India SCOMET export control framework

India's SCOMET framework controls exports of Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies. The control list appears in Appendix 3 to Schedule 2 of India's export policy classification. It operates through the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act 1992, the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems Act 2005, policy instruments and licensing procedures.

List and competent authorities

The list uses categories 0 to 8, with category 7 reserved. Category 0 covers nuclear materials and related items; categories 1 to 5 cover chemicals, biological items, materials, nuclear-related equipment and aerospace systems; category 6 is the munitions list; category 8 covers a broad dual-use set including electronics, computers, telecommunications, sensors, navigation, marine and propulsion items.

Authority is divided. The Department of Atomic Energy licenses category 0. The Department of Defence Production handles category 6. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade handles the other operative categories, subject to interagency review and category-specific procedure. Treating DGFT as the sole decision-maker for every SCOMET item is therefore inaccurate.

An export authorisation depends on classification, destination, end use, end user, documentation and applicable policy. General authorisations exist for specified transactions and conditions. Their availability does not remove recordkeeping or post-reporting obligations. Software, technology, brokering and intangible transfers can require separate analysis.

Legal and strategic boundaries

The WMD Act provides prohibitions and controls concerning weapons of mass destruction, delivery systems and related items, including catch-all and brokering provisions in defined circumstances. The Foreign Trade Act supplies broader trade-control authority. A list entry, licensing condition and criminal offence are distinct.

SCOMET aligns significant controls with multilateral non-proliferation arrangements, including regimes India has joined. Alignment supports interoperability and access to controlled trade, but does not prove the motive or effect of any individual licensing decision.

Strategically, the framework lets India protect sensitive technology, meet non-proliferation commitments and participate in controlled supply chains. Its effect depends on classification quality, end-use checks, enforcement and international cooperation. Current publication must use the live Appendix 3 and current handbook because categories, technical parameters and authorisations change.

See also

Export-control licensing regime · non-proliferation export controls · Technology denial · Dual-use goods · India · Wassenaar Arrangement

Sources

1. Directorate General of Foreign Trade, SCOMET portal, current list and policy materials checked 30 July 2026.
2. Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Handbook on India's Strategic Trade Control System, 2025.
3. India Code, Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act 1992.
4. India Code, Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act 2005.