Amazon Seller UAE: Trade Licence Options for Indian Brands
You need a UAE trade licence to sell on Amazon UAE. Mainland, JAFZA, DMCC, RAKEZ — here is which one fits Indian D2C brands.
Unlike Amazon US or UK, Amazon UAE will not accept a foreign-only entity. To list on Amazon.ae, you need a UAE trade licence. That is the single biggest barrier — and the reason Amazon UAE has less Indian-brand competition than Amazon USA.
You have four options. Mainland LLC, JAFZA, DMCC, or RAKEZ. The trade-offs:
Mainland LLC: required for B2B trading inside the UAE. ~AED 25,000–40,000 to set up plus AED 1,000+ ejari (office). 100% foreign ownership now allowed in most categories. Best if you also plan to sell to UAE retail channels.
JAFZA (Jebel Ali Free Zone): closest to the Jebel Ali port, ideal for product-import businesses. AED 15,000–25,000 setup. Customs-bonded warehousing keeps duties deferred. Best for high-volume freight from India.
DMCC: a Free Zone in central Dubai with a strong commodities ecosystem. AED 20,000+ setup. Slightly more prestige for B2B-leaning brands. Less optimal for high-volume product import.
RAKEZ (Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone): the cheapest option. AED 12,000–18,000 setup. Banking takes longer than DMCC or JAFZA, and Dubai-based logistics partners are not as native.
Our default recommendation for Indian D2C brands launching on Amazon UAE: JAFZA. The freight side of Amazon UAE matters more than office location, and JAFZA is purpose-built for it.
Once your trade licence is live, the rest of the Amazon UAE launch is straightforward: ESMA registration for regulated categories (cosmetics, electronics, toys), bilingual Arabic + English listings, and a UAE bank account (Emirates NBD, Mashreq, ENBD are most foreign-friendly).
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The ScalerLabs operations desk publishes from the warehouse floor — practitioners running Amazon Global Selling, Walmart, eBay, and Shopify launches for Indian D2C brands. Field notes, unit economics, and the gotchas that kill launches.
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