Fruit and vegetable licence, for importers and sellers
A fruit and vegetable trading licence in Dubai turns on the cold store, because fresh produce cannot wait for an approval.
- Usual route
- Either route
- Extra approval
- Cold store
- AML
- Standard bank checks
A fruit and vegetable trading licence in Dubai comes from DET or a free zone, and the stock needs a cold store that Dubai Municipality approves for food. Imported produce arrives with the grower country's phytosanitary certificate and is inspected at entry. Supplying shops and hotels is wholesale, while selling to shoppers from a shop or stall takes a retail activity.
- Covers
- Fresh fruit and vegetables, imported or bought locally, in bulk
- Not covered
- Cut fruit, juices, dried fruit and a full grocery range
- Premises
- A cold store or chilled warehouse approved for food
- Timeline
- Weeks; the cold store approval comes before the first shipment
Fresh produce by the crate
The licence covers whole fresh produce bought from growers or the wholesale market and sold on before it spoils.
Inside this licence
Outside this licence
- Covered by Foodstuff trading
- Covered by Grocery and supermarket
- Covered by Agricultural activity
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Cutting or juicing fruit counts as food preparation. If that is part of the plan, we add the activity before filing.
Dubai buyers or re-export
Produce for Dubai kitchens and shelves usually runs under DET. Shipments passing through for the Gulf often sit in a free zone.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets, hotels and caterers in Dubai | Either route | Either works, though steady mainland supply from a free zone needs DET cover |
| Importers and shops across the Gulf | Free zone | Produce re-exported after a short chilled stop suits a free zone |
| Shoppers at your shop or stall | Mainland (DET) | Selling to the public in Dubai is retail under a DET licence |
A free zone produce trader that supplies Dubai buyers every week needs a DET branch licence or permit under Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025. Those mainland sales are also tested for QFZP status.
Free zones with chilled warehousing suit re-export produce, and the zone choice follows the cold store space your volumes need. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Fruit and vegetable trading licence approvals
DET or the free zone issues the licence. Dubai Municipality approves the cold store alongside it. Each imported shipment then needs a phytosanitary certificate from the grower country and an inspection on arrival.
Before the licence
- Initial approval and trade nameDepartment of Economy and Tourism (DET), or a free zone
The licence
- Licence with produce tradingThe same authority
Alongside the licence
- Cold store approval and inspectionDubai Municipality
- Certified Person in ChargeDubai Municipality
After the licence
- Food importer registrationDubai Municipality
- Phytosanitary certificate per shipmentThe grower country's plant authority
- Inspection at entryMinistry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and Dubai Municipality
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
We check the cold store against food rules before the lease.
Importer, wholesaler or produce shop?
Where the produce comes from and who buys it set the activity and the food approvals a produce business carries.
Many traders start at the wholesale market and import later. We register the company as a food importer once the first grower contract is close.
| The Dubai wholesale market | Your own imports | |
|---|---|---|
| Shops, hotels and caterers | Local wholesaler Wholesale produce activity and an approved cold store; no import file to run. | Importer to the trade Importer registration, phytosanitary papers per shipment and inspection at entry, plus the cold store. |
| Shoppers at your shop or stall | Produce shop or stall A retail produce activity, with Dubai Municipality approving the shop before it opens. | Importer with a counter Wholesale and retail activities, the import file and the shop approval together. |
Answer both to highlight your square.
Fast stock and the bank
Bank viewStandard review, with supplier payments abroad explained
Produce turns over in days, so a trading account shows frequent payments to growers in several countries and quick receipts from buyers. Banks ask who the growers are and how buyers pay.
Market cash sales draw a second look. We put grower contracts, the cold store lease and the main buyer agreements into the account file. The flows then match the licence.
Where produce traders lose stock
Shipments booked before the cold store
A first container ordered before Dubai Municipality approves the chilled warehouse has nowhere to go. Produce cannot wait for an inspection date, so the store is approved before any order goes to a grower.
Phytosanitary papers missing or wrong
A shipment that arrives without the grower country's original certificate, or with one that does not match the cargo, is held at entry. Leafy greens and berries lose value by the hour.
Shoppers served on a wholesale licence
Walk-in buyers at the warehouse door are retail customers. A trader licensed only for wholesale needs the retail activity added before selling by the kilo to the public.
Produce trading questions
A question about your plan? Describe your fruit and vegetable trading plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does a fruit and vegetable trading licence cost in Dubai?
How to start a vegetables trading business in Dubai?
What licence does a fruit and vegetable shop need in Dubai?
Do I need a phytosanitary certificate to import fruit into the UAE?
How to import fruits to Dubai?
Can I trade fruit and vegetables from a Dubai free zone?
Do I need cold storage for a fruit and vegetable trading licence?
Can I sell fruit from a market stall in Dubai?
Can I sell vegetables online in Dubai?
Related pages
Foodstuff trading licenceThe licence itself is quick.
Grocery licenceA walk-in grocery opens on a DET mainland licence.
Import and export company 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.
Is your cold store ready for produce?
Tell us who buys and where the produce comes from, and we set out the activities, the cold store check and the import file.
On the call
- The cold store or warehouse you have
- Local market buying or your own imports
