Next to its main tasks the GMD is:

  • providing service deals with geological mapping and manufacturing;
  • performing inventory of the occurring of ores/minerals in Suriname;
  • advising to the minister of MONR regarding mining rights and their monitoring.

They perform services to third parties as information regarding mining applications, processing and preparation of applications.

Application

The application for a mining right starts at GMD, where it will be identified with a continuous serial number with the year of application added to the serial number (for 2016: GMD …/16).

The applications have been checked for the presence of the requirements stated in the Mining Decree, supplemented by GMD with other detailed processing necessities as copies etc., as listed in the publicly available brochure of GMD (see appendix 10).

After completing the necessary inquiries, GMD sends its advice regarding the application accompanied by a copy of the figurative card and a copy of the application, to MONR for review and approval.

The Minister can either adopt the GMD’s advice or overrule it by ignoring a positive or negative advice and deciding otherwise.

Approval

If the application is approved by the Minister of MONR, GMD processes this further. Before finalizing the procedure at GMD, the Applicant needs to go to GLIS to pay the stamp duty and transfer costs and needs to return to GMD with a so-called C-form as proof of fulfilled duties. However, the applicant needs to go back to GLIS/Mortgage custodian for assignment of the obtained mining right in the public registers. In fact, without registering this right at GLIS/Mortgage custodian, the mining right holders formally may not proceed (The amount of the transfer cost depends on the size of surface of the concession and is not a revenue of the Government but for GLIS. The cost of stamp SRD 1 per application is state revenue).

Disapproval

If an application is not approved, the GMD does not notify the applicant of the outcome and its dossier is not returned but stored separately at GMD.

There is no register present at GMD, nor at MONR, that systematically displays the incoming and outgoing flow of applications, the status, the outcome of the application, nor acknowledgment by the parties of the receipt of applications respectively the provision of the ministerial order to the beneficiary/ applicant.