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A Dubai customs code is the client number Dubai Customs gives a business when it registers, so the business can deal with customs legally. Registration costs AED 100 plus an AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee, needs the trade licence, the authorised person's passport and Emirates ID copies, and takes 1 working day. The code arrives by email after payment. Without it, the company cannot deal with Dubai Customs in its own name.
What the code is, and what an "import licence" is
A "Dubai import licence" is not one document. In practice it is two separate things:
| Piece | Who issues it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Trade licence with trading activities | DET (mainland) or the free zone | Lets the company trade the goods at all |
| Customs registration and code | Dubai Customs | Lets the company deal with Dubai Customs and clear shipments |
If your licence does not include the activity for the goods you want to bring in, change the licence first. That is an amendment with DET or your free zone; see trade licence amendment. Then register with customs.
Fee, documents and timing
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Registration fee | AED 100 |
| Knowledge and Innovation fee | AED 20 (charged on services of AED 50 and above) |
| Documents | Trade licence copy, passport copy of the authorised person, Emirates ID copy |
| Processing | 1 working day |
| Availability | 24/7, all channels |
| Online forms | New, Enquiry, Amend, Renew |
| What you receive | An email with the company registration and customs code |
Source: Dubai Customs, Request Business Registration service description, checked .
The total government cost for a new registration is the AED 100 fee plus AED 20. Agents and PRO firms charge their own fee on top, and we found no published price list for this service we could rely on, so ask for the government fee and the service fee as separate lines on any quote.
Step by step on Dubai Trade
- Create a Dubai Trade account. Market guides describe Dubai Trade as the starting point for the online application.
- Open a new client registration. Choose importer, exporter or both.
- Upload the three documents. Clear scans of the licence, the authorised person's passport and their Emirates ID.
- Pay. AED 100 plus AED 20.
- Wait for the email. It carries the registration and the code, usually within the 1 working day Dubai Customs states.
Use the manager or signatory named on the licence as the authorised person, so the passport and Emirates ID you upload match the company's records.
Free zone companies and the mainland
A free zone company that sells into the Dubai mainland generally cannot sell there directly. It uses a licensed mainland distributor, or opens a mainland branch or company, and customs duty applies when the goods enter the mainland (u.ae business setup guidance). That makes the customs side part of the plan for any free zone trader with onshore customers, not just for importers bringing goods from abroad.
Renewal and amendments
The customs registration has to be renewed, and the Renew form sits next to the New form in Dubai Customs' system. The renewal fee is where sources split: a Dubai Trade snippet and a consultancy page give different amounts, and no open official page settles it. We do not print either number. Check the renewal fee on Dubai Trade before you pay.
Amendments go through the Amend form. A Dubai Trade snippet indicates that most amendments carry no fee unless you add a new business type, but no open official page confirms it. If your trade licence changes name, activity or manager, update the customs record in the same week so shipments are not held on mismatched details.
Papers that usually come next
Once goods start moving, two other offices get involved:
- Dubai Chambers issues certificates of origin for exports, at AED 100 for members. A transshipment through Dubai needs the Dubai Customs transit bill as part of that file. See chamber of commerce attestation.
- MOFA attests commercial invoices for imports through eDAS at a flat AED 150 plus service fees. Paying more than 14 days after the bill of entry date adds AED 500 per invoice (MOFA FAQs, checked ). The company document attestation page explains the other MOFA fees.
Mistakes that delay the code
- Expired trade licence. Customs asks for a licence copy, so register on a valid one. Renew first; see trade licence renewal.
- Licence activities do not cover the goods. The licence is what allows the trade, so fix the activity before the first shipment.
- Wrong authorised person. Use the person named on the licence.
- Blurry Emirates ID scan. Both sides, readable.
- Forgetting the renewal. Put the expiry in the calendar the day the email arrives.
- Late eDAS payments. At AED 500 per invoice, a few late ones cost more than the registration.
Registering with Dubai Customs for you
Send the trade licence and the authorised person's passport and Emirates ID. The partner team checks that the licence activities cover what you plan to import or export, because a licence without a trading activity is the usual stopping point. They set up the Dubai Trade account, file the registration as importer, exporter or both, pay the fee and pass on the code when the email arrives. You never have to learn the Dubai Trade portal. If your first shipment needs a certificate of origin or invoice attestation, they line that up too. The price comes as one total, Customs fee and service charge itemised. Other company files are listed under company services in Dubai.
