Gold prospecting in French Guiana: competitive bidding for the Crique Serpent permit

The Prefect of French Guiana is opening for competition the application for a mining research authorization (ARM) for gold known as “ARM Crique Serpent,” filed by SAS Guyane Minérais in the municipality of Saint-Laurent du Maroni. Competition notice no. 03772 is published in the Official Journal of the French Republic no. 0215 dated September 15, 2026. Competing applicants have a period of one month from the date of this publication.

An application submitted by SAS Guyane Minérais

The application was filed on July 30, 2026, received and registered on the same day by State services. SAS Guyane Minérais, identified by SIREN number 883 765 042 and located at 1, avenue Thiers, 97320 Saint-Laurent du Maroni, is requesting the granting of a mining research authorization for gold for a period of 2 years.

The requested perimeter covers approximately 232 hectares within the territory of the municipality of Saint-Laurent du Maroni, in the department of French Guiana. The geographical coordinates of the 19 vertices of the perimeter, expressed in UTM 22N in the RGFG 95 geodetic system, are detailed in the published notice.

A recent legal framework

This competitive process is based on two regulatory foundations:

• Article L. 621-22 of the Mining Code, which organizes the competition for mining research authorization applications;
• Article 68 of Decree No. 2025-853 of August 27, 2025, regarding various mining provisions in overseas territories.

The duration of the competition is set at one month from the publication of the notice in the Official Journal.

How to submit a competing application

The file from SAS Guyane Minérais, as well as the associated mapping documents, can be consulted, by appointment, at the General Directorate of Territories and the Sea (DGTM) / risk prevention and extractive industries service / Extractive Industries Unit, at the following address:

• State Services in French Guiana, DGTM / DATTE / SPRIE / Extractive Industries Unit, rue Carlos-Finley, impasse Buzaré, 97300 Cayenne;
• electronic contact: dgtm-datte-prie-uie@guyane.gouv.fr.

Any competing application must be presented in the same manner as the initial application and addressed to the Prefect of French Guiana within one month, via electronic message to the same address.

Selection criteria

The selection of applications will focus particularly on three criteria:

• the technical and financial capacities of the applicant (company seniority, experience, mining police reports, project funding);
• the interest of the prospecting (quality of knowledge regarding the geological interest of the area);
• the quality of the work program (surface area of the prospecting program impacted by the competition).

Scope of the notice

This notice opens a one-month competition window for gold exploration over a 232-hectare perimeter in French Guiana, a territory where gold mining constitutes a major economic and environmental issue. The procedure aims to ensure a transparent and competitive allocation of the permit by evaluating the financial and technical strength of the candidates as well as the quality of their prospecting program. Interested readers, mining companies, or local stakeholders, have until October 15, 2026, to submit a competing application to the Prefect of French Guiana.

Official source: Competitive bidding notice No. 03772 from the Prefect of French Guiana, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0215 on September 15, 2026.