The government simplified and liberalised the policy for the export of drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) from India on Friday.

According to public notices issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), drones with a range of 25 km or less and a payload of no more than 25 kg intended for only civilian end-use will now be subject to General Authorization for Export of Drones (GAED), a one-time general licence valid for three years that would reduce compliance.

All kinds of drones and UAVs were earlier restricted for export under the category 5B of the Special Chemicals Organisms Material Equipments and Technology (SCOMET) list which with the category of items that are subject to specific regulations due to their potential dual-use nature- meaning they can have both civilian and military applications.

“SCOMET license was required for export of such items and the industry was facing challenges to export drones with limited capability which are only meant for civilian use,” DGFT said.

The SCOMET policy of drones and UAVs meant for civilian use has been amended after stakeholder consultations.