Dubai: ecommerce duty reliefUAE

Dubai raises its ecommerce duty-free threshold to AED1,000

Qualifying ecommerce goods valued up to AED1,000 can receive Dubai customs-duty relief under the cross-border ecommerce scheme. Check the clearance route, customs value and excluded products before changing delivery prices.

By Scott GillettPublished 7 Oct 2026Last reviewed 7 Oct 2026Destination: United Arab Emirates

WHEN IT APPLIESIn force

Who this affects: UK retailers sending online orders for clearance through Dubai Customs under its cross-border ecommerce arrangements, and their customs representatives.
Seller action: Check before sending affected goods
Ask your carrier or importer whether your shipments qualify under Notices 15/2021 and 16/2026. Confirm registration, the clearance route, CIF customs value and product exclusions before changing landed-cost calculations or checkout charges.
Effective dates / current position: Higher threshold applies to qualifying Dubai ecommerce goods: 3 August 2026 — In force
Timing follows the confirmed published schedule; it is not a fresh legal review. The notice specifies 3 August 2026 without an exact hour. Dubai calendar time is used for display; this is not a carrier cutoff or unconditional relief for every UAE parcel. Date-only changes use the calendar day in Asia/Dubai.
Last reviewed: 7 Oct 2026 — an editorial source check, separate from automatic timing.
Official source: Open the primary source ↗

Updates to this article

7 October 2026
First published after reading Dubai Customs Notices 16/2026 and 15/2021 in full, including registration, exclusions and commencement, and the authority’s 4 September explanation. Distinguished the 3 August legal start from this article’s publication date, conditional Dubai ecommerce relief from a UAE-wide exemption, and customs duty from other charges.

Recorded editorial changes. Automatic timing labels do not change the publication or review dates.

Already applicable, not a new October deadline. Dubai Customs raised the threshold from AED300 to AED1,000 from 3 August 2026. The relief sits within its cross-border ecommerce procedures. It is not a blanket exemption for every parcel sent anywhere in the UAE.

What has changed?

Customs Notice 16/2026 replaces the duty-relief provision in Notice 15/2021. Qualifying goods and products with a customs value not exceeding AED1,000 are exempt from customs duty, subject to the scheme’s conditions and product exclusions.

Dubai Customs’ 4 September explanation describes the threshold in terms of CIF value: the customs value including cost, insurance and freight. Do not compare the threshold only with the product’s shop price while ignoring the shipping and insurance elements used in customs valuation.

The amendment was issued on 30 July and took effect on 3 August 2026. We first published this explanation on 7 October after checking the amendment and the original scheme.

Who can use the relief?

The underlying scheme concerns goods bought or sold through ecommerce channels and businesses registered with Dubai Customs. It includes online retailers, free-zone businesses, logistics companies and customs warehouses meeting the notice’s requirements.

Companies must register or add the ecommerce activity in Dubai Customs’ customer system. Registered logistics, courier and postal businesses can clear goods for their associated companies. The scheme provides automatic declarations based on consumer orders and returns through Dubai Customs’ Cross-Border e-Commerce Platform; B2B ecommerce declarations follow the applicable Dubai Trade procedures.

A UK shop should not assume that every carrier service uses this route. Ask the carrier, importer or customs representative to confirm that your shipments meet the registration and clearance conditions before applying the relief in a landed-cost calculation.

Which products are excluded?

The duty exemption does not cover:

Tobacco and tobacco products.
Electronic smoking devices, equipment and accessories.
Liquids containing nicotine.
Alcoholic beverages or food preparations containing alcohol.

The notice does not remove product restrictions, approval requirements or customs inspections. A low value does not make a restricted product automatically admissible.

Duty-free does not mean every charge disappears

This amendment changes a customs-duty threshold. It is not, by itself, a VAT exemption or a promise that the carrier will charge nothing. Ask for a breakdown of duty, any applicable tax, clearance charges and delivery costs for your particular service.

The scheme also has a separate goods-value ceiling of AED30,000 and provisions on customs service charges. AED30,000 is not the new duty-free threshold. Do not confuse the two amounts or assume that all provider charges are waived.

What should a UK retailer check?

Where will the parcel clear? This article concerns Dubai Customs, not an automatic rule for every UAE emirate.
Does the delivery arrangement qualify? Confirm the registered business and the ecommerce declaration route with your provider.
What is the customs value? Supply accurate invoice, freight and insurance information. Ask how the provider establishes the CIF value against AED1,000.
Is the product excluded or restricted? Check the goods themselves, not just the parcel total.
What will the buyer pay? Obtain a charge breakdown before changing checkout prices or promising duty-free delivery.

Keep classification checks separate

This relief does not replace accurate product descriptions or tariff codes. Dubai’s separate tariff-code programme is covered in our Dubai HS-code guide; that article’s original review date remains unchanged.

Official sources

General guidance for UK sellers. Confirm eligibility and the charges for the actual shipment with the business completing the Dubai declaration.