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Regulations · UAE

UAE ecommerce regulations

The UAE is one of the easiest Gulf markets to set up in, with fast licences and low tax. Pick your licence first, then sort tax, selling rules and product certification.

8 guides

Licence and setup

Choose free zone or mainland and get the ecommerce licence that fits your plans.

Regulations · UAE

UAE Free Zone vs Mainland for Ecommerce: Which Licence Fits?

For most online sellers, a free zone company is the better start: 100% foreign-owned, licences from AED 6,000 including a visa, and accepted by Amazon and noon. Choose a mainland licence when you need a shop, a showroom or direct B2B trade across the UAE.

11 min read
Regulations · UAE

UAE Ecommerce Licence: Types, Costs & How to Apply

To sell online to UAE shoppers from your own store, you need a trade licence with an ecommerce activity. Most sellers use a free zone licence (from AED 6,000 including a visa), while UAE and GCC nationals can start with a home-based licence like Dubai's eTrader for about AED 1,370 a year.

9 min read

VAT and corporate tax

Know when to register for VAT and how little corporate tax most small stores pay.

Regulations · UAE

UAE VAT for Ecommerce Sellers: Registration, Imports and Filing

UAE VAT is 5%. Local businesses must register once taxable sales pass AED 375,000 a year and can opt in from AED 187,500. Foreign sellers get no threshold: if you sell from UAE stock, you register from the first sale. Returns are usually quarterly, and e-invoicing starts in 2027.

8 min read
Regulations · UAE

UAE Corporate Tax for Ecommerce Sellers: Rates, Relief and Deadlines

UAE corporate tax is 0% on the first AED 375,000 of profit and 9% above it. Stores with revenue up to AED 3 million can claim Small Business Relief and pay nothing until the end of 2029. Every licensed company must still register on EmaraTax and file a return each year.

10 min read

Rules for selling online

What the ecommerce, consumer protection and data laws expect from your store.

Regulations · UAE

UAE E-Commerce Law: Federal Decree-Law 14/2023 for Online Sellers

Federal Decree-Law 14/2023 on Modern Technology-Based Trade is the UAE's ecommerce law. Since 16 September 2023 it covers anyone selling to the UAE through a website, app, marketplace or social media, including stores shipping from abroad. You must be licensed, publish every fee and your terms, issue an electronic invoice, take returns of faulty goods, offer a marketing opt-out and run a complaints channel. Fines of AED 500–100,000 apply since November 2025, usually after a warning.

8 min read
Regulations · UAE

UAE Consumer Protection Law for Ecommerce: What Online Stores Must Do

Two laws set the rules: the Consumer Protection Law (Federal Law 15/2020, with Cabinet Resolution 66/2023) and the e-commerce law (Decree-Law 14/2023). Show who you are, give Arabic product info and a dated Arabic invoice, show VAT-inclusive prices with every fee before checkout, publish your returns and warranty terms, deliver on time and run only genuine, permitted discounts.

11 min read
Regulations · UAE

UAE PDPL for Online Stores: What the Data Protection Law Requires

The UAE's Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law 45/2021) covers any online store that handles data about people in the UAE, including stores based abroad. It has been in force since January 2022. Its Executive Regulations and fines still hadn't been issued by late 2026, but the core duties apply now: consent or another lawful basis, a clear privacy notice, opt-in marketing, customer rights, breach reporting and safeguards for data sent abroad.

11 min read

Product certification

Get ECAS or EQM approval for regulated products before you list them.

Regulations · UAE

UAE ECAS Certification: How to Get It and When You Need EQM

ECAS is the UAE's mandatory product safety scheme, run by MoIAT. If your product falls under a UAE technical regulation, such as electricals, toys or cosmetics, you need a UAE Certificate of Conformity before it clears customs or goes on sale. MoIAT's fees come to AED 1,720 per certificate, and the ministry issues it in about 1.5 working days once your test reports are in.

10 min read