Source: Handbook of Procedures 2023, Chapter 10, DGFT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, updated 05 June 2025. Paras 10.00, 10.01, 10.02, 10.04, 10.05, 10.06.

The Problem This Blog Answers

You manufacture or trade in a controlled item. Every time you want to export it, you file an application, wait for inter-ministerial review, chase stakeholder comments, and hope the IMWG meeting happens on schedule. Weeks pass. Your buyer is waiting. Your delivery commitment is at risk.

Is there a way to get standing approval so you are not starting from zero every single time?

Yes. It is called a General Authorisation. But before you can use one, you need to understand the framework it sits within.

What Is SCOMET?

SCOMET stands for Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies. It is India’s list of controlled items whose export requires prior authorisation from the Government of India.

As per Para 10.00 of HBP 2023, the policy governing export of dual use items, munitions, and nuclear related items including software and technology is specified in Chapter 10 of the Foreign Trade Policy. Para 10.01 confirms that Chapter 10 covers the procedure for all applications relating to export of dual use items under SCOMET.

The SCOMET list itself is at Appendix 3 to Schedule 2 of ITC(HS) Classification of Export and Import Items. It is organised into categories covering nuclear materials, chemicals, biological agents, materials and processing equipment, aerospace systems, munitions, emerging technologies, and special materials including electronics, computers, telecom, and information security items.

Who Needs to Care About SCOMET?

If you export any of the following, SCOMET applies to you:

• Chemicals including certain industrial chemicals, precursors, and agents
• Biological materials, organisms, and related technology
• Materials, processing equipment, and related technologies
• Nuclear related equipment and technology
• Aerospace systems, rockets, UAVs, and avionics
• Munitions and military items
• Emerging technologies
• Electronics, computers, telecom equipment, information security systems, sensors, lasers, navigation systems, marine and aerospace equipment

This is not limited to defence companies. An IT firm exporting encryption software, a drone manufacturer, a chemical company exporting industrial chemicals, or an electronics firm exporting telecom components can all fall within SCOMET.

Who Grants the Authorisation?

This is the most important question to answer correctly. As per Para 10.02 of HBP 2023, three separate authorities have jurisdiction over different parts of the SCOMET list:

DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) is the licensing authority for all SCOMET categories including sub-categories 6A007 and 6A008, except Category 0, Category 6, and Note 2 of the Commodity Identification Note (CIN) of the SCOMET list, and any other sub-category as may be specified.

DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) is the licensing authority for items in Category 0 and Note 2 of the CIN. This covers nuclear materials, prescribed substances, prescribed equipment, and related technology.

DDP (Department of Defence Production), Ministry of Defence is the licensing authority for items in Category 6 of SCOMET, which is the Munitions List, except items under sub-categories 6A007 and 6A008 for non-military end use. DDP grants authorisation under Category 6 as per its own Standard Operating Procedure.

Practical implication: If your item is in Category 6, you are not applying to DGFT. You are applying to DDP under a separate SOP. The General Authorisation routes covered in this blog series are DGFT routes and apply to non-Category 6 SCOMET items unless specifically stated.

How Does a Standard SCOMET Application Work?

Before understanding General Authorisations, you need to understand what they replace.

As per Para 10.04 of HBP 2023, every standard SCOMET application must be filed through the online system on the DGFT website under Services, Export Management System, SCOMET. The relevant application form is one of ANF 10A, ANF 10B, ANF 10C, ANF 10D, ANF 10E, or ANF 10F depending on the type of transaction.

While all documents are uploaded online, the original End User Certificate in the applicable format must be submitted in hard copy to the SCOMET Cell, DGFT Headquarters, Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, along with a covering letter clearly indicating the file number of the application.

Every application must be accompanied by an EUC certifying that:

• The item will be used only for the stated purpose and such use will not be changed nor items modified or replicated without consent of Government of India
• Neither the items nor replicas nor derivatives will be re-transferred without consent of Government of India
• The end user will facilitate such verifications as required by Government of India

The EUC must indicate the name of the item, the name of the importer, all entities in the supply chain, the specific end use, and details of the purchase order or contract.

What Is the IMWG and Why Does It Matter?

As per Para 10.06 of HBP 2023, an Inter-Ministerial Working Group (IMWG) at DGFT Headquarters comprising representatives of other Ministries, Departments, and Organisations of the Government of India considers all SCOMET applications.

The IMWG evaluates applications based on the following criteria:

• Credential of the end user and credibility of the end use declaration
• Integrity of the chain of transmission from supplier to end user
• Potential of the item or technology to contribute to end uses not in conformity with India’s national security or foreign policy goals
• Assessed risk that exported items will fall into the hands of terrorists or non-state actors
• Export control measures instituted by the recipient state
• Capabilities and objectives of the recipient state’s weapons programmes
• Assessment of end uses of the items
• Applicability of multilateral arrangements including the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Missile Technology Control Regime, Australia Group, and Wassenaar Arrangement

IMWG members endeavour to furnish written comments, views, or no objection to DGFT within 30 days from the date of forwarding of the online application. The IMWG normally meets once every month. Where a decision cannot be arrived at in IMWG, the case is placed before the Director General of Foreign Trade for appropriate decision.

This is the process every individual application goes through. For a repeat exporter shipping the same item to the same buyer multiple times a year, this timeline and process can be commercially debilitating.

The Catch-All Control: When Unlisted Items Also Require Authorisation

This is the provision most exporters overlook.

As per Para 10.05 of HBP 2023, if an exporter has been notified in writing by DGFT, or knows or has reason to believe that an item not covered in the SCOMET list has a potential risk of use in or diversion to Weapons of Mass Destruction, missile systems, or military use including by terrorists and non-state actors, the exporter must apply for a SCOMET authorisation.

The HBP defines military use in this context as incorporation into items listed under SCOMET Category 6 or for the use, development, or production of military items listed in that category.

This is not optional. An exporter who ships an unlisted item knowing or having reason to believe it could be diverted to WMD or military use is in violation of India’s export control law. The application for such items is filed in ANF 10A and examined by IMWG.

Additionally, as per Para 10.07, export of items not on the SCOMET list may also be regulated under the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act 2005.

So What Is a General Authorisation?

A General Authorisation is a pre-approved standing licence issued by DGFT that allows an eligible exporter to ship specified SCOMET items to specified countries or entities multiple times without filing a fresh individual application and going through full IMWG review for each transaction.

It does not eliminate your compliance obligations. It restructures them. Instead of applying before each shipment, you apply once, get approved, ship under that approval for the validity period, and report each shipment to DGFT after the fact through a mandatory post-reporting mechanism.

The trade-off is clear: upfront investment in eligibility documentation, ongoing quarterly post-reporting, and strict conditions, in exchange for commercial freedom to ship without waiting for IMWG clearance on every transaction.

The Six General Authorisation Routes Available Under HBP Chapter 10

In addition to these six, HBP Chapter 10 also provides a Repeat Orders route under Para 10.09 and a Stock and Sale route under Para 10.10, which offer lighter-touch processing for qualifying transactions without being full General Authorisations. These are covered in separate blogs in this series.

One Condition That Applies Across Every Single Route

Regardless of which General Authorisation you hold, if at any point after issuance you are notified in writing by DGFT, or you know or have reason to believe that an item may be intended for military end use, or has a potential risk of use in or diversion to WMD or missile systems, you are no longer eligible to ship that item under your General Authorisation. You must apply separately to DGFT for a fresh individual authorisation under regular policy.

This condition is stated explicitly and identically in the conditions of every General Authorisation route in HBP Chapter 10. It is not a technicality. It is the primary safeguard that makes the General Authorisation framework possible, and violating it exposes you to penalties under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act 1992.