Create a spatial data set on the area
The application requires information on the size and location of the area subject to the gold panning permit application. This information is described by attaching the spatial data set for the area to the application. You can produce a spatial data set in the Finnish national geoportal Paikkatietoikkuna service. To use the service, you need to create a user account, but it is free of charge.
Go to the Paikkatietoikkuna service.
Describe your qualifications for gold panning
For the application to be approved, the applicant must demonstrate sufficient skills and resources for gold panning. Use the application to describe your expertise, technical performance, financial and other prerequisites for carrying out the type of gold panning that your permit application concerns.
In this context, the application also requires you to provide information on other permits that you have applied for or currently hold related to gold panning. These include other gold panning permits and any related permits granted by the environmental permit authority.
Find out whether restrictions apply to the use of the area
Certain characteristics of the area may prevent the issue of a gold panning permit or cause restrictions on the permit. Familiarise yourself with the area by visiting the terrain and examining the information about the area before submitting the application.
In the application, you must provide the following information about the area:
- Is the area located in or near a nature reserve? For information about nature reserves, see the Mining Register Map Service.
- Is the area located in the local detailed plan area? The local detailed plan may prevent the issue of a gold panning permit. You can find information on land use planning on the municipal website.
- Are there other obstacles in the area referred to in the Mining Act (e.g. houses and other buildings, other permit areas referred to in the Mining Act, power lines with a voltage exceeding 35,000 volts, traffic routes or passages, areas where movement is restricted or prohibited, areas used by the Defence Forces)?
Use your application to also describe how you intend to take any restrictions into account when operating in the area.
Make sure to also pay attention to the Wilderness Act and the prerequisites for practising the Sámi culture in the area. The permit may not, alone, or together with other corresponding permits and other forms of land use, substantially undermine the preconditions for engaging in traditional Sámi sources of livelihood or otherwise to maintain and develop the Sámi culture.
The authorities additionally assess other properties of the area that may prevent granting the permit (e.g. a valid plan or other obstacles referred to in section 46 of the Mining Act) or cause restrictions to the permit. Restrictions on the permit may be imposed due to factors such as protected plant, bird, fish or insect species, rare habitats, other significant natural values, and fixed prehistoric relics that fall within the scope of the Antiquities Act (e.g. ancient settlements, burial sites, cairns and Lapland stone ruins).
Prepare a gold panning plan
Duration of permit period
You can apply for a new gold panning permit for a maximum of four years. You can apply for an extension to a granted permit for a maximum of 10 years. Both permits are applied for using the same application form.
Description of activities in the area
Activities in the area must be planned in advance and described in the application.
In the application, you must describe:
- Area used annually
- Activity schedule: what are you planning to do in the area annually
- Gold panning equipment, tools and methods
- How will you arrange access to the area
- Are you planning to build to the area or bring a caravan there Reasons must always be given to the need for construction. In national parks (Lemmenjoki and Urho Kekkonen National Parks), Metsähallitus decides on the construction right.
- Management plan for extractive waste. The plan may be drawn up in free form or using a template.
Plan for the termination of operations
Your application must include a plan and description of how the gold panning area will be restored after the end of the gold panning activities. The area must be restored to a state that is as close to the natural state and satisfactory in terms of maintaining the landscape’s integrity as possible. This includes:
- Removing any material not belonging to the area (e.g. machinery, equipment) from the area
- Removing buildings and structures
- Flattening steep-edged pits
- Restoring the soil surface that has changed due to gold panning to allow for the vegetation to recover
However, tidying up the area cannot be left only until the end of the permit period. Instead, landscaping must be carried out as the excavation progresses, and the area must be kept tidy throughout the permit period. Especially in machine excavation, an area whose landscape’s integrity has not been ensured is prone to result in using a larger area for gold production, which may significantly increase the collateral provided for operations under the permit.
Assess the impacts of gold panning
You must assess and describe in the permit application how gold panning affects the environment and how you intend to minimise the impacts. Pay attention to all the issues mentioned below.
Impact on nature
- Impact on trees and vegetation in the area
- Impact on water bodies
- Levelling excavation tracks to blend with the natural landscape
When levelling excavation tracks, it must be ensured, where possible, that enough organic matter is on top of the tracks to initiate restoration.
The proper handling of waste and debris must be ensured throughout the permit period. No debris may be left behind in the excavation site.
Impact on reindeer husbandry
- Impacts on reindeer movement
- Reindeer husbandry structures in the area (e.g. reindeer fence)
- Transport routes
For information related to reindeer husbandry, contact the reindeer herding cooperative operating in the area. The reindeer herding cooperative has the right to interrupt gold panning when moving the reindeer.
Precautions must be taken to prevent reindeer from ending up in excavation holes with steep edges, and any excavations must be either marked or a ramp must be constructed over them to ensure that they do not pose a danger to those moving around in the area. No strings or similar may be stretched between trees in the permit area, as they could cause hazardous situations for those moving around the area. In addition, any gold panning supplies must be stored in a centralised manner in the area to make sure they do not cause harm to reindeer husbandry.
Impact on the right of Sámi people to maintain and develop their language and culture in the area and to practise their traditional livelihoods
Familiarise yourself with the Sámi culture and the activities of Sámi people in the area and assess how the gold panning activity you have planned could affect them. For example, see the Sámi Parliament’s website.
Processing of gold panning applications
Once Tukes has received your application for a gold panning permit, we will first assess whether the application contains all the information required by the Mining Act. Tukes will not process incomplete applications. If multiple applications concerning the same area overlap, priority is given to the party first to submit all required information.
If the application contains all the necessary information, Tukes will announce the application. The application will be published on Tukes’ Decisions and announcements page.
Tukes requests statements on the application from the authorities and those whose rights may be affected by the gold panning. If these statements reveal something that the applicant has not taken into account in their application, Tukes will request an explanation from the applicant.
The processing time for a gold panning permit application is approximately 6–12 months.
Tukes publishes all decisions on its website, and the applicant also receives the decision by post.
