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The most important distinction is that a licence record answers a legal-authorisation question, not automatically a construction or production question. An active exploitation licence does not prove that a mine has been built, that all environmental approvals are complete or that commercial production has started.
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What the official Greenland portal can tell you
The Mineral Resources Portal is the primary public starting point for checking Greenland mineral rights. Its map and search tools let you look for a company, project, licence code, licence family or geographic location. The portal describes its functions as allowing users to “view licences on an interactive map, identify available areas, follow the status of licences and applications and submit applications and reports through a secure login.”
Use the portal record as the legal-reference point for a specific right. It can show who owns a licence, the minerals covered and where the licence is located. The record may also show a status, issue date, expiry date, renewal or transfer information, area and regional or sub-location fields. Save the licence code and the date on which you viewed the record; those details make a later check reproducible.
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What it does not establish by itself
- It does not prove that a proposed mine has obtained every environmental or social approval.
- It does not prove that roads, a processing plant, a port or other construction is complete.
- It does not prove that extraction is under way or that commercial production has begun.
- It does not make a parent company, project promoter and legal licence holder the same entity.
For those questions, combine the licence record with environmental and social assessment documents, consultation notices, government decisions and recent company or regulator updates.
Know which Greenland authorisation you are looking at
“Mining permit” is often used loosely. Greenland records cover several different licence families, and they do not confer the same rights. Select the category that matches your question before interpreting a search result.
| Record or licence family | What it generally indicates | What not to infer |
|---|---|---|
| Exploration | Authority to investigate a defined area for specified mineral resources under the licence terms. | Do not infer a right to extract commercially or that a mine will be built. |
| Prospecting | Permission for prospecting activities as defined by the applicable record. | Do not treat it as an exploitation authorisation. |
| Exploitation | A licence for extraction, subject to its conditions and other required approvals. | Do not infer construction completion or current production. |
| Scientific permits | Authorisation for scientific or research activity. | Do not infer commercial mineral rights. |
| Small-scale licences | A separate category for small-scale activity. | Do not combine its records with large-scale exploitation totals without stating the scope. |
| Hydrocarbon licences | Authorisations relating to hydrocarbons rather than ordinary mineral projects. | Do not include them in a count of mining licences unless the source explicitly does so. |
| Field-activity approvals and other records | Approvals for particular field activities or administrative purposes. | Do not call every portal record a mine permit. |
The portal’s category filter is therefore part of the fact-check. A result for a scientific permit, a prospecting right and an exploitation licence may all appear in the same system but answer different questions.
Step-by-step: check a licence or exploration permit
1. Start at the official portal
- Open portal.govmin.gl.
- Choose the relevant licence family: industrial minerals; exploration, prospecting or exploitation; hydrocarbons; scientific permits; small-scale licences; or field-activity approvals.
- Search by the company’s legal name, project name, licence code or map location. Try spelling variants and former names if the first search produces no result.
Do not begin with a news article or a company presentation when the question is who holds the legal right. Those sources can help identify a project name, but the portal record is the better anchor for the licence itself.
2. Open the individual record and capture its identifying fields
Record the licence code exactly as displayed. Then capture the status, legal owner, minerals, licence date, expiry date, renewal date if shown, transfer date if shown, area, sub-location and region. Note the date of your check because a status or dashboard can change after publication.
The licence code is the most reliable key for a repeat search. A project may be marketed under a brand name that differs from the legal holder, and a company may hold several licences in different areas. Searching only the project name can therefore miss the operative record.
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3. Check the map and the written location fields together
Use the interactive map to confirm that the polygon or point corresponds to the project you mean. Compare the map with the record’s area, sub-location and region fields. This helps distinguish nearby projects with similar names and can reveal whether a claim about a protected or restricted area needs further investigation.
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4. Cross-check the exploitation-licence table
The Authority’s published exploitation-licence page provides a company, project and licence-number table. The entries explicitly listed there include the following:
| Company shown | Project | Licence number |
|---|---|---|
| Nalunaq A/S | Nalunaq | 2003-05 |
| London Mining Greenland A/S | Isua | 2013-31 |
| Greenland Ruby A/S | Aappaluttoq | 2014-21 |
| Ironbark A/S | Citronen Fjord | 2016-30 |
| Tanbreez Mining Greenland A/S | Killavaat Alannguat | 2020-54 |
| Dundas Titanium A/S | Steensby Land | 2021-08 |
| Greenland Graphite A/S | Piiaaffik Amitsoq | 2026-03 |
The page currently lists ten active exploitation licences, while the table above reproduces the named records available in the published material for this guide; it is not a claim that only these seven exist. Use the individual portal record and the current Authority table for a complete, date-stamped check.
5. If no active licence exists, check the application workflow
A project can be real and publicly discussed while still being an application rather than an issued licence. Check the portal’s application information separately from active licence records. The official sequence is Registration, Validation, Approval and License Pending before issuance as an active licence.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors6. Use the geological repository for context
For geological maps, datasets and exploration context, consult greenmin.gl, the Greenland Mineral Resources Portal’s geoscience repository developed with GEUS. Geological data associated with a licence may be released when the licence is relinquished, so the amount of public information can depend on the licence’s status.
7. Verify the project’s actual stage
After establishing the legal record, look for environmental and social assessment documents, consultation notices, government decisions and recent company or regulator updates. Classify the project as exploration, advanced study, construction or production only when the evidence supports that description.
How to read the fields in a licence record
| Field | How to use it | Common interpretation error |
|---|---|---|
| Licence code | Quote it exactly and use it for repeat searches. | Substituting a project nickname or a parent-company name. |
| Licence type | Identify whether the record is exploration, prospecting, exploitation, scientific, small-scale, hydrocarbon or another category. | Calling every authorisation a mining permit. |
| Status | Read the displayed status together with dates and any amendment or transfer information. | Treating “active” as proof of production. |
| Owner | Use the legal holder shown in the record. | Assuming the promoter or ultimate parent is the legal holder. |
| Minerals | Describe only the commodities covered by the record. | Inferring rights to all minerals in the area. |
| Licence and expiry dates | Establish the published term, then look for renewal, extension or amendment information. | Assuming an old expiry date proves the right ended without checking later entries. |
| Area and location | Use the map and region fields to distinguish projects and assess possible overlap or protected-area issues. | Relying on a broad regional label instead of the mapped area. |
When writing a citation or project note, give the record’s legal holder, code, type, minerals and relevant dates in one place. That prevents a reader from confusing a corporate announcement with the government’s description of the right.
What the application statuses mean
The portal FAQ states: “The application starts in the ‘Registration’ status, then goes to ‘Validation’, ‘Approval’ and finally ‘License Pending’ before it is issued as an active license.” These labels describe progress through the Authority’s process, not the same thing as an issued exploitation right.
| Status | Meaning for a reader | What you can safely say |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | The application has been entered and awaits authority review. | An application has been registered; no active licence has yet been issued. |
| Validation | Location and overlap checks are being considered. | The application is undergoing validation of its area and potential conflicts. |
| Approval | The application is undergoing consultation. | The application is in the approval stage; this is not proof of final issuance. |
| License Pending | The process has reached the final pre-issuance stage described by the FAQ. | A licence is pending issuance, not necessarily already active. |
| Active licence | The authorisation has been issued as an active record. | The named holder has the recorded right, subject to its terms and other approvals. |
New exploration and enlargement applications are subject to 21 calendar days of public consultation. Treat that period as a procedural window, not as a guarantee that an application will be approved.
How to tell whether a project is actually permitted or operating
Use a staged test rather than a single licence label. An exploitation licence is legally significant, but it is only one part of project maturity.
| Stage | Evidence to seek | Careful wording |
|---|---|---|
| Exploration | An exploration or prospecting record, field work and geological results. | “The company holds an exploration or prospecting right.” |
| Advanced study | Technical or economic studies, resource statements and continuing regulatory work. | “The project is being evaluated” or “is at an advanced study stage,” if supported by dated documents. |
| Permitted for exploitation | An active exploitation licence plus the environmental, social and other decisions required for the activity being described. | “An active exploitation licence is recorded”; add the other approvals that are actually documented. |
| Construction | Evidence of site works, contracts, facilities, roads, power, port or processing construction from dated official or company updates. | “Construction has been reported” with the date and source. |
| Production | Recent regulator or company reporting showing extraction, processing, shipments or sales. | “Production was reported” for the specified period, rather than assuming continuous operation. |
Do not collapse these stages into “permitted mine.” A licence can remain active while a project is delayed, under study, awaiting other approvals or not operating.
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Why Greenland licence counts often conflict
A single headline number is unsafe unless its scope and date are stated. The portal landing page displayed three active licences and zero applications in processing on a dashboard snapshot synced 13 October 2026. The official exploitation page listed ten active exploitation licences. Those figures are not interchangeable: they may use different licence categories, filters, dashboard scopes or synchronization times.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe defensible method is to state exactly what was counted. For example, distinguish “three active licences on the portal dashboard, synced 13 October 2026” from “ten active exploitation licences on the Authority’s exploitation-licence page.” Neither statement should be presented as the total number of all Greenland mining licences.
If a reader asks for a current total, provide the source page, category, displayed date or sync date and any filter used. Prefer a list of individual licence codes when the purpose is due diligence; a headline count can change as records are issued, surrendered, transferred, renewed or reclassified.
How to compare two Greenland projects without overstating the evidence
Use the same fields for both projects and keep legal status separate from development claims.
| Comparison axis | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Licence type and legal status | Is each project covered by exploration, prospecting, exploitation or another category, and is the record active, pending, surrendered or otherwise shown? |
| Holder versus promoter | Who is the legal holder in the record, and is that different from the company presenting the project? |
| Dates and history | What are the issue and expiry dates? Are renewals, transfers, extensions or amendments shown? |
| Commodity and area | Which minerals are named, and what mapped area and region are covered? |
| Development stage | Is there evidence of exploration, an advanced study, construction or production? |
| Environmental and social process | Are assessments, consultation notices or government decisions publicly available? |
| Location and access | What do the map, infrastructure and regional fields show about access, overlap or protected-area constraints? |
| Recency | What is the newest dated government or company update supporting the project-stage statement? |
A comparison is strongest when every assertion is tied to a licence code or a dated document. If one project has an active exploitation record and the other has an application in Approval, describe that legal difference directly instead of ranking them as equally permitted.
Geological information and licence-data release
greenmin.gl provides the geological context needed to interpret an exploration area, including information developed with GEUS. It is useful for understanding regional geology and exploration evidence, but it is not a substitute for the legal licence record.
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Do not assume that missing public geological data means no work occurred. Data associated with a licence may be released upon relinquishment, so a current holder’s record can have less publicly available detail than a relinquished area. Record the repository date and the licence status when explaining why a dataset is or is not available.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
“The company website says it has a mine, so it must have an exploitation licence.”
Search the legal company name and project name in the portal, then quote the licence code and type. If no active exploitation record appears, describe the project as an application, exploration project or proposed development only when the available evidence supports that wording.
“The portal shows an active licence, so the mine is operating.”
Check for dated construction and production evidence. Keep the active licence statement separate from any claim about facilities, output or shipments.
“An application in Approval is already approved.”
Use the status label exactly. Approval is a stage in the application sequence, and License Pending still precedes issuance as an active licence.
“The licence has expired, so the project is over.”
Look for a renewal, extension, transfer or amended record before drawing that conclusion. Quote the displayed dates and status together.
“The legal holder and the well-known parent company are the same.”
Use the owner field for the legal statement and identify a promoter or parent separately only when a dated source establishes the relationship.
“The number of licences online proves the national total.”
Check the category, filters and synchronization date. The dashboard figure of three active licences and the exploitation-page figure of ten active exploitation licences have different apparent scopes and should not be merged.
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“A map pin proves the exact boundary.”
Read the area and location fields and inspect the mapped shape at an appropriate zoom. Save the licence code rather than relying on a cropped image.
A concise due-diligence checklist
- Open the official portal and select the correct licence family.
- Search by legal holder, project, licence code and map location.
- Save the code, owner, status, minerals, dates, area, region and sub-location.
- Check renewals, transfers, amendments and expiry information.
- Look separately for pending applications and note the exact workflow status.
- For exploitation claims, consult the Authority’s exploitation-licence table and distinguish it from the general dashboard.
- Review environmental and social assessments, consultation notices and government decisions.
- Use greenmin.gl for geological context and note whether data-release timing may be affected by licence status.
- Use a dated company or regulator update before calling a project under construction or in production.
- When publishing a count, state the source scope, category and date instead of presenting an uncaveated national total.
Bottom line
For Greenland mining due diligence, start with the individual record at portal.govmin.gl, not a headline count or promotional description. Confirm the licence family, legal holder, code, minerals, dates and mapped area; check the application workflow when no active record exists; and use environmental, social and operational evidence to determine whether a project is merely exploring, permitted for exploitation, under construction or producing. That sequence prevents the most common error: treating a legal licence entry as proof that a mine is operating.
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