Why in Russia you can get a prison sentence for storing nuggets. Available bullion Gold mining license for individuals

The territory of the Russian Federation boasts huge deposits of gold. The history of precious metal mining goes back 200 years. Most of the “golden sources” have long been processed by legal entities. However, small or unknown locations are still not assigned to anyone. In geology, there is a term “gold occurrence”, which means an insignificant or chaotic arrangement of gold. Despite its small size, the profit received from mining can be quite good, since the ratio of metal to soil and slag is different everywhere.

Gold mining in Russia

According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, all wealth provided by nature belongs to people. But the number of these people is strictly limited. Large enterprises and corporations mine gold on a huge scale, leaving no chance for new companies to enter the market. In order for a novice businessman to enter the business, he must be provided with a license, without which the extraction and sale of metal will fall under Article 191 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Changes in laws. Gold mining for individual entrepreneurs and individuals

From the moment when amendments were made to the legislative framework, private individuals were allowed to mine gold only in those regions where industrial mining is not carried out. We are also talking about the extraction of valuable minerals, diamonds, and other treasures. The Law on Precious Metals and Minerals does not provide for the right of such mining to private individuals who have the status of individual entrepreneurs without registering a legal entity, but only to enterprises.

Gold mining by private owners can be carried out in volumes that are not comparable to industrial ones. In other words, an individual entrepreneur can mine host rocks, dumps, waste from mining corporations, substandard ore, written-off reserves, deposits of ores and gold sands of loose or bedrock type.

Federal laws regarding precious metals and stones should regulate unreported and untaxed gold mining. However, the voices of will, which are private traders, can hardly compete with large firms. Individual entrepreneurs can work in areas where large-scale mining has already been established or the availability of gold is in question.

Gold mining by individual entrepreneurs in registered areas, from some point of view, makes sense. The amount of metal in them is relatively small. Using industrial capacity to extract 10 grams of ore is, at a minimum, not profitable. But individuals should have quick access to subsoil, benefits and discounts when calculating taxes and fees.

Metal mining is different from product manufacturing or marketing. Even if all the conditions are met, there may simply be no metal in the ground. On this side, mining is a very risky business.

Why were private owners allowed to mine?

In the Magadan region, one of the richest in gold minerals, there are many abandoned or exhausted sources. If private owners are allowed to mine in these areas, problems with the creation of new jobs in the region can be resolved.

According to statistics from the administration of the Magadan region, approximately 1,500 citizens are employed in the gold mining industry and have ever had such experience. Gold deposits are approximately 900 kg. For large companies, such “production” is not very profitable - in rich regions such a catch can be obtained in a month.

How to get a gold mining license

A license for gold mining in the Russian Federation was issued only to legal entities. Individuals were prohibited from removing metal from the subsoil. This provision is regulated by Article 191 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. To mine gold, registration of an LLC or OJSC was required.

This was the case until 2016. At the initiative of Dmitry Medvedev, amendments were made to the legislative framework, according to which private individuals can also obtain a license.

Since the soil from which metals are extracted belongs to the state, issuing permits is included in the list of responsibilities of the state agency RosNedra.

It has branches and divisions such as TsentrSibNedra and BuryatZoloto. In some cases, the Ministry of Nature of the Russian Federation is involved in the process of issuing a license. It is responsible for auctions for the rights to develop particularly large deposits. Thus, in 2016, the Ministry of Natural Resources decided the fate of Sukhoi Log (one of the largest gold sources in Russia). When purchasing an enterprise for the extraction of gold or precious sands, you do not have to obtain a license, but re-register the old one in your name.

A license for individuals is issued only for those places that contain less than 10 kilograms of gold raw materials.

Features of the license for private owners

If the plan is exclusively for gold mining, the license period will be no more than 20 years.

If, in addition to mining, geological research and soil analysis take place, the period can be 25 years. It is not difficult to calculate that a license for geological research without the possibility of gold mining is issued for 5 years. All of the above applies to legal entities. For private individuals, the license period is 5 years, and they are also subject to restrictions on the choice of site for production. The use of powerful equipment (bulldozers, drilling machines) is also prohibited. The motivation for this restriction remains a mystery, because the more gold private owners extract, according to the license, the greater the tax levy will be paid. For individuals this is a good income, while for industry leaders it is “small fish”.

License cost for individuals

The price of a gold mining license depends on the method of obtaining it. There are a number of companies that provide document preparation services for only 100 -200 thousand rubles.

All that is required from the client is material resources; all other concerns are handled by the company providing the services. If gold is extracted from ore, $15-20 million will be required. Against the background of such a contribution, 100 thousand rubles does not seem such a big amount. Such a high entry threshold allows only those who clearly see the goal and go towards it to engage in mining, weeding out scammers and fly-by-night companies.

How to save money?

If you apply for a license yourself, providing all the documents, running through the authorities, the cost will be 7,500 rubles. Re-registration will cost 750 rubles. It is worth understanding that in this case the deadlines will be much longer, since there is no clearly established algorithm and the shortest path to obtaining documentation has not been worked out (like with professional agencies).

Main gold mines and deposits in Russia

Region	Description
Amur region	The site was closed back in the mid-70s. All tributaries have been washed several times since the beginning of the 19th century. Many landfills have been worked out, as they say, “to magma.” The remains of gold are scattered across rocky areas and depressions, so it is advisable to search for it manually.
Yakutia	Modern gold mining site. In an hour of working with a metal detector, you can collect 50 grams of gold. When trying to process the site using an industrial method, the result is the same: the bulldozer collects 500-600 tons of “crackers”, of which the same 50 grams are available at the output.
Kolyma	The landfill was considered “empty”, since all deposits were exhausted back in the 90s. However, in 2005, signals and signs were noticed deep in the rock deposits, thanks to which it was possible to extract 15 kg of gold. Experts came to the conclusion that part of the precious metal is located directly in the rock.
Magadan Region	The largest region in the Russian Federation. Mining is carried out by 183 companies, of which 130 specialize in placer mining. The scale of production is 14-15 tons per year.

Developed fields

Unlike those described above, such areas are located mainly in depressions and occur in Cretaceous and Jurassic sedimentary massifs, sandstones, conglomerates and mudstones. These veins are located in powerful cracks and fault zones and represent chalcedony-like quartz with kaolin and carbonate inclusions. Less commonly, such places are found in granite.

Low-temperature veins, as a rule, do not form placer gold deposits, so identifying industrial sites involves certain difficulties, especially since the veins themselves are hidden under heavy, loose soil formations.

Gold in such regions is finely dispersed, of low purity, green or bluish in color and practically invisible to human vision.

Stockwork deposits

When aurum is associated with quartz or sulfides dispersed in fractures in the form of a series of thin veins or in the form of thin inclusions in the rock, such places are called stockworks. They can contain both high and low temperature minerals. Stockwork deposits, as a rule, are large in size, the length of which is measured in kilometers. It is also profitable to cultivate such areas, since open-pit mining can be organized.

History of gold mining in the Russian Federation

Gold mining in the Russian Federation for private individuals was prohibited in 1954. During Stalin's time, working in this area was a little easier. The state provided additional payments for gold seekers and gave them the right to develop the richest gold mines. To intensify labor, housing, vouchers to sanatoriums and resorts, etc. were provided.

Before the Great Patriotic War, every adult citizen without a criminal record could be employed in gold mining. About 120 thousand gold miners were employees of non-state enterprises.

State income before and after the amendment

Large companies mined enough gold to cover the needs of the state, and even export some abroad. However, small deposits still made up a significant part, but their location was irrational for organizing large enterprises in each individual area.

After the adoption of the law, a new type of gold mining appeared - “mobile”. Private organizations act faster, are able to move long distances, and act locally, because they do not use bulky equipment and are not tied to one point. State income in 2 years, after the adoption of the law, increased by about 21%, which is very much for such a short period.

World gold production and Russia’s role in it

In 2009, Russia ranked 4th in the world, its share was only 7.2% of the total volume of gold mined in the world. At the moment, Russia is in second place, with an indicator of 11.4% and a volume of 402 tons of gold per year.

Quantity of gold as a political tool

The value of money is secured by gold reserves, being its equivalent and a convenient tool for barter and trade relations. The 2007 crisis showed how much the position of a country whose currency is the most popular in the world can change. However, the price of gold did not fall at all, but rather increased slightly. If you look at the chart on a 100-year scale, you can see that the price of gold has fluctuated at times, but overall the upward trend is positive.

Prospects for precious metals mining

As mentioned above, gold is the basis of today's economy. Every year it is valued more and more. The jewelry industry is one of the most profitable areas in business today, and the items and products they provide are a high-status and expensive gift. This has been the case from time immemorial, and even in the age of industrial states and high information technologies, the tradition has retained its relevance. And now, with the adoption of amendments to the law, everyone can try themselves as a gold miner at the amateur level, or pave the way to the top of the most expensive industry in the world.

Until 2016 in Russia, it was impossible for an individual to obtain permission to use subsoil for the purpose of extracting precious metals. Only legal entities could engage in this type of activity. A gold miner operating privately without a gold mining license could be subject to criminal prosecution for violating the law.

Today the situation has changed. The right to mine gold can now be given to a private person who has received the status of an individual entrepreneur. The impetus for making such a serious decision was an analysis of the standard of living of the indigenous population of Chukotka, who for many years had no access to traditional gold mining. Individual enterprises were not able to provide jobs for everyone. As a result, the ban was lifted. Any resident of the peninsula can now start working; the main thing is to know where and how to obtain a gold mining license.

Since gold mining is based on the process of extracting precious metals from subsoil owned by the state, you should apply to Rosnedra for permission to develop them. To do this, it is not at all necessary to go to Moscow. This Federal body has representative offices in the regions of the country, in particular, Tsentrsibnedra.

If we are talking about issuing the right to develop deposits of special importance, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources may be involved in the process. In this case, it conducts auctions. Applicants wishing to develop the Sukhoi Log deposit, which contains the largest gold deposits in Russia, will have to go through a similar procedure. Auction prices can be quite significant. A license for gold mining in Sukhoi Log, for example, will cost applicants several tens of billions of rubles. The standard cost of a permit is, of course, much lower.

In what cases is it not necessary to obtain a license?

It turns out that there are cases when it is not necessary to formalize the right to develop subsoil. This may happen in the following situations:

1. An entrepreneur buys a company that already has all the necessary papers. If necessary, the new owner can extend the necessary permit. This is much easier than getting a license for the first time. True, there is one nuance in the extension procedure: geological information about reserves at the site must be assessed by government experts. Papers will be issued based on their conclusion.
2. The company is not being purchased. Instead, the future gold miner enters into an agreement with the organization to carry out work on the territory of the mine or deposit. In this case, he does not need to contact Rosnedra for permits. Work can be carried out on the basis of a license obtained by a previously operating enterprise with which an agreement was concluded. Concluding such transactions is not prohibited by law. They help the entrepreneur not only speed up the start of work, but also save money. You can find a partner using specialized publications that publish advertisements for searching or leasing a mine.

Procedure for obtaining permission

In order to become the owner of the right to gold mining, the applicant must go through the following path:

1. Find a suitable site from the list of those offered for auction or competition in official sources from the Rosnedra website.
2. Submit an application to participate in a competition or auction.
3. Collect and provide the organizers with the required package of documents.
4. Become the winner of a competition or auction.
5. Get a license.

License issuance period

A subsoil development permit for enterprises and organizations can be issued for 20 or 25 years, depending on the type of activity that the applicant intends to carry out.

1. If an entrepreneur only intends to mine precious metals, he will be issued a permit for a period of no more than 20 years.
2. If a businessman plans to combine production with geological exploration and study of the deposit, he can apply for a license for a period of 25 years. It should be noted that the right to geological exploration will be valid only for 5 years.

As for individuals, they can obtain the right to gold mining for only 5 years. In addition, individual entrepreneurs are limited in their choice of gold-bearing areas. They cannot begin to develop deposits containing significant reserves, the volume of which is suitable for industrial production. Most often, individual entrepreneurs get to work:

• dumps left after enterprises that ceased operations;
• unpromising deposits.

The state also restricts private owners from using heavy equipment. In particular, they are not allowed to use bulldozers on the site. The license allows individuals to use only hand tools during work. Of course, the volumes of gold mined under such conditions cannot be significant.

When starting work, you should remember that the validity period of the license is calculated from the moment of its registration with government agencies.

Cost of a mining permit

Permission can be obtained in several ways and in each case the price will be different. How much do you have to pay for the right to mine precious metals, and what are the ways to get it?

Law firms can provide assistance in completing paperwork. In this case, employees of this company will be responsible for collecting papers, filling out documents and visiting the necessary offices. The applicant is only required to pay for the services and be patient. Such a service is not cheap. The entrepreneur will have to pay from 100 to 200 thousand rubles. For comparison:

• from 10 to 100 thousand rubles is the cost of a permit for the development of placers;
• from 15 to 200 thousand US dollars should be paid for the right to mine ore.

You can also obtain permission yourself. In this case, the gold miner will be able to significantly reduce its costs. State fees for obtaining a license can be called very affordable:

• 7500 rubles for the first registration;
• 750 rubles for re-registration, extension and issuance of a duplicate permit.

All current information on the amount of state duties can be found on the website of the Department of Subsoil Use of the Central Federal District.

The total cost of obtaining a license consists of several types of payments:

• fee charged for participation in an auction or competition. Paid when submitting an application and returned only if the auction does not take place for any reason;
• payment for the use of subsoil. Typically 10% of the mineral extraction tax;
• state duty.

Of course, the entrepreneur must decide for himself which way he will go to obtain a special work permit. The smallest expenses, as a rule, are limited to organizations that have received permits based on participation in a competition, which is an alternative to the auction held by the Ministry of Nature.

The fact is that the contestants do not raise the stakes, they fight with each other, offering the state the most favorable terms of the deal. A limited list of gold deposits is usually put up for competition. Most often, many of the objects require geological exploration activities. The investor who won the competition will have to carry them out in a fairly short period of time. Such conditions allow a businessman to seriously save on obtaining a license.

However, it should be remembered that upon becoming a gold miner, an entrepreneur undertakes to pay taxes in the form of:

• annual payments for subsoil use for each square kilometer of the site;
• mineral extraction tax (MET).

Pitfalls of legislation

Whatever the path to permits, experts say that today there is a market for illegal mining of precious metals in Russia. At least 15-20 tons of gold are extracted from the ground every year by small-scale illegal miners.

Previously, the situation was explained by a ban on this type of activity for private entrepreneurs. After the adoption of the law, it became obvious that its conditions did not suit the majority of miners. Gold deposits on Russian territory are enormous.

Today, hundreds of deposits have been discovered throughout the country: from Magadan to the Moscow region. All of them tirelessly attract gold miners who work illegally at their own peril and risk. As a result, the share of gold mined without permission is almost 10% of the total annual volume.

Information on the largest volumes of gold production by region of the country can be seen in the table.

The abolition of small artisanal cooperatives occurred during the Soviet Union. For almost 100 years, only large industrial enterprises received the right to develop subsoil. They started talking about a possible change in the situation only after the collapse of the USSR. However, over the past time, the experience of working interaction between the state and miners has been lost. After the adoption of the new law, the federal authorities will only have to restore the broken ties.

How gold is mined

Most modern gold mining enterprises obtain the precious metal from ore. However, there are several other ways:

1. On placers.
2. By recycling recyclable materials.
3. Development of primary deposits.
4. Artisanal methods, including jetting and amalgamation.

The most promising and most effective method of extraction today is considered to be the development of primary deposits. In this case, gold is extracted together with quartz, in the veins of which it lies.

Homemade methods require the use of not only complex, but also expensive structures. Handicraft methods include:

1. Flushing. It is least popular because it requires a lot of labor and time.
2. Amalgamation. Refers to effective but expensive methods. Based on the properties of mercury to form compounds with gold.
3. Cyanidation. Most often used by prospectors. The process requires the use of hydrocyanic acid, which can dissolve gold.

2016 brought changes in legislation regulating the procedure and rules for gold mining in Russia. Now not only large enterprises, but also individuals can obtain a mining license by registering as an individual entrepreneur. They should apply to Rosnedra for the right to develop deposits. The cost of the license will depend on the option for obtaining it.

However, before starting to mine the precious metal, a prospector should know that the effectiveness of investments in gold mining depends on the size of the investment. One cannot count on significant profits from private activities. A license for an individual can only be issued for 5 years, and working without permission entails criminal liability.

Many Russian residents with an adventurous nature, having watched enough on TV of prospectors searching for gold in the USA and Australia, are inspired by the idea of ​​becoming prospectors. It is doable, although difficult.

If previously in Russia there was a ban on gold mining by private individuals, then starting in 2017 it was lifted, and private owners were again allowed to search for the precious metal. This was done to support small businesses in remote areas - primarily in Chukotka, Yakutia, the Far East, the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Altai Republic. The government expects that private traders will be able to additionally replenish the Russian treasury by 300 kilograms of gold per year.

Law is law

The extraction of precious metals in Russia is regulated by Law No. 2395-1 “On Subsoil” and Law No. 41-FZ “On Precious Metals and Precious Stones” of 1998.

According to the amendments to the law, individuals must be registered as individual entrepreneurs. They are entitled to a license to develop small vacant plots of up to 150,000 square meters for a period of five years. There are a number of restrictions: they do not have the right to hire other people, they do not have the right to use heavy equipment on the site, gold mining must be carried out manually - with metal detectors, hand dredges, and washing trays. The use of heavy equipment - bulldozers, drilling machines is not allowed.

Private owners are allowed to mine gold only in areas where there is no industrial gold mining, and the amount of precious metal mined on the site should not exceed ten kilograms.

Miners do not have the right to go deeper into the ground than five meters. Thus, ore gold remains almost completely out of sight of private owners - they can only mine native gold or extract gold sand by panning.

Illegal gold mining

Until now, almost 10% of gold production in Russia comes from the “black” sector, and there is a risk of meeting “black” miners in the taiga. This type of activity is prohibited, but in remote parts of the country it may be overlooked, and this should be remembered. In some places, there are entire illegal settlements of “black” gold miners.

Their actions fall under Article No. 191 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, according to which illegal trafficking in precious metals, their transportation, purchase or sale on a large scale is punishable by forced labor or imprisonment for up to five years with a fine of up to 500,000 rubles or withholding of wages for three years . If the crime is committed by a group of persons, then the term increases to seven years, and the fine – up to 1,000,000 rubles. A particularly large size of gold mining is mining from 1,500,000 rubles. In other cases, you can get off with a fine or probation.

Criminal liability will also arise if a miner inadvertently or deliberately invades someone else’s land, that is, encroaches on the property of another miner or company.

Goes the official route

Information about vacant plots can be found in the branches of the Rosnedra agency - this is a federal agency that maintains cadastral records and issues licenses for the extraction of minerals, including precious stones and gold. The agency's branches are located in almost all regional centers of Russia. After reviewing the proposed sites, you need to choose the one that seems most promising to you, pay a state fee of 7,500 rubles and submit an application. There are no auctions or competitions for private owners. The answer, in theory, should come within 30 days.

Of course, there may be pitfalls here. Newcomers are unlikely to be allowed to work in good areas. There are companies that provide services for obtaining a license, their services are valued at 100,000–200,000 rubles, which indicates that their services are used, otherwise such companies simply would not exist.

However, there is a way to become a miner without obtaining a license: to do this you need to enter into an agreement with a gold mining company and, for example, get from them for a certain percentage the opportunity to work on the dumps of an enterprise or where there is not enough gold for the industrial mining method, but there is still a lot for private owner

However, here, most likely, there are difficulties: most likely, such production goes to affiliated persons, for example, former employees of the enterprise or former partners, and it is difficult for a newcomer to get there.

As far as one can judge from the remarks of the miners themselves on the Internet, the majority of private traders are dissatisfied with the new law - many hoped that the “free supply” of gold by miners to state buyers would be allowed, that is, the method by which gold miners pay taxes upon the fact of extracting the precious metal.

If you managed to get a license, it’s too early to rejoice - firstly, most of the sites are really in remote places, where “half a heifer and a ruble are transported.” Secondly, in addition to income tax, you will have to pay mineral extraction tax. Thirdly, you will have to worry about prospecting for gold in your chosen area - it may not be there, and you will be burned out.

Well, then you should remember that you yourself will have to worry about your own safety, protect yourself from bears, and the mined gold from people. You will find mosquitoes, midges, ticks, animals, cold nights, spending the night in a scarf, meetings with unpleasant people, disagreements with locals, possibly snowfalls and a very short season, because in the north summer lasts only three months: it begins in June and ends In the end of August.

But if difficulties only fuel the desire to get rich, and you are healthy, full of enthusiasm and, most importantly, know geology well, you can try.

Once again, officials in the eastern regions of Russia proposed allowing free development of gold by private individuals. In January of this year, scientists from Krasnoyarsk, officials of the Magadan region and the Civic Chamber of the Trans-Baikal Territory made another proposal to the Russian government. Despite the fact that back in February 2016, the Russian Ministry of Nature developed a corresponding bill considering certain aspects of private gold mining, a decision on it has not yet been made. “Free bringing” remains prohibited for now.

Improved economic performance and additional jobs

Supporters of the project consider the creation of additional jobs to be the main argument in defense of the law on free gold mining. This is especially true for remote regions where gold was and remains the only source of income for the family.

Attempts by the Russian Ministry of Nature to amend the law on gold mining have not stopped since the 90s of the last century. As one of the ministry officials comments: “Permitting the mining of alluvial gold to individual entrepreneurs has for the Magadan region, first of all, social significance associated with the creation of new jobs without additional investments, which will reduce social tension in the region and make our territory attractive for an influx of population.”

The authorities of the Republic of Sakha share a similar point of view. According to the statements of the deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the region, Viktor Fedorov, allowing free gold mining means allowing citizens of the Russian Federation, residents of Yakutia and other regions, to exercise their constitutional right to work, and to legalize the huge shadow business in this area. As he said: “As soon as the bill is submitted to our Legislative Assembly, we will definitely support it, because it will only have a positive effect for Yakutia.”

According to Alexander Kugaevsky, director of the financial and economic institute of the North-Eastern Federal University, free gold mining will certainly lead to the development of industrial tourism and an influx of labor to the mining regions. From all regions of Russia, people flock to Yakutia and the Magadan region for the mines. In addition, he clarified: “But we need to think through all the nuances in detail: accepting the gold, how and where people will hand over what they have mined, and ensuring the safety of the miners.”

At one time, in February 2016, scientists from Krasnoyarsk also supported the law on free mining. The bright minds of Russia believe that the revival of the mining of precious metals by private miners will make it possible to bring out of the shadows a significant share of modern illegal business in this area. Specialists from the Public Chamber of the Trans-Baikal Territory also believe that by prohibiting private gold mining, the government contributes to the establishment of criminal power and the growth of corruption. And, on the contrary, allowing free artisanal mining will create new jobs, promote self-employment, and attract qualified personnel to the regions.

Another opinion: crime and environmental damage

One of the ardent opponents of the legalization of alluvial gold mining in the Russian Federation by individuals is Roman Shcherbakov, a mining engineer and deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Trans-Baikal Territory: “Every coin has two sides. It would seem that allowing the population to mine gold on their own is an excellent initiative that will give people the opportunity to earn money and feed their families, and will stop the outflow of the population. But, on the other hand, you need to understand that law enforcement and supervisory authorities, as well as municipal authorities in the regions, are often not prepared for the amount of work that will be associated with free labor, which will inevitably lead to a lot of problems.”

Among other disadvantages of private mining practice, Roman Shcherbakov sees significant damage to the environment and nature. He explains: “Large cooperatives are responsible to the environment and after production they carry out reclamation, which is much easier to monitor than to monitor where and how hundreds of private owners work.”

Shcherbakov sees an equally significant problem that free gold mining will lead to is the increase in banditry and the number of thefts: “Gold found in artels is under guard, the risk of its theft is low. Of course, something leaks out, but the bulk officially goes through the bank. Can we achieve this with freedom? Hardly. Gold will go to the side, to the black markets, primarily to China. "Resellers will appear - crime, which will be difficult to fight, including due to the lack of strength among law enforcement agencies."

The possibility of official employment of gold miners and their honesty in paying taxes also raises certain concerns. According to representatives of the Union of Prospectors of Russia, which previously opposed the transfer of mining permission to private individuals, the creation of a large number of individual organizations could cause a certain “cooling of the industry.”

The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Magadan Region notes: “The extraction of alluvial gold by individual entrepreneurs raises a number of questions among representatives of Rosprirodnadzor regarding control over geological study, rational use and protection of subsoil. It is also necessary to resolve issues related to the safety and sale of alluvial gold mined by individual entrepreneurs.”

The ministry is particularly concerned about possible environmental and work safety problems associated with the relaxation of legislation regarding alluvial gold mining. However, they are confident that such risks are minimized, since “in accordance with the terms of subsoil use set out in the license, before the start of mining operations, a technical project for the development of the deposit must be drawn up, including chapters on environmental protection and safe mining operations ..."

The history of free mining in our country

Private gold mining was allowed in our country until 1954. After this time, the conversation about free mining was first raised by the government of the Magadan region in the 90s of the 20th century. But unsuccessfully! At the moment, the State Duma is still considering the law of September 2010, which could significantly change the situation in the mining of precious metals.

The press service of the governor of the Magadan region reported in October 2015 that the State Duma would once again consider the law “On Subsoil” with the necessary amendments, including on the free flow of gold. According to these changes, Kolyma was supposed to become the first test region in this direction. The press service also reported that the government plans to give individuals for development areas that were abandoned by large enterprises due to their unprofitability and insignificant gold reserves. The option of developing dumps previously processed by industrial enterprises should also be considered.

In February 2016, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation proposed a new law that proposed to allow private mining of alluvial gold. According to this bill, individuals can independently participate in the development of gold placers in areas included in the state balance sheet, the reserves of which do not exceed 10 kg. To carry out work, individual entrepreneurs are required to obtain an appropriate license.

This law also implies that private owners receive the right to develop mines exclusively on their own. Development should be carried out at a depth of no more than 5 meters, without the use of machinery and equipment, with the exception of hand tools. In this case, the creation and approval of any technical documentation is not required. According to the bill, the Government of the Russian Federation will determine a list of regions where the go-ahead will be given for free birth.

Currently, this law is under consideration and approval by the Government of the Russian Federation, after which it will be sent to the State Duma. So at the moment, the question of whether Russia will revive free trade as a once thriving branch of its industry remains open.

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At the end of July 2017, the Federal Law “On Precious Metals and Precious Stones” underwent changes, according to which gold mining activities can be carried out not only by government organizations, but also by private individuals. There are a number of conditions limiting such activities. First of all, you should take care of obtaining a mining license. Where to go and how to fill out the documents correctly?

Which organization should I contact to obtain documents?

Gold mining is based on the procedure for extracting precious rocks from the bowels of the earth, which belong to the state, therefore, to obtain a mining permit, it is advisable to contact Rosnedra. This Federal body has a representative office in each region, therefore, a trip to the capital to obtain a permit document does not seem advisable. In some cases (for example, when the right to develop a deposit of special status is issued), the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources is involved in the process.

This government agency conducts auctions and competitions. The largest gold deposit today is Sukhoi Log; the right to gold mining here will cost tens of billions of rubles.

Cases that do not require a license

In a number of situations, it is not necessary to obtain a license and go through a lengthy procedure of competitions and auctions. These include:

• An entrepreneur acquires an enterprise with all permits and, if necessary, extends the permit.
• An entrepreneur leases a mine or deposit from an organization that has the right to gold mining.

In the first case, when renewing a license, state inspectors re-evaluate the geological information at the field. In the second case, the work is carried out on the basis of the lessor's documents.

How to obtain a license based on a competition/auction

The procedure for obtaining a gold mining permit can be divided into 5 stages:

1. Independent search and selection of a deposit on the state website "Rosnedra" based on an auction or competitive list.
2. Filling out an application for participation in an ongoing competition/auction.
3. Collection and provision of the required package of documents to the party organizing the competition/auction.
4. Winning a competition/auction.
5. Obtaining the relevant papers.

Permits are issued to enterprises and organizations for different periods, which depend on the type of activity being carried out. In the case of precious metals mining, permission will be given for 20 years. In the case of combining gold mining with geological exploration, the license right is granted for 25 years. At the same time, the license right for geological exploration will have to be renewed every 5 years.

Individuals receive permission to mine gold for only 5 years. Private owners are limited in their choice of sites, and deposits containing gold reserves of industrial volumes are prohibited for them. In this regard, they most often develop residual dumps after the work of large organizations or not very promising places.

There is one more restriction for free miners: they do not have the right to use a bulldozer at the mine, and they can only extract raw materials with hand tools. Any license comes into force on the day of its registration with a government agency.

Where can you mine precious rocks?

When extracting precious metals, private individuals cannot use mining and geological exploration equipment, resort to blasting, or develop and maintain quarries. For this category, there are also prohibitions regarding mining sites. Where can free miners mine gold raw materials?

• In the Magadan region.
• In a placer site where the supply of expensive metal does not exceed 10 kg.
• On a plot of no more than 0.15 square meters. km.
• At a depth of at least 5 m.

How much will the license cost?

Obtaining a legal document will cost a considerable amount. Thus, a number of legal organizations draw up papers for 100,000 - 200,000 rubles. The customer can only pay and wait. If you register the right yourself, you only need to pay a state fee in the amount of 7,500 rubles. Extension of the right costs 10 times less - 750 rubles.

In the case when a free gold miner intends to carry out work on ore reserves, he will have to spend 15,000,000 - 20,000,000 dollars. The final amount is determined after the auction/competition.

Individual gold mining is booming

Why do private gold miners continue to work despite numerous bans? Firstly, some deposits are completely unsuitable for industrial processing, since relief, economic and geographical conditions render them unprofitable.

The cost of the work performed exceeds the cost of the production obtained. Secondly, there are many mines with a small concentration of valuable raw materials. Thirdly, gold laundering by individual entrepreneurs also has advantages: the low professional level of workers, the use of inexpensive tools. These points greatly simplify the gold mining process.

The new law in favor of private individuals was adopted on the basis of a number of advantages in favor of the state:

• An additional 300 kg of precious metal is expected to be received annually into the budget;
• In the province, gold mining supports small and medium-sized businesses;
• Additional jobs appear;
• The number of residents in sparsely populated regions is growing.

One should not lose sight of the downside: corruption and banditry are increasing, since this industry creates the ground for committing crimes. Only the strictest government control and a clear legal framework can stop all violations of the law.

How is gold extracted from ore?

Non-industrial method of extracting precious metal from ore

The upper crust of the earth contains gold raw materials in small quantities, however, there are quite a lot of similar areas in our country. The industrial method of extracting rocks has been used since the end of the first half of the 18th century. Initially, exclusively manual work was used in the gold mines. River sand was collected into a tray, it was thoroughly shaken under the flow of water, as a result the sand was washed away, and grains of metal remained at the bottom.

Ten years ago, amalgamation was widely used, based on the properties of mercury to envelop gold. A small amount of mercury was poured into the barrel, and then gold-bearing rock was added and shaken. All the valuable gold particles stuck to the heavy metal, which was then heated to flake off the gold. The high toxicity of the substance used forced us to abandon this method.

Among the modern methods of obtaining raw materials, leaching with sodium cyanide should be mentioned. With this treatment, all particles turn into a water-soluble cyanide compound, and then, under the influence of reagents, the precious grains are separated.

Along with ore mining, there are other development methods:

• Recycling
• Placer processing.

Mining machines

Sometimes gold rock is mined using floating mining machines, which ensure complete mechanization of the process due to the dredging and processing equipment they have. These devices are called “Dredges”, they enrich minerals and remove waste rock.

What are these machines for? Raw materials are not always found on land. They develop flooded areas and extract valuable raw materials. They are used in alluvial, deluvial, coastal-sea, sedimentary, placer areas. They are not used in viscous clay.

Humanity has been mining valuable rocks since ancient times. Gold mining is an important basis for the financial structure of any country, as gold is a universal and stable currency. There are currently 16 registered companies specializing in this area in the Russian Federation. The largest among them is Polyus Gold. The main deposits of raw materials are concentrated in the Magadan, Amur and Irkutsk regions, Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk territories, and Chukotka.

Recent changes in legislation make it possible to obtain a license for metal mining not only for large organizations, but also for individuals. One of the main conditions for obtaining a permit is passing a competition/auction conducted by a government organization. Individual entrepreneurs are limited to a number of prohibitions when carrying out work.