Borehole passport: what it contains and what to do if you have none

What is recorded in a borehole passport

The contents of the passport are set by Annex 4 of Cabinet Regulation No. 696 on subsoil licences. It contains:

• the company that made the borehole and its licence number, and the client or owner;
• the drilling dates, the address and the coordinates in the LKS-92 TM system;
• the depth, the drilling method and the diameters;
• the casing pipes, the filter, the seals and the cementing;
• the aquifer from which the water is taken;
• the results of the test pumping: static and dynamic water level, drawdown and yield in litres per second;
• chemical and bacteriological tests by an accredited laboratory, with conclusions.

The annexes contain the geological and technical cross-section of the borehole, location maps and a copy of the licence, if a licence was needed. A protection zone calculation and approval by the Health Inspectorate are only needed if protection zones are set for the borehole. For a borehole that a private individual uses for their own needs, no protection zone calculation is needed.

How the passport is prepared and approved by LVĢMC

1. Preparation After drilling and test pumping, the company collects the borehole data and the laboratory report and prepares the passport using the form in Annex 4.
2. The set of documents LVĢMC recommends submitting the passport electronically: all documents in one .edoc file signed with a secure electronic signature, together with a signed application. It can also be submitted on paper.
3. Checking LVĢMC checks the annexes, the signatures and the borehole cross-section, comparing it with the data of the State Geological Fund.
4. Approval The deadline is 10 working days and the fee is €115.34 (no VAT is charged). One copy stays in the State Geological Fund, the other goes to the client.

We did not find a deadline for submitting the passport after drilling, either in the law or in Cabinet Regulation No. 696. It may be written in the licence conditions, if the borehole had a licence. If the borehole is deeper than 20 m, the passport is arranged by the same company that received the licence: borehole registration.

Why a homeowner needs the passport

The law allows groundwater to be used once the borehole passport has been approved. The passport is also useful in practice:

• For choosing and replacing the pump: the dynamic level and the yield show how deep the pump has to be lowered and how powerful a pump can be fitted. More details: borehole pump replacement.
• For cleaning and repair: the filter depth and the pipe material and diameter are known without measuring.
• When selling or buying a house: the buyer sees the depth of the borehole, its year and the original tests.
• If consumption rises to 10 m³ a day or more: the borehole passport is attached to the application for a water use permit.

If the passport has been lost

A copy of the approved passport is kept in the State Geological Fund, so a lost passport can be recovered. LVĢMC issues a certified copy or a duplicate of the borehole passport (service 09-26). The application needs a document proving ownership of the borehole, a copy of the land boundary plan with the borehole location marked, and information about the borehole: its year, depth and previous owner.

If the borehole never had a passport

If the borehole was made long ago and there are no documents, there are two routes:

• Restoration of the passport by LVĢMC (service 09-02). LVĢMC searches for the borehole in the “Urbumi” (boreholes) database and the State Geological Fund and prepares the passport from this data and yours. You need the Land Register certificate, a document proving ownership of the borehole, the boundary plan with the borehole location, information about the borehole, and chemical and bacteriological tests.
• If the fund has no data on the borehole: the State Environmental Service (VVD) scheme for historical boreholes provides that a company obtains a hydrogeological exploration licence, examines the borehole and prepares a passport for approval by LVĢMC. LVĢMC can also prepare the passport from the client's data (service 09-03).

Before you arrange a passport for an old borehole, check that it is in good condition: measure the depth and the water level and take a water sample. If the borehole gives sand or the pipe is damaged, you may find that borehole repair or a new borehole is the better option.

How much the passport and its restoration cost

Cabinet of Ministers regulations only contain the approval fee. The others are LVĢMC catalogue prices as they were on 03.11.2026. The catalogue does not state from which date they apply, so check them with LVĢMC before ordering. None of the LVĢMC amounts is our price for the work.