The EximLabh Brief

Can Your Drone Export Still Use the Old Civilian End-Use Route After DGFT's Liberalisation?

DGFT's new General Authorisation for Export of Drones (GAED) changes the licensing landscape for civilian drone exports. Understand what is now lawful, what is optional, and where the compliance traps lie.

The question Can an exporter who has been shipping civilian drones under the old shipment-by-shipment SCOMET licence simply continue that route, or does the new General Authorisation for Export of Drones (GAED) change what is lawful and what is merely optional? ## What changed DGFT has introduced a one-time General Authorisation for Export of Drones (GAED) under the SCOMET framework. The PIB release confirms the policy is simplified and liberalised for drones and UAVs meant for civilian end uses. A GAED authorisation is valid for three years and covers multiple similar export shipments for civilian purposes, removing the need to apply for a fresh SCOMET licence for every consignment. The change is framed within Foreign Trade Policy 2023 and its emphasis on facilitating export of high-tech items. The operative effect is narrow: it applies only to drones of specified range and capability that are meant for civilian end use. Drones exceeding the range or payload thresholds, or destined for military, dual-use, or otherwise excluded end uses, remain outside GAED and must continue under the standard SCOMET licensing procedure. ## The compliance trap The liberalisation does not preserve the old civilian end-use route as a parallel option. It replaces it for eligible drones. An exporter who continues using the old route without checking whether the drone now falls within GAED scope faces two risks. First, the exporter may keep paying for shipment-specific SCOMET licences that are no longer required, adding cost and delay. Second, and more serious, the exporter may assume GAED coverage applies and ship without a valid authorisation, exposing the consignment to seizure and penalty. The end-use documentation burden does not disappear under GAED. The authorisation is one-time, but the civilian end-use declaration is per shipment. Similar general authorisations, such as the General Authorization for Export of Information Security items under SCOMET Category 8A5 Part 2, require a declaration on letterhead stating civilian end use plus a declaration that the entire supply chain is confined to eligible countries. If GAED follows that pattern, exporters must maintain end-use declarations and supply-chain certifications for each shipment even though the licence itself is one-time. Records must be retained for five years under Paragraph 10.18 of the Handbook of Procedures. Failure to retain them can invalidate the authorisation retrospectively. ## Exclusions to check before each shipment GAED would not be issued for items destined for military applications, explosives, chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons, or missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction. It also excludes countries or entities under NSC embargo or sanctions lists, or where proliferation concerns are assessed. An exporter who has historically shipped civilian drones to a country that later appears on a sanctions or watch list must re-verify eligibility before each shipment, even within the three-year GAED validity window. The one-time authorisation does not freeze the destination list. ## What remains unconfirmed The precise range and payload thresholds for GAED eligibility are cited in web notes as a maximum range of 25 km and a payload cap, but the exact figures must be confirmed against the primary DGFT notification or public notice. The specific SCOMET Category 5B sub-entry or entries covered by GAED should be verified. The post-export reporting format and frequency, whether quarterly, half-yearly, or per shipment, must be confirmed from the operative instrument. The list of eligible destination countries, if any, should be checked against the DGFT notification. Whether GAED covers re-exports or only direct exports from India is not clear from the available materials. ## Action list, Pull the current SCOMET Category 5B entry for the specific drone model.