You do not automatically get a copy of the diagram you use for your registration, so it is a good idea to keep the diagram and information for your own records. The process of registering a claim begins when you fill out a "notice of pegging" form at the PIRSA office. This is a form which has a copy of the diagram you made while pegging the claim. It gives a miner or prospector fourteen days in which to prospect the claim at no charge. Some prospectors who cover a lot of ground in a short time prefer to drill prospecting holes on the claim for a week or two before committing to registering the claim. If you want to keep the claim beyond the 14 days, you must fill out an application to register the claim. This can be done immediately if you wish - there is no need to wait for the fourteen days to expire. Initially, registration of any claim is for three months, subsequent registrations are for 12 months at a time and all registrations must be renewed within 60 days of the expiration of the claim. The reason for the three month initial registration is so that a miner or prospector can have a few months to drill test holes on the claim, or engage in some other quick mining activity without the added expense of the longer period of registration. Once a miner registers for 12 months, it is assumed that he or she will be engaging in a longer term project on the claim ie: an open cut or underground mining operation.