Anyone wishing to practice the profession of drilling must obtain the necessary license from the competent authority by submitting an application accompanied by proof of the availability of the required workers and specialists, and the necessary drilling equipment, according to certificates issued by branches of the competent authority or work cards and agreements certified by the relevant authorities or any supporting certificates required by the competent authority.

Drilling contractors are registered with the competent authority after submitting the certificates and completing the procedures mentioned in Article Two within three months from the date of issuance of this regulation.

• Contractors for drilling are classified according to the following considerations:

  • A- Technical competencies.

  • B- Administrative competencies.

  • C- Financial competencies.

The competent minister or any person authorized by him from the employees of the competent authority has the right to enter any land or facilities to conduct studies, surveys, investigations, or collect information about water, or to carry out any procedures required for the implementation of the Law of Preservation of Water Resources, after informing the owner or resident of this in advance within a reasonable period before taking the required action.

Anyone who has obtained the necessary license to practice drilling must keep a certified copy of it with the employees at the drilling sites, and the representative of the competent authority has the right to view it at any time and verify its legality. The drilling contractor must place his name and license number for practicing drilling in a prominent place on his drilling equipment at the workplace.

Anyone who has obtained a well drilling license must keep a certified copy of it at the work site and deliver another copy to the drilling contractor. The representative of the competent authority has the right to review it to ensure its compliance with the law, whether during the drilling period or after it.

A license for wells designated for agricultural purposes may not be granted unless the area that will benefit from its water is not less than the minimum allowed, and similarly with respect to the distances between the well to be drilled and other existing wells in the area or neighboring farms.

If the necessary space and required distance between two adjacent wells are not available, the competent minister may allow more than one farmer to share a single well under one license in the name of the participants in this well, provided that they share the expenses of the well among themselves according to the area specific to each of them, with the obligation to register this in the Real Estate Register.

The supervising geologist has the right to stop the contractor from drilling whenever it is found that the drilling procedures conflict with the license granted to the owner or the beneficiary of the land, or violate the drilling specifications usually followed in such cases, and the drilling contractor must bear the consequences of his negligence and violation.