coordinates and plan | Yes | Yes, on Arc 1960 with a plan. |
| Financial and technical resources, accounts | No | Yes, latest audited and unaudited accounts and a technical statement. |
| Employment and training programme | No | Yes (Appendix 2). |
| Signed declaration | Yes | Yes. |
For a company, the incorporation and tax records have to be in order before the cadastre will accept the file. If the company is new, start with company registration. Local content rules also bite at this stage, and our local content ownership checks explain the shareholding tests.
What do the fees and first-year rent cost?
Fees are set by the First Schedule to GN 1 of 2018 as amended. The figures below come from the Zatra government fee register, stated at 26 September 2026, with each line's register ID. The original January 2018 schedule printed lower PML amounts, TZS 20,000 for application and TZS 20,000 a hectare for gold rent. GN 741 of 2019 replaced them. We could not open the GN 741 text itself on TanzLII on 2 November 2026, so the amounts are listed under figures to confirm.
| Register ID | Item | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| F0619 | PML application fee | TZS 50,000 | GN 1 of 2018, First Schedule, as amended by GN 741 of 2019. |
| F0619 | PML preparation fee | TZS 50,000 | Same. |
| F0619 | PML renewal fee | TZS 100,000 | Same. |
| F0619 | PML transfer fee | TZS 500,000 | Same. |
| F0620 | PML annual rent, gold, kimberlitic diamonds, gemstones | TZS 90,000 a hectare; minimum TZS 180,000 under 2 hectares | First Schedule item 8, as amended. |
| F0620 | PML annual rent, other minerals | TZS 45,000 a hectare; minimum TZS 90,000 under 2 hectares | Same. |
| F0622 | Mineral dealer licence application | USD 200 (TZS 450,000), non-refundable | GN 2 of 2018, First Schedule. |
Prospecting, mining and special mining licence fees and rents are in US dollars per square kilometre and are set out in the same schedule. They are not reproduced here. Read them in our mining annual rent guide, and check the amount on the bill the portal raises.
How do you pay through GePG?
Every charge is billed by the Commission and paid against a Government e-Payment Gateway control number. The Ministry of Finance set up GePG to standardise government revenue collection. In December 2018 it told public institutions to connect by 30 June 2019, after which collection outside the platform would stop, as Ecofin Agency reported.
The sequence on the portal is the same for application fees, preparation fees and rent. Open the application or licence, generate the bill, and note the control number, the amount and the currency. Pay the exact amount by bank, internet banking or mobile money before the control number expires. Download the receipt and check that the portal marks the bill as paid. The amount on the control number governs on the day of payment, even if a published schedule shows a different figure.
Rent is a running obligation. Under section 66(1) of the 2019 text, rent unpaid ninety days after it falls due attracts a penalty of 25% for an individual and 50% for a body corporate. Section 66(3) makes unpaid rent a debt recoverable in court. Neither the Act nor GN 1 of 2018 fixes a calendar due date, so record the date the portal shows for each year.
How do offers, objections and overlaps work?
For a prospecting licence, section 33(1) requires the licensing authority to notify the applicant within four weeks that the application has been granted or rejected, with reasons for a rejection. In practice the Commission issues an offer that states the fees due. A Rive & Co note of July 2025 describes the steps: offer letter, letter of acceptance, payment of the stated fees, then grant and entry in the register. An offer that is not accepted and paid does not become a licence.
GN 1 of 2018, as we read it, contains no general procedure for third-party objections to an application. Competition between applicants is settled by the time of receipt or, on the same day, by the regulation 19 bid. Overlaps with existing rights are excluded at review. A holder whose licence is suspended or cancelled may seek judicial review in the High Court within sixty days of the decision under section 65(1).
A contested overlap, a boundary fight with a neighbouring holder or a cancellation is a legal dispute. It belongs with an advocate, not a portal ticket. Our guide on appealing a licence refusal or revocation sets out the general route.
How do renewals and transfers run on the portal?
Renewals and transfers use the same account and the same payment flow. A PML holder may apply for renewal three months before expiry, according to the note on Form MRF.7, which refers to section 56(1). Mining licence and special mining licence renewals follow sections 53 and 45, as the GN 937 of 2020 grant forms state.
Under section 9(2), a special mining licence or mining licence cannot be assigned without the written consent of the licensing authority. Section 9(3) lists exceptions, such as assignments to an affiliate or to a bank as security. Regulation 18 of GN 1 of 2018 keeps the assignor liable for fees and rent until the transfer is complete. The detail is in our post on renewing and transferring a mining licence.
Why are cadastre applications rejected?
Section 31 entitles an applicant to the grant unless a listed ground applies. The grounds that most often stop a file are below.
- Disqualified applicant. A non-citizen applying for a PML, or a company with a foreign member or director, fails section 8(2).
- Ground already taken. The block overlaps a live right or an earlier application.
- Wrong geometry. The area exceeds the regulation 7 limit, or the shape breaks regulation 6.
- Incomplete file. Missing company documents, accounts, programmes or a signed declaration.
- Offer not taken up. The applicant does not accept the offer or pay the bill before the control number expires.
- Too many licences. Regulation 20(7) refers holders of twenty or more valid prospecting licences to section 8(6) of the Act.
Mainland and Zanzibar: what differs?
The Mining Act applies to Tanzania Mainland only, under section 2. A licence from the Mining Commission gives no right in Unguja or Pemba. In November 2024, The Citizen reported that Zanzibar had no dedicated mining law and relied on its environmental law while a mining law was proposed. We could not confirm whether a Zanzibar mining law has since been enacted, or which authority now licenses extraction there.
| Point | Mainland | Zanzibar |
|---|---|---|
| Governing law | Mining Act, Cap. 123, and GN 1 of 2018 | Not the Mining Act; status of a Zanzibar mining law to be confirmed. |
| Licensing body | Mining Commission (Tume ya Madini) through the Mining Cadastre | To be confirmed with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar. |
| Online route | portal.madini.go.tz | No Mining Commission portal coverage. |
| Payment | GePG control number | To be confirmed under Zanzibar's own payment system. |
Worked example: a gold PML for a citizen company
Consider a hypothetical business, Mto Gold Partners Limited, owned and directed entirely by Tanzanian citizens. It applies for a 5 hectare primary mining licence for gold in Geita Region. The figures use register lines F0619 and F0620.
- Application fee (F0619): TZS 50,000, paid when the file is lodged.
- Preparation fee (F0619): TZS 50,000, paid on the offer of grant.
- First-year rent (F0620): 5 hectares x TZS 90,000 = TZS 450,000.
Government charges to grant: TZS 50,000 + TZS 50,000 + TZS 450,000 = TZS 550,000.
Two variations show how the rent line moves. At the 10 hectare maximum, first-year rent is 10 x TZS 90,000 = TZS 900,000, and the total is TZS 1,000,000. For a 1.5 hectare gold block, the minimum rent of TZS 180,000 applies, and the total is TZS 50,000 + TZS 50,000 + TZS 180,000 = TZS 280,000.
From year two, rent at TZS 450,000 falls due each year on the 5 hectare licence. If the company paid 91 days late, the body corporate penalty of 50% under section 66(1) would add TZS 225,000. Renewal after seven years costs TZS 100,000 (F0619) plus that year's rent. Royalty, the inspection fee and withholding on sales are separate and arise only when minerals are sold.
What to do now
- Check eligibility. Confirm the applicant can hold the right sought, including citizenship of every member and director for a PML.
- Search the ground. Check the cadastre for live rights and pending applications before you draw a block.
- Prepare the file first. Assemble company documents, coordinates on Arc 1960 and any accounts or programmes, so the application is complete when it is lodged.
- Lodge and record. Submit on the portal, then save the receipt time and application number as evidence of priority.
- Pay on the control number. Pay the exact billed amount before it expires and keep each GePG receipt.
- Diarise the licence. Enter rent dates, the ninety-day penalty point and the renewal window in a compliance calendar.
Key dates
| Date or period | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 November 2010 | Mining Act, 2010 commences | TanzLII. |
| June 2015 | Online Mining Cadastre Transactional Portal launched | TanzaniaInvest. |
| 10 January 2018 | GN 1 of 2018 gazetted | FB Attorneys, TanzLII. |
| 30 June 2019 | Public institutions to collect through GePG | Ecofin Agency. |
| 2019 | GN 741 of 2019 revises PML fees and rents | TanzLII. |
| 23 October 2020 | GN 937 of 2020 adds ML and SML grant forms | Geological Survey of Tanzania. |
| 12 September 2025 | GN 562 of 2025 adds the PML salt rent line | FAOLEX. |
| Within 4 weeks | Notice of grant or rejection of a PL | Mining Act s.33(1), 2019 text. |
| 90 days after due date | Rent penalty of 25% or 50% applies | Mining Act s.66(1), 2019 text. |
| 60 days from decision | Judicial review of a suspension or cancellation | Mining Act s.65(1), 2019 text. |
How Zatra helps
Zatra's mining desk prepares cadastre files for citizen companies, joint ventures and foreign investors. We check eligibility and ownership, search the cadastre, prepare coordinates and documents, lodge the application and track each bill and deadline. The work sits under our sector business permits service.
Government fees are paid to the Mining Commission at the official rate against its control number. They are separate from Zatra's professional fee, which we quote in writing before work starts. Zatra prepares and coordinates. It does not decide or guarantee any authority's outcome. Disputes over ground, prosecution, seizure of minerals or equipment, and formal legal opinions go to an advocate, and Zatra has an advocate on the team who takes the matter at that point.
Sources and status
Accurate as at 2 November 2026.
- Mining Act, Cap. 123, consolidated text. TanzLII, consolidation as at 30 November 2019. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Mining (Mineral Rights) Regulations, GN 1 of 2018. TanzLII, gazetted 10 January 2018. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Mining (Mineral Rights) (Amendments of the First Schedule) Regulations, GN 741 of 2019. TanzLII, 2019. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Mining (Mineral Rights) (Amendment) Regulations, GN 937 of 2020. Geological Survey of Tanzania, published 23 October 2020. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Mining (Mineral Rights) (Amendment) Regulations, GN 562 of 2025. FAOLEX, published 12 September 2025. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Online Mining Cadastre portal. Mining Commission, live service. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Tume ya Madini official website. Mining Commission, live service. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- GePG Management Framework. Ministry of Finance, 2018. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Key Mining Act amendments introduced by the Finance Act, 2025. Clyde & Co, 21 August 2025. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Legal Update on the Mining (Mineral Rights) Regulations. FB Attorneys, 19 January 2018. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Application for prospecting licence procedures in Tanzania. Rive & Co, 31 July 2025. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Tanzania launches Online Mining Cadastre Transactional Portal. TanzaniaInvest, 19 June 2015. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Tanzania public institutions required to connect to the e-payment platform. Ecofin Agency, 14 December 2018. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- Tanzania to overhaul its mineral licensing system. Daily News, 16 April 2026. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
- How Zanzibar hopes to promote economic growth with mining law. The Citizen, 28 November 2024. Accessed 2 Nov 2026.
Figures to confirm before you act
- PML fees and rents (F0619, F0620): read from the Zatra register; the GN 741 of 2019 text could not be opened on 2 November 2026. Check the bill on the portal.
- Section numbers: cited from the 2019 consolidation; confirm each against Cap. 123 R.E. 2023.
- Prospecting, mining and special mining licence fees and rents in US dollars: set by the First Schedule; confirm on the portal bill.
- The current list of transactions on the portal, including whether dealer, broker and processing licences are lodged there.
- The acceptance and payment period stated in an offer of grant.
- Whether Zanzibar has enacted a mining law since November 2024, and which body licenses extraction there.
This article is general information based on official sources available at the date of publication. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Laws and notices change. Verify with the issuing authority or consult Zatra before acting.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreign-owned company hold a primary mining licence?
No. The Act reserves the PML for citizens, and the PML form requires every member and director of a company applicant to be a Tanzanian citizen. Foreign investors use the prospecting, mining or special mining licence routes, or partner with a qualifying citizen holder under a lawful agreement.
Does saving a draft on the portal secure the ground?
No. Priority runs from the date and time the cadastre records receipt of a complete application. A saved draft has no receipt time, so another applicant can lodge over the same block first and take priority.
Can I pay the Mining Commission in cash at a regional office?
Government charges on the Mainland are paid against a GePG control number through banks, internet banking or mobile money. Generate the bill on the portal or at the office, then pay the exact amount through one of those channels and keep the receipt.
What happens if two applications arrive on the same day?
GN 1 of 2018 treats same-day applications received during business hours as simultaneous. The applicants are invited to submit bids within a period of up to six months, and the Commission ranks them by the bids, with payment schedule used to break ties.
Do I need a business licence as well as a mineral right?
The Business Licensing Act excludes miners licensed under the Mining Act from the ordinary business licence (register line NEW-08-16). Other activities run by the same company, such as transport or retail, may still need one, so map each activity separately.
Is a cadastre search the same as legal due diligence?
No. A search shows what the register records about holder, coordinates and status. Due diligence also tests company records, tax status, surface rights, environmental approvals and any dispute, and a buyer or lender usually needs an advocate's opinion on title.
Can Zatra lodge an application in its own name for a client?
No. The application must be in the name of the person or company that will hold the right. Zatra works under the client's authority, prepares the file and tracks bills, while the client signs the declaration and owns the account.
Does a Mainland mineral right let me mine in Zanzibar?
No. The Mining Act applies to the Mainland only. Activity in Unguja or Pemba needs whatever approval Zanzibar's own law requires, and that position should be confirmed with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar before any work starts.
Sources & regulators
Verify before filing: Rates, forms and thresholds move by Finance Act, Government Notice and portal revision. Confirm the live schedule on the mandate-holder portal before you budget or submit. Law-firm alerts and Big Four notes are discovery only.
- Mining Act, Cap. 123, consolidated text: TanzLII, consolidation as at 30 November 2019. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- Mining (Mineral Rights) Regulations, GN 1 of 2018: TanzLII, gazetted 10 January 2018. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- Mining (Mineral Rights) (Amendment) Regulations, GN 937 of 2020: Geological Survey of Tanzania, published 23 October 2020. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- Mining (Mineral Rights) (Amendment) Regulations, GN 562 of 2025: FAOLEX copy of the gazetted notice, published 12 September 2025. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- Online Mining Cadastre portal: Mining Commission, live service accessed 2 November 2026. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- GePG Management Framework: Ministry of Finance, 2018. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- Key Mining Act amendments introduced by the Finance Act, 2025: Clyde & Co, 21 August 2025. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- Legal Update on the Mining (Mineral Rights) Regulations: FB Attorneys, 19 January 2018. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- Application for prospecting licence procedures in Tanzania: Rive & Co, 31 July 2025. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- How Zanzibar hopes to promote economic growth with mining law: The Citizen, 28 November 2024. Accessed 2026-11-02.
Disclaimer
This article is informational orientation. It is not legal, tax or investment advice and not a government decision. Tanzanian instruments move by Act, Government Notice, Finance Act and portal revision. If a sentence here disagrees with the live mandate-holder, the mandate-holder wins. Zatra Consultants Limited does not issue licences, permits, tax clearances or approvals, and gives no assurance of any regulatory or banking outcome. Professional fees are published only on /pricing/.