A general trading licence is a commercial licence that lets one company trade a wide range of unrelated goods, instead of naming each product group. A standard commercial or trading licence covers only the specific products listed on it.
It is offered on the mainland and in many free zones. NXTSTAR checks whether your goods are covered and sets up the licence where your supply chain needs it.
Last reviewed: by the NXTSTAR team.
Rules are set by the authority and can change. Confirm the current position before you apply.
How authorities describe it
- DWTC Free Zone: a general trading licence for an unrestricted range of activities.
- Dubai Airport Freezone: a licence to import, export, re-export, store and distribute across general activities.
- IFZA: a specialised commercial licence for varied goods trading models.
- DMCC: a commercial licence for buying and selling multiple product categories under one licence.
- RAKEZ: a general trading licence for trading in multiple goods.
What it still does not cover
General does not mean everything. Goods that need a regulator's approval stay outside until you have that approval. Typical examples are:
- Medicines, medical devices and health supplements.
- Food, where the municipality regulates import and handling.
- Chemicals, tobacco, alcohol and security equipment.
- Vehicles and anything needing conformity certification.
General trading or a specific licence
- You trade two or three related product lines: a standard commercial licence listing them is simpler.
- You trade whatever your buyers need, across unrelated categories: general trading.
- You are a distributor for one brand in a regulated category: a specific licence plus the regulator's approval.
After the licence
- Register with customs to get an importer and exporter code.
- Arrange storage if the goods enter the country: a warehouse, or a logistics provider's facility.
- Register for VAT when your turnover reaches the registration threshold.
- Open the bank account. Banks ask trading companies for supplier and buyer details.
What NXTSTAR does, and what we do not
We test your product list against the licence, form the company and register it with customs.
We do not obtain product registrations or clear shipments. A customs broker does the clearing.
Common questions
Can I trade anything with a general trading licence?
No. Goods that need a regulator's approval, such as medicines or food, still need that approval.
Is general trading available in free zones?
Yes. DWTC, Dubai Airport Freezone, IFZA and RAKEZ are among the zones that describe a general trading licence.
Do I need a warehouse?
Not always. It depends on whether goods physically enter the UAE and on the authority's facility rules.
How much does it cost?
We do not publish prices. Ask us for a written quote that separates authority fees from our service fee.
Sources
The rules on this page come from the authority's own published material, checked on 7 October 2026.
Trading more than one product line?
Tell us what you want to do and we will tell you which route fits, what it involves and what we would need from you.