Sell from India to United Arab Emirates.
Closest geographic export for Indian brands — Dubai is a 3-hour flight away. A premium-priced $30B e-commerce market with low tax and strong appetite for Indian beauty, food, and lifestyle.
Marketplaces we operate in United Arab Emirates
One contract with ScalerLabs. 2 storefronts where it counts.
Key regulations
What an Indian brand has to comply with to list in United Arab Emirates.
UAE Trade Licence required — typically via a Free Zone like JAFZA, DMCC, RAKEZ, or Mainland LLC.
ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology) registration for regulated categories (electronics, toys, cosmetics).
ECAS (Emirates Conformity Assessment System) for cosmetics — separate per SKU.
Halal certification preferred (sometimes required) for food and personal-care products.
Arabic + English bilingual labelling is the norm.
Import duties
How customs treat India-origin goods entering United Arab Emirates.
GCC common external tariff: 5% on most goods, 0% on essential food, 50–100% on tobacco/alcohol.
Customs strictness is higher than the EU — labels, HS codes, country of origin must match invoices exactly.
Free Zone setups can defer customs duty until goods leave the zone for the local market.
Sales tax / VAT / GST
The indirect-tax landscape for D2C sellers in United Arab Emirates.
VAT: 5% (lowest in any of our footprint markets).
Registration mandatory above AED 375,000 turnover; voluntary above AED 187,500.
Reverse-charge mechanism on imports if registered.
Payment gateways
What we connect for marketplace payouts and DTC checkout.
- Telr
Local UAE payment gateway, supports AED and AED-equivalent settlement.
- Network International
Largest gateway in the GCC; required for some merchant categories.
- Stripe (limited)
Now available in UAE for select industries.
Logistics partners
Our standing logistics relationships for United Arab Emirates.
- Amazon UAE Fulfilment Centres
Two primary FCs in Dubai. Bonded warehouse options for Free Zone sellers.
- Aramex
Default last-mile and warehousing partner in the region.
- DHL Express
Air freight India → DXB in 3–5 days.
From our Insights
Long-form playbooks for United Arab Emirates from the ScalerLabs ops desk.
- 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.
Read playbook → - Amazon Global Selling Fees from India: Full 2026 Breakdown
Every fee Amazon Global Selling charges Indian sellers: referral, FBA, storage, professional plan, ads, and the hidden costs nobody warns you about.
Read playbook → - How to Sell on Amazon USA from India: A 2026 Step-by-Step Guide
The 8-step playbook Indian D2C brands use to launch on Amazon USA through Amazon Global Selling. Entities, paperwork, listings, freight, ads — what to do, in what order, in what timeline.
Read playbook →
Frequently asked questions
The questions Indian founders ask us most often about United Arab Emirates.
How to become an Amazon UAE seller from India?
Apply for a UAE trade licence (typically via a Free Zone like JAFZA, DMCC, or RAKEZ — most cost-effective for sellers), open a UAE bank account or international receiving account, register with ESMA for any regulated category (cosmetics, electronics, toys), open Amazon Seller Central UAE, and prepare bilingual Arabic + English listings. Onboarding typically takes 4–8 weeks.
What are Amazon UAE seller fees?
Amazon UAE charges 5–15% referral fees by category, AED 7–30+ per FBA unit, a 5% VAT (the lowest in any Amazon footprint), and AED 100/month for the professional plan. Customs duty on India-origin goods is 5% (GCC common external tariff), with some categories at 0%.
Do I need a trade licence to sell on Amazon UAE?
Yes. Unlike Amazon US/UK, Amazon UAE will not accept a foreign-only entity. Indian brands need either a Mainland LLC or a Free Zone licence (JAFZA, DMCC, RAKEZ are most common). Free Zone licences also let you defer customs duty on inventory until it leaves the zone for the local market.
Is Amazon UAE profitable for Indian brands?
Often, yes — especially in beauty, food, lifestyle, and home categories. UAE shoppers pay 30–50% premium over US prices, the market has the lowest tax (5% VAT) of any of our footprint markets, and shipping from India is the cheapest. The trade-licence overhead is the main bar, which is why most Indian brands skip it. Brands that get past that bar have less competition.
Launch in United Arab Emirates from India.
Tell us your category and target SKUs. We’ll come back with a realistic shape of the work, costs, and a 90-day launch plan. Free 30-minute call.