Paragraphs 10 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Chapter 10 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023 is about SCOMET: Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies. Its first four paragraphs say what the chapter covers, why India controls these exports, what the SCOMET list is and which authority licenses which category. This article explains those paragraphs and the three opening paragraphs of Chapter 10 of the Handbook of Procedures. It does not list or describe any entry of the SCOMET list itself, and it gives no view on whether any item is controlled.
SCOMET covers dual-use items, munitions and nuclear related items, including software and technology (paragraph 10.00). Export of such items is either prohibited or permitted under an authorisation unless specifically exempted (paragraph 10.02). The list has nine categories, 0 to 8 (paragraph 10.03). The Directorate General of Foreign Trade licenses most categories; the Department of Atomic Energy licenses Category 0 and the items in Note 2 of the Commodity Identification Note; the Department of Defence Production licenses Category 6 with exceptions.
This article is based on the chapter-wise text of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023 published on the DGFT website, as consulted on 2 October 2026; the copy carries no "updated up to" date. The procedure is taken from Chapter 10 of the Handbook of Procedures, 2023 as published on the DGFT website (file of July 2026), consulted on 2 October 2026. Later Notifications, Public Notices and Trade Notices, including any update of the SCOMET list, should be checked before acting. The Policy is made under section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992; see our article on section 5 of the FTDR Act. If you need to know whether a particular export needs an authorisation, our restricted items import-export licence service can take you through it.
Paragraph 10.00: objective
The general provisions governing the export of "dual use items, munitions and nuclear related items, including software and technology viz. SCOMET" are dealt with in the chapter. Paragraph 10.00 of the Handbook says the policy is in Chapter 10 of the Policy, and paragraph 10.01 of the Handbook says its chapter covers "the procedure for various applications relating to export of dual use items under SCOMET".
Paragraph 10.01: brief background
The paragraph explains why India regulates these exports. It records that India is a signatory to international conventions on disarmament and non-proliferation, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. It records that United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 obliges all countries to prohibit access of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems to non-state actors, in particular for terrorist purposes. It adds that India is a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group, and has harmonised its guidelines and control lists with those of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
The second part is legal. For controls on export of specified goods, services and technology, the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005 applies to exports, transfers, re-transfers, goods brought in transit, trans-shipment and brokering. "These provisions have been incorporated in Chapter IVA of Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, as amended in 2010." This article names the 2005 Act as the paragraph does and explains nothing of it. Chapter IVA of the FTDR Act is explained in our articles on sections 14A and 14B and on sections 14C to 14E.
Paragraph 10.02: the SCOMET list
Export of dual-use items, including software and technologies, having potential civilian or industrial applications as well as use in weapons of mass destruction, "is regulated. It is either prohibited or is permitted under an Authorization unless specifically exempted."
The paragraph then explains the acronym and says the SCOMET list is "our National Export Control List" of dual-use items, munitions and nuclear related items, including software and technology, aligned to the control lists of the multilateral export control regimes and conventions. It has been notified under Appendix 3 to Schedule 2 of the ITC(HS) Classification of Export and Import Items, available on the DGFT website. The list is outside the Policy text, so this article names no entry in it.
Paragraph 10.02 of the Handbook repeats the rule in different words: items covered under the list "are permitted against an export authorisation, unless prohibited or specifically exempted".
Paragraph 10.03: nine categories and licensing authorities
The list is divided into nine categories from Category 0 to Category 8. Category 7, previously reserved, is now populated as "Certain Emerging Technologies and Related Items". The table in the paragraph reads as follows.
| Category | Heading as printed | Licensing authority | Remark as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Nuclear materials, nuclear-related other materials, equipment and technology | Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) | Including items mentioned in Note 2 of the Commodity Identification Note of the list |
| 1 | Toxic chemical agents and other chemicals | DGFT | |
| 2 | Micro-organisms, Toxins | DGFT | |
| 3 | Materials, Materials Processing Equipment and related Technologies | DGFT | |
| 4 | Nuclear-related other equipment and technology, not controlled under Category 0 | DGFT | |
| 5 | Aerospace systems, equipment, including production and test equipment, and related Technology and specially designed components and accessories thereof | DGFT | |
| 6 | Munitions List | Department of Defence Production (DDP) / Ministry of Defence | Excluding those covered under Note 2 and 3 of the Commodity Identification Note and certain sub-categories named in the table |
| 7 | Certain Emerging Technologies and Related Items | DGFT | |
| 8 | Special Materials and Related Equipment, Material Processing, Electronics, Computers, Telecommunications, Information Security, Sensors and Lasers, Navigation and Avionics, Marine, Aerospace and Propulsion | DGFT |
A note under the table says DGFT is the licensing authority for the categories and sub-categories specified and for any other sub-category as may be specified.
Handbook paragraph 10.02: who licenses what
Paragraph 10.02 of the Handbook sets this out in three heads.
- (a) DGFT is the licensing authority for all SCOMET categories, including the two sub-categories of Category 6 that the Policy table excludes from the Defence Production remark, except Categories 0 and 6, Note 2 of the Commodity Identification Note and any other sub-category that may be specified.
- (b) The Department of Atomic Energy is the licensing authority for Category 0 and for Note 2 of the Commodity Identification Note. The paragraph names the guidelines for nuclear transfers and the notification of prescribed substances, equipment and technology issued under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Rules of 1984 made under it. It adds that for certain items in Category 0, formal assurances from the recipient State will include non-use in any nuclear explosive device, and that authorisations for certain Category 0 items will not be granted unless the transfer is under adequate physical protection and covered by appropriate International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards or other mutually agreed controls.
- (c) The Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence is the licensing authority for Category 6, "irrespective of end use of the items, whether military or civil", with the exceptions the paragraph states. The authorisation is granted under the DDP's guidelines and Standard Operating Procedure issued from time to time.
The Handbook is issued by the Director General under section 6 of the Act.
An example
Orbit Instruments Private Limited, an invented manufacturer, wants to export a product to a buyer abroad. It first checks whether the product is described in the SCOMET list at Appendix 3 to Schedule 2 of ITC(HS), which is outside this article. If it is, the category in which it falls decides who licenses it: the DGFT for most categories, the Department of Atomic Energy for Category 0 and Note 2 items, and the Department of Defence Production for Category 6 within the stated exceptions. If it is not on the list, the catch-all paragraph 10.05 may still matter; it is explained in our article on paragraph 10.05.
Need help with a SCOMET query?
Classifying an export, finding the right licensing authority and preparing the application each need care. Our restricted items import-export licence team can guide you through the steps for your own product and buyer.
Key takeaways
- Paragraph 10.02: export of dual-use items is either prohibited or permitted under an authorisation unless specifically exempted.
- Paragraph 10.03: nine categories, 0 to 8; DAE for Category 0, DDP for Category 6 (with exceptions), DGFT for the rest.
- Chapter IVA of the FTDR Act, as amended in 2010, carries the provisions of the 2005 Act (paragraph 10.01).
- The SCOMET list itself is at Appendix 3 to Schedule 2 of ITC(HS), not in the Policy chapter.
- Handbook 10.02 repeats the allocation of licensing authorities.
Read next
- Paragraphs 10.04 and 10.09 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023: SCOMET export authorisation, application and the IMWG
- Paragraph 10.05 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023: catch-all controls on non-SCOMET items
- Paragraph 10.08 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023: types and validity of SCOMET authorisations
- SCOMET export controls and the catch-all provision
Disclaimer: Based on the chapter-wise text of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023 and the Handbook of Procedures, 2023 published on the DGFT website, and on the later Notifications named in this article, as consulted on 2 October 2026. The copies carry no "updated up to" date. Notifications, Public Notices, Trade Notices, the ITC(HS) schedules, Appendices and forms change often; the current text on the DGFT website should be checked before acting. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.