The Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority (MRMIA) has opened applications for licenses to establish and operate laboratories that analyze rocks and ores from mines, quarries and saltpans, following recent amendments to Egypt’s mining regulations.

The Authority said applicants must obtain the licensing form from its Central Laboratories headquarters in Dokki for EGP 10,000, complete the required documents and submit them to a specialized committee for review.

The committee will review the documents, conduct an on-site inspection of the laboratory and submit its report and recommendations to the Head of the Central Administration for Laboratories within no more than two weeks after completing the required approvals.

Applicants that meet the requirements must pay EGP 1 million for a preparation-only laboratory license or EGP 3 million for a laboratory comprising more than one department.

Licenses will remain valid for three years from the date of the minister’s approval and may be renewed for successive periods. Renewal costs EGP 500,000 for preparation-only laboratories and EGP 1 million for multi-department laboratories.

The new procedures follow amendments to Mineral Resources Law No. 198 of 2014 and Prime Ministerial Decree No. 1440 of 2026, which amended provisions of the law’s executive regulations.

The move follows regulatory changes approved by the Cabinet in April 2026, during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly. Those amendments added a new chapter governing the licensing, operation and inspection of laboratories analyzing rocks and mineral raw materials. MRMIA’s latest announcement now sets out the application procedures, fees and license terms under that framework.