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Courier licence, with postal and RTA approvals

Delivering for others needs a federal postal licence on top of the trade licence, and the RTA governs riders and vehicles.

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A courier in overalls checks parcels against a clipboard at the open door of a van
Usual route
Mainland or free zone
Extra approval
Postal licence
Timeline
Weeks to months
AML
Not a DNFBP activity
At a glance

A courier licence in Dubai starts with a trade licence from DET or a free zone. Delivering for others also needs a federal postal licence from the Postal Sector Regulatory Committee. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) permits mail, parcel and delivery work on Dubai roads, riders included, and cross-border shipments add customs clearance.

Covers
Collecting and delivering letters, documents and parcels for others
Not covered
Freight forwarding, heavy cargo and moving furniture
Premises
A real office, with sorting space as parcel volume grows
Timeline
Weeks to months, set by the postal and RTA files

What a delivery company licence covers

Courier work means carrying other people's items. Moving freight, running a warehouse or selling your own goods each sit somewhere else.

Covered

Not covered

  • Covered by Freight forwarding
  • Covered by Furniture transport (RTA permit)
  • Covered by Delivery coordination (RTA permit)
  • Covered by Warehousing and fulfilment

Dubai's vehicle rules list mail and parcels, documents and home delivery coordination separately, so we match the wording to your contracts before filing.

Mainland or free zone for couriers

The postal licence and the RTA rules follow the work on both routes, so the choice rests on where parcels start and end.

Likely route by where most of your clients are
If most of your clients areLikely routeWhy
Same-day delivery across DubaiMainland (DET)Most pick-ups and drops are on the mainland, which points to DET
Cross-border express from a logistics hubFree zoneSorting for export often sits in a free zone near the airport or port
Contracts with online shops and marketplacesEither routeMerchant contracts can sit on either licence, and RTA permits follow the riders

A free zone courier can deliver to mainland customers through a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Mainland income can affect QFZP status.

Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones

Postal licence and RTA approvals

DET or the free zone authority issues the trade licence. The federal postal licence covers the delivery service itself, and the RTA permits the activity on Dubai roads, then each rider.

  1. Before the licence

    • Trade name and initial approvalDET or the free zone authority

  2. The licence

    • Trade licence for courier servicesDET or the free zone authority

  3. Alongside the licence

    • Federal postal licencePostal Sector Regulatory Committee

  4. After the licence

    • RTA activity permitRTA Licensing Agency
    • Rider training and permitsRTA
    • Vehicles registered to the companyRTA
    • Corporate bank accountThe bank

We line up the postal and RTA files before riders are hired.

Who clears you before the first parcel moves

The trade licence is the quickest part. The postal licence and the RTA permits keep their own pace, and the RTA clock restarts with every rider.

Riders need a good conduct certificate and RTA training before their permit issues, so we plan hiring and visas around that clock.

Trade licence (DET or free zone)

  1. Trade name approvedDays
  2. Licence issuedDays

Federal postal licence

  1. Application reviewedWeeks
  2. Licence grantedWeeks
  3. Yearly fees and reportingEvery year

RTA

  1. Activity permit decidedWeeks
  2. Riders trained and permittedWeeks
  3. Each new riderBefore the first shift

Cash on delivery and the bank

Bank viewCloser look at cash on delivery collected for merchants

Couriers draw questions where cash on delivery is collected for merchants and paid out later, because that money belongs to someone else while it sits in the account. Banks ask how it is reconciled and how fast merchants are paid. Fuel, rider payroll and vehicle finance make up the outgoing side. We put the merchant contracts, the settlement terms and the fleet plan into the account file, so the review can follow each flow.

AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.

Where courier licence files stall

  1. Riders hired before the RTA permit

    Riders can start only once the company's RTA permit and their own training and permits are in place. Visas and bikes paid for early sit idle while that clock runs.

  2. Merchant contracts before the postal licence

    The trade licence names the activity, yet delivering for others is a licensed postal service at federal level. Contracts signed before that licence is granted put the first invoices at risk.

  3. Cash on delivery mixed with revenue

    Collected cash belongs to the merchant until it is settled. Paying it into the operating account without a clear trail is what turns a routine bank review into a long one.

Questions about a courier company licence

A question about your plan? Describe your courier company plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.

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Do I need a postal licence for a courier company?

Yes, if you deliver letters, documents or parcels for others. UAE rules bar postal or delivery services without the required licence, and the federal Postal Sector Regulatory Committee grants those licences. You still need the trade licence from DET or a free zone, and the RTA permits the work on Dubai roads.

How to start a courier business in Dubai?

Choose the route by where your deliveries run, then file the trade licence with courier wording. The federal postal licence and the RTA activity permit follow, and each rider needs RTA training and a permit before the first shift. We plan these in one order so riders, bikes and contracts arrive together.

Do delivery riders need an RTA permit in Dubai?

Yes. Riders working for a delivery company need a UAE licence for the vehicle they ride, a good conduct certificate, residency through the company and RTA training with a permit. The company holds its own RTA permit first. Since November 2025, delivery motorbikes are also kept out of the fast lanes on Dubai roads.

Can a free zone company run a courier business in Dubai?

Yes. Free zone couriers are common, especially for cross-border express work. Dubai's RTA rules apply in free zones too, and deliveries to mainland homes and offices may need a DET branch licence or permit. The postal licence is federal, so it sits on top of either route.

Is a delivery company licence the same as a courier licence?

Not always. Carrying parcels for others is courier work under the postal rules. Coordinating riders for restaurants or shops is listed separately in Dubai's vehicle activity rules and runs under the RTA's delivery permit. We read your contracts against both before the activity list is filed.

Related pages

Courier, delivery platform, or both? Settle it before riders are hired

Thirty minutes on what you will carry, for whom and with which riders. You leave with the activity wording, the route and the order of the DET, postal and RTA steps.

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On the call

  1. The activity wording that fits your plan
  2. The route, and the approvals in order
  3. A written scope, agreed before any work starts
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