Auto spare parts licence, matched to your shelves
An auto spare parts licence is worded to your stock. Used parts take their own activity, and safety parts a MoIAT certificate.
- Usual route
- Either route
- Extra approval
- MoIAT conformity
- AML
- Standard bank checks
An auto spare parts licence in Dubai can be a DET mainland licence or a free zone one, worded to the parts on your shelves. Used parts are a separate activity, and the stock needs a real warehouse or shop unit. Regulated safety parts need a UAE Certificate of Conformity from MoIAT before they go on sale.
- Covers
- New car parts and accessories, wholesale or from a shop
- Not covered
- Used parts, fitting and repairs, and whole vehicles
- Premises
- A shop or warehouse unit that suits the stock
- Timeline
- Weeks; regulated parts wait for their conformity certificates
Which parts the licence lets you sell
Each line of stock you plan to sell is listed on the licence, accessories included.
Inside this licence
Outside this licence
- Covered by Used spare parts trading
- Covered by Garage and repair workshop
- Covered by Tyre trading
- Covered by Used car trading
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Fitting parts or repairing cars needs a workshop licence, even when the parts come off your own shelves.
Shop, warehouse or re-export desk
Drivers and Dubai garages buy over a mainland counter, which needs a DET licence and a unit registered in Ejari. Stock shipped on to other markets sits well in a free zone.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers and garages buying over the counter | Mainland (DET) | Selling to the public over a counter is mainland trade |
| Fleets and workshops on supply contracts | Either route | A mainland store suits local supply; a free zone needs DET cover |
| Re-export buyers in Africa and Asia | Free zone | Stock held in a free zone moves on without UAE duty |
Dubai garages can buy regularly from a free zone parts trader once it holds a DET branch licence or permit. Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025 allows both. Those mainland sales also go through the QFZP qualifying test.
Re-export parts for Africa and Asia are often held in a free zone, in a warehouse sized to the stock. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Auto spare parts licence and MoIAT certificates
DET issues the licence with no sector approval in front of it. The product side takes longer, since MoIAT certifies each regulated line against an accredited lab test report.
Before the licence
- Parts trade name and initial approvalDET
The licence
- Licence for the shop or storeDET
Alongside the licence
- Customs registration for importsDubai Customs
After the licence
- Conformity certificates for safety partsMinistry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT)
- Shop or warehouse fit-outDubai Municipality or the area's authority
- Work permits for storekeepers and driversMOHRE, with residence visas from GDRFA Dubai
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
For imported tyres, MoIAT attests the GSO conformity certificate and issues the RFID label cards fixed to them.
Which parts need more than the licence?
Tick the parts you plan to stock to see what each needs before it reaches a buyer, from nothing extra to a workshop licence.
MoIAT's list of regulated parts changes over time. We read your supplier catalogue against it before the first order ships.
Tick every kind of part you plan to sell
| What you plan | Points to |
|---|---|
| your parts trading activity, with nothing extra before sale | |
| a MoIAT conformity certificate for each regulated part before it is sold | |
| a MoIAT conformity certificate for each regulated part before it is sold | |
| a MoIAT conformity certificate for each regulated part before it is sold | |
| the used spare parts activity, with sourcing records for every consignment | |
| tyre conformity attested by MoIAT, which also issues the tyre label cards | |
| a workshop licence, because fitting is a repair service |
Tick a line to see where your plan points.
Re-exports, cash and the bank
Bank viewA closer look at re-exports and counter cash
Parts trading money arrives as cash over the counter and as payments from re-export buyers. Both get a closer look. Re-exports to many countries need named buyers and shipping records, and counter cash has to match the stock moving out.
Questions also come when supplier payments go to traders the bank cannot place. Your supplier invoices and a buyer list by country go in with the application.
Stock that cannot go on sale
Copy parts sold as genuine
Counterfeit stock is confiscated and destroyed in Dubai. Its owner also pays a fine. Shipments from a new supplier are where copies most often turn up among genuine parts.
Safety parts shipped before certification
Brakes and seat belts are among the parts under MoIAT's conformity scheme. Stock that lands without its certificate cannot be sold. It waits in the warehouse while the lab test catches up.
Used engines on a new parts licence
Second-hand parts are a separate activity. A trader licensed for new parts who buys a container of used engines is selling outside the licence. Fixing it before filing is quick, and slower once trading has begun.
Your parts trading questions
A question about your plan? Describe your auto spare parts plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does an auto spare parts licence cost in Dubai?
What are the auto spare parts licence requirements in Dubai?
How to start an auto spare parts business in Dubai?
Do you need a licence to sell car parts in Dubai?
Can I sell used spare parts on the same licence?
Do car parts need an ECAS certificate in the UAE?
Can a free zone auto parts company sell in Dubai?
Can an auto parts shop also fit parts on cars?
What happens if you sell counterfeit car parts in Dubai?
Do auto parts importers need customs registration in Dubai?
Related pages
Used car trading licence in DubaiWhere your cars end up guides the licence and the RTA paperwork each sale needs.
General trading company setupGeneral trading company setup in Dubai, scoped right: free zone for re-export, mainland for onshore sales, and the activity breadth you will use.
Import and export business setupAn import export license in Dubai is decided at the customs line: mainland or free zone, the customs code, re-export rules and the bank that clears you.
Will your safety parts pass certification?
Know the activities before the stock ships. Send us your first order list, and we come back with the route and the lines that need a MoIAT certificate.
On the call
- New, used and tyre lines
- Garage, driver or re-export buyers
