Two things: a commercial licence that covers your goods, and registration with Dubai Customs, which gives the company a business code. Without the code you cannot clear shipments in your own name.
Dubai Customs says registration takes one working day once the licence exists. NXTSTAR sets up the licence and completes the customs registration.
Last reviewed: by the NXTSTAR team.
Rules are set by the authority and can change. Confirm the current position before you apply.
Step 1: the licence
The licence must list the goods or be a general trading licence. Free zones built for trade describe theirs like this:
- Jafza: a trading licence, its most common type, plus logistics and industrial licences.
- Dubai Airport Freezone: a trade licence for import, export, re-export, distribution and storage.
- IFZA and DWTC: a commercial licence for importing, exporting, storing and distributing.
A mainland commercial licence does the same and lets you sell directly to customers across the UAE.
Step 2: Dubai Customs registration
- Any business licensed by a competent authority in the UAE or the GCC can register.
- Registration is online, through the new registration service on the Dubai Trade portal.
- You state the type of business, and it must match the activities on the licence.
- You provide the licence details, business address, activities and authorised users.
- Dubai Customs issues a unique business code.
Documents for customs registration
- Copy of the valid trade licence
- Passport copy of the authorised person
- Emirates ID copy of the authorised person
- An undertaking letter, for professional companies only
The detail traders miss
The business code is valid only as long as the licence. Dubai Customs lets you renew the code only after the licensing authority has renewed the licence. A late licence renewal therefore stops your shipments, so renew the licence ahead of time.
Free zone or mainland for trading
- Goods pass through for re-export: a free zone with storage near the port or airport.
- Goods are sold to UAE retailers and consumers: a mainland company, or a free zone company working through a mainland distributor.
- Both: many traders hold a free zone company and add a mainland entity later.
What NXTSTAR does, and what we do not
We set up the licence, register the company with Dubai Customs and tell you which product approvals to seek.
We are not a customs broker or freight forwarder, and we do not classify goods or clear shipments.
Common questions
Do I need a customs code to import into Dubai?
Yes. Dubai Customs issues a business code on registration, and it identifies your company on customs declarations.
How long does Dubai Customs registration take?
Dubai Customs gives a service completion time of one working day.
Does the customs code expire?
Its validity follows the trade licence. It can be renewed only after the licence is renewed.
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.
Starting to import or export?
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.