Selling on noon as a Foreign Company: The International Seller Guide

Yes, you can sell on noon as a foreign company. You don't need a Gulf licence, an office or a local partner to open the account.

Noon calls this route "international seller". It's open in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the two biggest stores, and it works for brands from the UK, Europe, the US, India, Turkey and beyond.

You need three things: your home trading licence, a local VAT certificate and someone to clear your stock through customs.

Below you'll find each step, the VAT rules for non-residents, how stock reaches noon's warehouses and a real worked example.

Can a foreign company sell on noon?

Yes. An international seller is a business registered outside the country it sells to, and noon accepts them in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Egypt is open only to Egyptian companies.

That matters because the Gulf is still early. Shoppers are young, wealthy and buy on their phones, and many categories have far fewer sellers than Amazon US or Europe. A foreign brand with good products and Arabic listings can stand out quickly.

Noon has four routes in:

This page covers the last row. Local sellers can follow noon seller registration, Global Store sellers selling on noon UAE, and Chinese companies noon Global Shipping.

New to noon itself? Start with how to sell on noon, then come back here for the foreign-company setup.

Three ways in for foreign brands

You have three realistic options. Most brands start with the first, then move to the second once sales grow.

	International seller account	UAE free-zone company	Gulf distributor
Gulf company needed		UAE only
VAT you register	UAE and/or Saudi, as a non-resident	UAE (Saudi through Global Store needs none)	None, the distributor does it
Who imports your stock	An importer of record (IOR)	Your UAE company	The distributor
Who runs the noon store	You	You	The distributor
Who sets prices	You	You	The distributor
Payouts	Payoneer or LianLian	Your UAE bank, USD for Global Store	Wholesale invoices to the distributor
Best for	Testing the Gulf with a few hero products	Brands committing to the GCC	Brands that want reach without running a store

• International seller account. The quickest start. You keep full control and margin, but you register for VAT abroad and need an IOR for stock.
• UAE free-zone company. Year one with a free-zone e-commerce licence costs about AED 10,250–25,000 with one visa. Your company then imports in its own name, and noon's Global Store lets you sell into Saudi Arabia without a Saudi company or Saudi VAT.
• Gulf distributor. A local partner buys your goods and sells them under its own licence. That's legal and common, and the Law of Commercial Agencies governs it in Saudi Arabia.

What about your own Saudi company? A 100% foreign-owned Saudi trading company needs SAR 30 million in capital, so very few brands start there.

What you need to register as an international seller

The list is short:

• A home-country licence that covers trading. Sales, trading, manufacturing or wholesale activities work. Service-only licences are rejected, and it needs at least 30 days of validity left.
• The licence holder's passport. If someone else runs the account, add a Power of Attorney.
• A VAT certificate in the destination country. From the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) for the UAE, or from ZATCA for Saudi Arabia.
• A payout account. A Payoneer or LianLian authorisation letter carrying your company seal.

You'll also need an email address and a phone number for login codes. Any country's number works.

Check that your company name is spelled the same on every document. It's the most common cause of a held-up review.

How to set up, step by step

Plan the setup in this order. The VAT step takes longest, so start it first:

1

Register for VAT in your first country

Apply to the UAE FTA or ZATCA as a non-resident. A local tax agent can file it for you and handle your returns afterwards.

2

Create your Seller Lab account

Go to sell.noon.com, choose Register Now and verify your email and phone. You'll get an Organization ID that covers every noon store you open.

3

Add your store and legal entity

Pick the country you sell to, then your home country of registration. Enter your store name in English and Arabic, upload your licence and add the VAT certificate.

4

Pass the review and sign

Noon reviews the VAT certificate in 24–48 hours. Then link the legal entity to your store and sign the terms digitally.

5

List your hero products

Write English and Arabic listings for 10–20 products. Each new listing passes a 2–3 day quality check.

6

Ship stock through an importer of record

Book an IOR to clear your goods, create an ASN (advance shipping notice) in Seller Lab and deliver to the FBN warehouse it names.

7

Switch on ads and get paid

Start a small ads budget from day one. Noon pays weekly, every Thursday, once your balance reaches AED/SAR 1,000.

Two settings are locked after approval: your legal name and your store currency. Check both before you submit. The registration guide shows how to fix a rejection.

How does VAT work for a non-resident seller?

Both countries require VAT registration from your first sale, whatever your turnover. The AED 375,000 and SAR 375,000 thresholds are for local businesses only.

Here's why that's good news: once you're registered, you charge VAT on your shelf price and reclaim the VAT on noon's fees. It's paperwork, not a cost.

Saudi Arabia (15%)

• When to register. Within 30 days of your first taxable sale in Saudi Arabia.
• Security. ZATCA asks every non-resident for a cash deposit or bank guarantee.
• Tax representative. Optional since 2019. Appointing one lowers the guarantee, because the representative shares liability.
• E-invoicing. Non-residents are outside Phase 1 of ZATCA's e-invoicing rules.

Our guide to Saudi VAT for non-resident sellers covers the application.

UAE (5%)

• When to register. Before your first sale. The FTA says the threshold "is not applicable to foreign businesses".
• How. Online through EmaraTax, free of charge. Most foreign brands appoint a UAE tax agent.
• Returns. Usually quarterly, due on the 28th day after each quarter ends.

See UAE VAT for the details, or compare advisers in our VAT and tax advisor directory.

Getting stock into FBN: importer of record and DDP

To use FBN (Fulfilled by noon), your stock must clear Gulf customs first. That needs an importer of record, because the customs declaration must name a local importer.

An importer of record (IOR) is the company named as importer on that declaration. It's legally responsible for duty, import VAT and product compliance. In the UAE it's also the party entitled to reclaim the import VAT.

Foreign brands usually pick one of these:

• An IOR service. Specialist customs brokers and 3PLs (third-party logistics companies) act as importer for you, and many deliver to FBN too.
• A DDP forwarder. DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means your forwarder pays duty and VAT and delivers to the warehouse door. Ask whose name goes on the declaration.
• Your own UAE company. Once you have a free-zone licence, you import in your own name.

Duty is 5% of the CIF value on most goods. CIF means the cost of the goods plus insurance and freight. Import VAT then applies on top: 5% in the UAE, 15% in Saudi Arabia.

Before you sign with an IOR, ask these questions:

1. Who is liable if customs reassesses the value or a product fails compliance?
2. How do you pass the import VAT back to me?
3. Can you book the FBN delivery slot and create the ASN with me?
4. For Saudi Arabia, will you hold the SABER certificates for my products?

The last point matters because Saudi Arabia's SABER product certificates are held by a Saudi importer with a CR. Compare providers in our customs brokers directory, and read importer of record services for the full picture.

Worked example: a UK brand on noon UAE

A UK brand sends 600 insulated steel bottles to noon UAE. Each costs USD 7 to make.

The boxed bottles fill about 2 cbm (cubic metres), so they travel LCL, sharing a container. Sea freight and insurance to Jebel Ali cost USD 600 for the whole shipment.

First, the landed cost into the UAE:

Import VAT of about AED 930 is due too, but it comes back through VAT recovery. Agree how with your IOR first.

Next, one sale on noon UAE at AED 119, including VAT:

Take off the AED 31 landed cost and AED 12 of ads per sale. The brand keeps about AED 42 per bottle before its IOR's fee, or 36% of the shelf price.

Want to test your own product? Enter your goods value, freight and duty rate:

Every category rate is in our guide to noon seller fees.

How do international sellers get paid?

Noon pays international sellers through Payoneer or LianLian, on the same weekly cycle as everyone else.

It creates a statement every Wednesday and pays it the next Thursday, once your balance reaches AED/SAR 1,000. Smaller balances roll over and are paid monthly. International transfers take 3–5 business days to arrive.

Keep the payout account in your company's name. Noon rejects personal accounts.

Your foreign-seller launch checklist

Tick these off before your first shipment leaves:

Notes for Indian sellers

Noon runs a separate cross-border lane for Indian sellers, with its own rate card. Ask noon's seller team about it before you register as a standard international seller.

If you choose the standard route, everything on this page applies. Many Indian brands also open a UAE free-zone company early, because Dubai is a short sea hop from Indian ports.

Notes for brands already on Amazon

If you sell on Amazon.com or in Europe, Amazon Global Selling is often your quickest Gulf start. Adding noon later reaches the shoppers who prefer the home-grown app.

• Reuse your setup. The same VAT registration and IOR can serve both marketplaces.
• Keep stock separate. FBA and FBN inventory can't be shared.
• Price close. Gulf shoppers often check both apps.

Our guide to selling on Amazon covers the Global Selling side.

Notes for regulated products

Cosmetics, food, supplements, electronics and toys usually need extra approvals before import.

• Saudi Arabia. Most products need a SABER certificate, and cosmetics or supplements need SFDA registration. Your IOR or distributor holds these. Start with the SABER guide.
• Gated categories. Noon may ask for a brand authorisation letter or trademark documents before you list.

Notes for Chinese sellers

China-registered companies don't need any of this. Noon Global Shipping takes your orders at its Shenzhen hub and handles freight, customs and VAT for you.

Follow our noon Global Shipping guide instead.

Get help with your noon setup

Most foreign brands hand the VAT filing and IOR to specialists, then run the store themselves. Compare UAE business setup consultants for a free-zone licence, or browse every guide on the noon seller hub.