🇦🇪How to import into United Arab Emirates
To import into United Arab Emirates, most goods clear customs freely, but specific sectors need a permit, product registration or import licence from a named regulator before the shipment lands. A legitimate importer of those goods holds the current document, ask for it and check it at the source.
Importing into United Arab Emirates: the basics
- Customs identity: Importer code from the emirate's customs authority
- Each emirate issues its own importer code against a valid trade licence; a mainland licence and a free-zone licence are not interchangeable. Dubai Customs
- Import tax at the border
- Standard VAT in United Arab Emirates is 5%, charged on goods plus freight plus duty. FTA UAE Duty depends on the product's HS code, so we do not state a rate: look it up in Dubai Customs tariff , then put both into the landed-cost calculator.
- Documents that travel with the shipment
- Commercial invoice · Packing list · Transport document (CMR, bill of lading or air waybill) · Customs declaration, filed by you or your broker · Proof of origin, when claiming a preferential duty rate
- Incoterms a small supplier will actually agree to: EXW or FCA
- Small and artisan producers normally sell EXW (you collect at their workshop) or FCA (they hand the goods to your carrier). Expect to arrange freight, insurance and customs clearance yourself, or through a forwarder. DAP and DDP shift carriage and import formalities onto the seller, and a small maker will usually decline them: under DDP the seller must even be able to pay import taxes in your country. Larger exporters more often quote FOB or CIF for sea freight. Compare all Incoterms.
- Worth knowing before the first shipment
- The GCC common external tariff is 5% on most goods, with exemptions for many foodstuffs and medicines.
- Goods moved from a free zone into the UAE mainland are treated as an import at that point, with duty due then.
Reviewed 2026-07-21. Factual pointers to public rules, not legal advice; confirm with customs or a broker before shipping.
Sector import rules
These sectors carry their own import requirement in United Arab Emirates. For each, a legitimate importer holds the document named below, issued by the named regulator. Ask for it, then verify it at the source.
- cosmeticsImport permit required
conformity certificate from the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT).
Importer must secure an ECAS Certificate of Conformity for cosmetics before shipping into the UAE.
Official source - telecom/radio equipmentImport permit required
conformity certificate from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).
Importer must register as a telecom dealer and obtain a Type Approval Certificate via the TDRA portal.
Official source - pharmaceuticalsRegistration required
product registration from the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP).
Importer must register the medical product and obtain a marketing authorization via the MOHAP e-services portal.
We could not confirm a live official link for this regulator, so no source is shown. Search the regulator name on the United Arab Emirates government domain to reach it.
This is a factual pointer to public rules, not legal advice, and the list is not exhaustive.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a licence to import into United Arab Emirates?
- It depends on the product. General goods clear United Arab Emirates customs without a sector licence, but regulated sectors (cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, telecom/radio equipment) require a specific permit, registration or licence from the regulator named on this page.
- How do I check an importer in United Arab Emirates is allowed to bring in my product?
- Ask the buyer for the import permit or product-registration number for the sector, then confirm it with the named regulator. A genuine importer of regulated goods already holds one; a buyer who cannot produce it may not clear customs.
- Is importing a specific product into United Arab Emirates ever banned?
- Most sectors are permitted with the right licence or registration. Always confirm the current rule with the named regulator before shipping.
- What do I need to clear customs in United Arab Emirates?
- A business importing into United Arab Emirates needs a Importer code from the emirate's customs authority. Each emirate issues its own importer code against a valid trade licence; a mainland licence and a free-zone licence are not interchangeable. A normal commercial shipment also travels with: commercial invoice, packing list, transport document (cmr, bill of lading or air waybill), customs declaration, filed by you or your broker, proof of origin, when claiming a preferential duty rate.
- How much tax do I pay importing into United Arab Emirates?
- Standard VAT in United Arab Emirates is 5%, charged on the goods plus freight plus duty. Customs duty depends on the product's HS code, so there is no single rate: look yours up in Dubai Customs tariff, then add both to the goods and freight to get the landed cost.
- Which Incoterms will a small supplier agree to?
- Usually EXW or FCA. Small and artisan producers normally sell EXW (you collect at their workshop) or FCA (they hand the goods to your carrier). Expect to arrange freight, insurance and customs clearance yourself, or through a forwarder. DAP and DDP shift carriage and import formalities onto the seller, and a small maker will usually decline them: under DDP the seller must even be able to pay import taxes in your country. Larger exporters more often quote FOB or CIF for sea freight.
United Arab Emirates suppliers by sector
Manufacturers and wholesalers based in United Arab Emirates, with the open-record facts we hold on each and a link to the free public source behind them.
Importing for the first time? Read the first-time importer sequence (country choice, maker checks, landed cost, a survivable first order).