Although Argentina is essentially an agricultural country, the mining industry has become increasingly important in recent decades, especially in certain regions of the country, offering vast opportunities for mining investors due to its wide range of minerals such as copper, silver, gold, zinc, lithium, rare earths, and others, coupled with a stable and effective mining regime. Moreover, Argentina has become the world's fourth-largest producer of lithium, and the production is expected to continue increasing, with several projects in the pipeline, according to a mining investment report by the Ministry of Productive Development of Argentina.

尽管阿根廷本质上是一个农业国，但近几十年来矿业的重要性与日俱增。尤其是在阿根廷某些地区，由于其矿产种类繁多，如铜、银、金、锌、锂、稀土等，再加上稳定有效的采矿制度，为矿业投资者提供了大量机会。此外，根据阿根廷生产发展部（Ministry of Productive Development）发布的一份矿业投资报告，阿根廷已成为世界第四大锂生产国，且预计产量还将继续增加，目前多个项目正在筹备中。

Argentina operates as a federal republic, featuring a tripartite governmental structure that includes the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. This structure further entails three government tiers at the national, provincial, and municipal levels. The provinces inherently maintain the power over all aspects not explicitly assigned to the national state by the National Constitution (NC). Furthermore, the provinces hold jurisdiction over issues that are specially designated to them through distinct agreements established during their formation.

阿根廷是一个联邦共和国，整体架构由行政、立法和司法三部分组成，包括了国、省和市三级政府。各省在本质上保留阿根廷国家宪法（以下简称“国家宪法”）没有明确授予给国家的权力。此外，各省还对在其设立过程中通过各种约定特别指定的事项拥有管辖权。

Mining regulations in Argentina are mainly governed by the Argentine National Mining Code (AMC), which mainly regulates: (i) the ways to acquire mineral exploration and mining rights; (ii) the contents of such exploration rights (known as “exploration permits” – EPs) and of such mining rights (known as “mining concessions” – MC); (iii) a limited number of contractual provisions relating to mining concessions regarding leasing, usufruct and liens that allow mining concessions to serve as security; and (iv) environmental obligations and procedures that apply to all of mineral exploration and mining, including sanctions that apply where those obligations are violated.

阿根廷的矿业法规主要由《阿根廷国家矿业法》（Argentine National Mining Code，下称“《国家矿业法》”）管辖，该法主要规范以下内容：(i)获得探矿权和采矿权的方式；(ii)探矿权（Exploration Permits）和采矿权（Mining Concessions）的内容；(iii)有关采矿权租赁、用益权和留置权的部分合同条款，允许采矿特许权作为担保；以及(iv)适用于所有探矿权和采矿权的环境义务和程序，包括对违反这些义务的处罚。

Moreover, the mining regulations also include provincial laws, such as the provincial Proceedings Mining Codes and specific federal laws, the Mining Investment Law No.24196  and the Law No.25161 which amended it. It is also important to mention other material regulations that, although not being of a strictly mining nature, nevertheless affect the industry, such as the national and provincial environmental regulations; Rural Lands Law No. 26737, among others.

此外，矿业法规还包括省级法规，如省级矿业诉讼法和特定的联邦法律，如第24196号法律《矿业投资法》和对其进行修订的第25161号法律。除此之外，还需要关注一些其他的重要法律，这些法规虽然不属于严格意义上的采矿性质，但也对采矿业产生影响，如国家和省级环境法规、第26737号《农村土地法》等。

The AMC classifies minerals into three categories:

《国家矿业法》将矿物分为三类：

First category: These minerals are the exclusive property of the State, the land is only an accessory, and the minerals can only be exploited by means of mining concessions. This category includes but is not limited to gold, silver, platinum, mercury, copper, iron, among others (AMC, Section 2).

第一类：这些矿产是国家专有财产，土地仅为附属物，并且该等矿物只能通过采矿特许权开采。这类矿产包括但不限于金、银、铂、汞、铜、铁等（《国家矿业法》第2条）。

Second category: These minerals, due to their lesser importance, are considered “substances subject to concessions preferably granted to landowners”, including but not limited to metallic sands and precious stones which are found in riverbeds and on the banks of water courses, or at tailing dams of abandoned mines.  This category also includes minerals which, due to the conditions of their deposits, are considered to be of common use (AMC, Section 2).

第二类：这些矿物因其重要性较低，被视为 "优先授予土地所有者特许权的物质"，包括但不限于在河床、水道两岸或废弃矿山尾坝中发现的金属沙和宝石。这类矿产还包括因其矿藏条件而被认为具有普通用途的矿产（《国家矿业法》第2条）。

Third category: These minerals belong solely to the landowner; no one else may exploit them without the landowner’s consent, except where those minerals have been deemed to be of public use (AMC, Section 2).  Productions of a stony or earthy nature and, in general, all minerals used as construction and ornamental materials which form quarries, are also classified as third-category minerals (AMC, Section 5).

第三类：这些矿物只属于土地所有者；未经土地所有者同意，其他人不得开采，除非这些矿物被认为具有公共用途（《国家矿业法》第2条）。石质或土质产品，以及通常用作采石场建筑和装饰材料的所有矿物，也被归类为第三类矿物（《国家矿业法》第5条）。

The National Constitution establishes that the provinces have the original ownership of the natural resources located in their regions, although they are not allowed to directly participate in the exploitation of these resources. As a result, each province acts as the regulator and grantor of the rights over the mineral resources within its territory to private parties through legal concessions. Upon the issuance of this mining concession, the holder of the title assumes the ownership of mineral deposits located within the area stipulated, regardless of the specific mineral content.

国家宪法规定，各省拥有本地区自然资源的原始所有权，但不得直接参与这些资源的开采。因此，各省作为监管者并且通过特许权将其境内矿产资源的权利授予私人。该等采矿特许权一经签发，所有权持有人即拥有规定区域内矿藏的所有权，无论具体矿藏含量如何。

It is important to mention that surface landowners do not hold direct rights over mineral deposits, except with regard to minerals of the so-called “second category” and “third category” (as explained above), over which surface landowners have priority rights or exclusivity rights, depending on the type of mineral.

值得一提的是，地表土地所有者对矿藏并不拥有直接权利，除非是所谓的“第二类”和“第三类”矿产（如上所述），地表土地所有者对这些矿产拥有优先权或排他性权利，具体取决于矿产的类型。

In addition, the specific mining regulatory regime of each province will determine whether the competent authority to administer mining matters is the Mining Directorate or Ministry of Mining (referred to as the "Dirección de Minería" or "Ministerio de Minería") or, alternatively, the Mining Court (referred to as the "Juzgado de Minas"). The Mining Directorate or Ministry of Mining operates typically under the provincial executive branch, whose main authority is vested in the Mining Director or Ministry. In contrast, the Mining Court falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial judiciary, and its jurisdiction is vested in a Mining Judge.

此外，各省特定的矿业监管制度将决定管理矿业事务的主管机构是矿业局还是矿业部（"Dirección de Minería"与"Ministerio de Minería"），或者是矿业法院（"Juzgado de Minas"）。矿业局或矿业部通常隶属于省级行政部门，其主要权力属于矿业局长或矿业部长。相比之下，矿业法院隶属于省级司法部门，由一名矿业法官管辖。

The AMC provides two categories of mining rights: i) airborne reconnaissance and exploration permits (“cateos”) and ii) mining concessions.

《国家矿业法》规定了两类矿业权利：i)空中和地面勘探许可（"cateos"）；ii)采矿许可。

Airborne Reconnaissance

空中勘探

Section 31 of the AMC provides the rules applied to airborne reconnaissance, which is regulated differently to exploration carried out with on-the-ground methods. In airborne EPs, the maximum surface area a permit may cover is 40,000 km2, and the maximum duration is 120 days. The mining authority processes the application through a fast-track procedure that includes filing with the aeronautical authority. Failure to make such filing leads to automatic denial of the application.

《国家矿业法》第31条规定了适用于空中勘探的规则，对空中勘探的管理不同于地面勘探。在空中勘探中，许可证可覆盖的最大面积为40,000平方公里，最长期限为120天。采矿当局通过快速通道程序处理空中勘探申请，包括向航空当局备案。如果未进行备案，申请将自动被驳回。

On-the-ground Exploration Permits

地面勘探许可

Section 25 and subsequent of the AMC provide the rules for the EPs, which are exclusive authorizations to explore a certain area during the period and to the extent established by the Code, with maximum area of 10,000 hectares covered by the EP. The maximum number of EPs that any person (individual or corporate) may hold in one Province is 20.  Therefore, any mining company may hold, at any given time, permits for up to 200,000 hectares per Province.

《国家矿业法》第25条及其后条款规定了勘探许可证的规则，即是在《国家矿业法》规定的期限和范围内对某一区域进行勘探的独家授权，勘探许可证覆盖的最大面积为10000公顷。任何个人（个人或公司）在一个省最多可持有20个勘探许可证。因此，任何矿业公司在任何时候都可以在每个省持有最多20万公顷的许可。

In order to obtain an EP, the miner needs to lodge an application including (i) minimum work plan, (ii) an estimate of the investments to be made, and (iii) the payment of provisional exploration fee in accordance with the size of the requested area. The termination of the exploration permits occurs ex officio, by the lapsing of the granted term. During the life term of an exploration permit, its holder has the exclusive right to apply and obtain the granting of one or more mining exploitation concessions within the areas covered by it.

为了获得勘探许可证，采矿者需要提交一份申请，其中包括：(i)最低工作计划；(ii)投资估算；(iii)根据申请区域的面积缴纳临时勘探费。勘探许可证的终止是到期发生（即许可期限到期即失效）。在勘探许可证有效期内，许可证持有人拥有在许可证覆盖区域内申请并获得一个或多个采矿特许权的专属权利。

Mining Concessions

采矿特许权

Mining concessions are granted i) upon submission of a statement of discovery (which may or may not be preceded by an exploration permit); or ii) upon application of a vacant mine (due to expired concessions). Mining concessions are not subject to a term limit, therefore, once granted are perpetual in nature. Notwithstanding, the maintenance of the rights over mining concession is subject to the fulfilment of the following conditions:

采矿特许权是在以下情况下授予的：i) 提交发现声明（可能是在勘探许可证之后）；或ii)申请空置矿山（由于特许权过期）。采矿特许权没有期限限制，因此一旦授予即具有永久性质。尽管如此，采矿特许权的保持必须满足以下条件：

(i) Payment of the annual mining fee (royalty);

缴纳采矿年费（特许权使用费）；

(ii) Fulfilment of the investment plan (the amount to be invested may not be less than 300 times the amount of the annual fee applicable to the concession).

完成投资计划（投资额不得低于适用于特许权的年费金额的300倍）。

In addition, Section 225 of the AMC provides that when a mining property has been inactive for more than four years, the mining authority may require the submission of a “Reactivation Plan” within six months, under penalty of revoking the concession. Please note that a mine is considered inactive when no regular works of exploration, preparation and/or production have been undertaken for more than four years, and such situation is not cured after due notice being given by the mining authority.

此外，《国家矿业法》第225条规定，当矿产闲置超过四年时，采矿当局可要求特许权人在六个月内提交“重新激活计划”，否则将撤销特许权。需要注意，如果四年以上没有进行正常的勘探、准备和/或生产工作，并且在矿业当局发出通知后仍未纠正这种情况，则矿山被视为“不活跃”矿山。

Argentina has a very well-developed statute regulating oil and gas exploration and exploitation.  The first set of rules to regulate oil and gas was the AMC, issued in 1887.  Once oil was found in Argentina in 1907, some tax-reserve laws and decrees also became applicable to oil exploration and exploitation.  In 1935, through Law No. 12161, a new chapter was included in the AMC to regulate the legal regime of petroleum and fluid hydrocarbons.  In 1967, Law No. 17319 (currently in force, as amended) was enacted.  This legislation constitutes an independent statute regulating oil and gas in Argentina.

阿根廷拥有非常完善的石油和天然气勘探与开采法规。第一部规范石油和天然气的法规是1887年颁布的《国家矿业法》。1907年阿根廷发现石油后，一些纳税准备法和法令也开始适用于石油勘探和开采。1935年，第12161号法律在《国家矿业法》中增加了新的一章，以规范石油和流体碳氢化合物的法律制度。1967年，颁布了第17319号法律（经修订后目前有效）。该法律是阿根廷管理石油和天然气的独立法规。

According to Section 7 of the AMC, all individuals and legal entities are entitled to be granted exploration permits, mining concessions, and make use of the latter as owners. This means that foreigners, as well as legal entities created and organized abroad, are entitled to own the same exploration and mining rights as nationals are. Nevertheless, foreign companies need to register in Argentina as a local vehicle to own mining rights.

根据《国家矿业法》第7条，所有个人和法人实体都有权获得勘探许可证和采矿特许权，并作为所有者行使采矿特许权。这意味着外国人以及在国外创建和组织的法律实体可以拥有与本国人相同的勘探和采矿权。不过，外国公司需要在阿根廷注册为当地实体，才能拥有采矿权。

Additionally, certain restrictions and prior approvals apply to the acquisition of land by foreign entities. In this aspect, the Rural Lands Law No 26737, as regulated by Decree No 274/2012, establishes certain limits to the acquisition or possession of rural lands by foreign investors.

此外，外国实体购买土地还受限于一定限制和事先批准。在这方面，由第274/2012号法令规范的第26737号《农村土地法》对外国投资者收购或拥有农村土地规定了某些限制。

The AMC does not explicitly allow the transfer of mining rights. However, there is no legal impediment to their transfer. Therefore, right holders can transfer either directly (e.g., through the sale of the EP) or indirectly (e.g., through the change of control of the title holder). However, in order for the transfer to be legally binding on third parties, the transfer documentation must be filed with the corresponding authority in the event of a change of ownership.

《国家矿业法》没有明确允许矿权转让。但是，法律上并未明确禁止矿权转让。因此，权利持有人可以直接转让（如通过出售勘探许可证）或间接转让（如通过改变权利持有人的控制权）。但是，为了使转让对第三方具有法律约束力，在矿权所有权发生变化时，必须向相应的主管机构提交转让文件。

Moreover, there are no restrictions on using encumbrances such as mortgages, as with any other legal right over mining rights.  In particular, mining concessions are deemed by the AMC to be real estate property (Section 12) and, as such, are subject to the creation of mortgages which must be constituted by public deed and registered before the competent authority according to its jurisdiction.

此外，与其他合法权利一样，在矿业权利上设置抵押等权属负担并不存在任何限制。特别是，采矿特许权被《国家矿业法》视为不动产（第12条）。因此，如果在要采矿特许权上设置抵押，应当签署公共契约并且在相关部门进行登记。

As mentioned above, the holder of an EP or MC does not own the surface land but has the right to request the mining authority to grant all easements necessary to exercise the mining rights, as they may be required to establish the infrastructure to develop the project. Furthermore, the holder of an EP or MC must compensate the landowner or provide sufficient guarantee that a compensation will be paid.  The AMC contains the provision that states that a landowner must be compensated for “the value of the pieces of land” occupied by the miner.  However, the actual payment of the compensation should not defer the exercise of the right to use the land, provided the miner produces a guarantee stating that compensation shall be paid when fixed.  If the landowner and the miner cannot reach an agreement, a judge will resolve the conflict.

如上所述，勘探许可证或采矿特许权持有者并不拥有地表土地，但有权要求矿业当局授予行使采矿权所需的所有地役权，因为这些地役权可能是用于建设开发项目所必需的基础设施。此外，勘探许可证或采矿特许权的持有者必须对土地所有者进行补偿或提供足够的补偿保证。《国家矿业法》规定，土地所有者必须就采矿者占用的“土地价值”获得补偿。但是，只要采矿者出具保证书，说明赔偿金金额将在确定之后进行支付，则赔偿金的实际支付时间不会影响行使土地权利的时间。如果土地所有者和采矿者无法达成协议，则由法官解决冲突。