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Medical equipment trading licence, device by device

A medical equipment trading licence pairs DET with an EDE warehouse licence, and every device needs its own registration.

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Stainless steel surgical and dental instruments laid out on a sterile tray
Usual route
Mainland or free zone
Extra approval
EDE warehouse
Timeline
Months
AML
Not a DNFBP activity
At a glance

A medical equipment trading licence in Dubai starts with a DET or free zone trade licence, and the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) handles the rest. EDE licenses the medical warehouse, which needs a pharmacist or a medical devices engineer as technical manager. Each device then needs its own EDE marketing authorisation before it is sold.

Covers
Medical devices, instruments and consumables sold to healthcare buyers
Not covered
Medicines, equipment rental, manufacturing and walk-in retail
Premises
A medical warehouse that passes EDE and Civil Defence
Timeline
Months; device registrations set the first sale

Which products the licence covers

The activity covers trading medical devices and consumables with hospitals, clinics and other traders. Most of it, syringes and dressings included, counts as medical devices.

Covered

Not covered

  • Covered by a pharmaceutical warehouse licence
  • Covered by a medical equipment rental activity
  • Covered by a manufacturing licence and EDE factory registration
  • Covered by Pharmacy

Installing and servicing what you sell sits well as a second activity, and we add it before the first tender asks for it.

Free zone stock or mainland supply

Importers holding stock for the region often sit in a free zone. Supplying Dubai clinics and hospitals day to day points to the mainland.

Likely route by where most of your clients are
If most of your clients areLikely routeWhy
Distributors re-exporting across the GCCFree zoneStock waits outside customs duty until it enters the UAE market
Private clinics and hospitals in DubaiMainland (DET)Regular local deliveries suit a DET licence
Government hospital tendersEither routeEach tender sets the licences and registrations it accepts

A free zone distributor with regular mainland buyers can add a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Mainland sales face the QFZP qualifying income test.

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

Medical equipment trading licence and EDE

The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) took over medical device regulation from the Ministry of Health and Prevention. It licenses the medical warehouse and registers each device, and only an EDE-licensed warehouse or marketing office can hold a registration.

  1. Before the licence

    • Trade name and initial approvalDET or the free zone

  2. The licence

    • Trade licenceDET or the free zone

  3. Alongside the licence

    • Warehouse unit and fire clearanceDubai Civil Defence
    • Technical manager licensedEDE

  4. After the licence

    • Medical warehouse licenceEmirates Drug Establishment (EDE)
    • Manufacturer and holder registeredEDE
    • Marketing authorisation per deviceEDE
    • Corporate bank accountThe bank

We prepare the first device files while the warehouse is fitted out.

Company, warehouse and each device

Three clocks run side by side, and the device registrations usually decide your first sale.

Each device registration lasts five years and sits with the licensed holder, so we settle who holds it before you sign with the manufacturer.

Your company

  1. Trade name and approvalDays
  2. Trade licence issuedDays
  3. Bank account openedWeeks

The medical warehouse

  1. Unit and fire clearanceWeeks
  2. Technical manager licensedWeeks
  3. EDE inspection and licenceWeeks

Each device you sell

  1. Holder and factory registeredWeeks
  2. Device marketing authorisationMonths
  3. First import and saleDays

Re-exports, agencies and the bank

Bank viewStandard; re-exports and supplier payments draw questions

Banks treat medical equipment trading as a standard trading business and read re-exports more closely. Questions centre on large payments to overseas manufacturers and on where the goods go next, because devices shipped onward travel to markets the bank must screen. We put the EDE licence, your agency agreements and the first purchase orders into the account file together, so each payment has a buyer behind it.

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

What sets device traders back

  1. Signing a manufacturer before the warehouse

    Only an EDE-licensed medical warehouse or marketing office can register a device. An agency signed before that licence leaves stock waiting in the warehouse with nothing it can sell.

  2. Working from the old Ministry route

    Device registration and warehouse licensing moved from the Ministry of Health and Prevention to EDE. Advice built on the old route sends files to the wrong desk and costs weeks.

  3. Hiring the technical manager last

    Every medical warehouse needs a technical manager: a licensed pharmacist or, for devices only, a medical devices engineer. Hiring late holds up the EDE inspection, so we line the person up with the lease.

Questions about a medical equipment trading licence

A question about your plan? Describe your medical equipment trading plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.

Ask on WhatsApp

How much does a medical equipment trading licence cost in Dubai?

A medical equipment trading licence cost in Dubai depends on the warehouse, the technical manager you hire and how many devices you register. Each device registration carries its own charge, so a long catalogue adds up. Staff visas and the route add to it. You get a written quote before anything starts, and it only changes if your plans do.

Do medical devices need registration in the UAE?

Yes. Each medical device needs a marketing authorisation from the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) before it is sold in the UAE, and most consumables count, from syringes to dressings. Only an EDE-licensed medical warehouse or marketing office can apply, and the registration lasts five years. We prepare the files with your manufacturers.

Do I need a licence to sell medical equipment in Dubai?

Yes. The trade licence needs a medical equipment trading activity, and importing and holding registered devices calls for an EDE-licensed medical warehouse with a technical manager. Non-medical items such as fitness equipment stay on a lighter trading licence. We sort your catalogue into both before you apply.

Can a free zone company trade medical equipment in the UAE?

Yes. Distributors often hold stock in a free zone for re-export, outside customs duty until goods enter the UAE market. Devices sold into the UAE still need EDE registration held by a licensed warehouse or marketing office, and regular mainland buyers can call for a DET branch licence or permit. We map both.

Related pages

Who will hold your device registrations? We map the warehouse and the catalogue

Fifteen minutes on your catalogue, your manufacturers and your buyers. You leave with the activities, the route and the order of the DET and EDE steps, warehouse first.

Book a 15-minute callMessage us on WhatsApp

On the call

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