Perfume trading licence, sealed, decanted or blended

A perfume trading licence covers sealed stock; decanting or blending changes the activity, and every product needs municipality registration.

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Cut-crystal bottles of perfume oils on lit glass shelves in a perfume shop

At a glance

A perfume trading licence in Dubai covers selling finished fragrance, from DET or a free zone. Every product is registered with Dubai Municipality before it is imported, advertised or sold, for five years at a time. Decanting, refilling and blending count as filling or mixing, which needs a licensed activity of its own.

Covers: Sealed perfumes, attars and home fragrances, retail and wholesale
Not covered: Decanting, blending, oud wood and bakhoor, and cosmetics
Premises: A shop, kiosk or warehouse; a production unit for blending
Timeline: Weeks; product registrations set the opening date

Perfume, oud and bakhoor on one licence?

A perfume trading licence covers buying and selling finished fragrance. Oud wood and bakhoor need a second activity.

Covered

Branded and Arabic perfumes, sealed
Attars and concentrated perfume oils
Body mists, colognes and gift sets
Home fragrances, diffusers and candles
Wholesale to shops and hotels

Not covered

Oud wood, bakhoor and incenseCovered by an agarwood and incense trading activity
Decanting or refilling at the counterCovered by a licensed filling activity
Making your own perfume lineCovered by a manufacturing licence with GMP
Skincare and make-up rangesCovered by Cosmetics trading

Oud oil can fall under the incense activity and bottled oud perfume under perfumery, so we word the licence for both from day one.

Mainland or free zone for perfume traders

Shops in malls and souks sit on the mainland. Importers and re-exporters of sealed stock often keep it in a free zone.

Likely route by where most of your clients are
If most of your clients are	Likely route	Why
Shoppers in malls, souks and streets	Mainland (DET)	A walk-in perfume shop is retail under DET
Online shoppers in the UAE	Mainland (DET)	An e-commerce activity or an E-Trader licence, with every product registered
Distributors and hotels across the UAE	Either route	Stock can sit in a free zone; regular mainland buyers bring branch licence questions
Buyers abroad, through re-export	Free zone	Re-export stock stays outside customs duty until it enters the UAE

Free zone stock sold to mainland shops on a regular basis can call for a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Sales to individual shoppers sit outside QFZP qualifying income.

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

Perfume trading licence and product registration

Dubai Municipality registers every fragrance product before it is imported, advertised or sold in Dubai. Registration lasts five years. Filling, mixing or packing perfume needs a licensed activity of its own.

Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET or the free zone
The licence
- Licence with fragrance activitiesDET or the free zone
- Filling or blending activity addedDET
After the licence
- Each product registeredDubai Municipality
- Adverts and social posts approvedDubai Municipality
- Corporate bank accountThe bank

We prepare your opening range while the shop is fitted out.

What happens to the perfume before it sells?

Dubai Municipality licenses anyone who fills, mixes or packs fragrance, so what you do to the bottle matters as much as who buys it.

Oud wood and bakhoor sit under their own trading activity, so we list every line you stock before the licence is worded.

Who buys it? by What happens to the perfume?
	Sold sealed, as bought	Filled, decanted or blended by you
Shoppers in store or online	Trading licence, registered stock A perfume trading activity, with each product registered in Dubai Municipality's system before sale.	Filling needs its licence Decanting, refilling and blending count as filling or mixing, which needs a licensed production activity.
Shops, hotels and buyers abroad	Wholesale and re-export stock B2B and hotel products register without a barcode; stock for re-export suits a free zone.	A perfume factory An industrial licence, a production unit and ISO 22716 GMP before your own products register.

Cash, re-exports and the bank

Bank viewStandard; cash takings and re-exports draw questions

Banks treat perfume trading as standard retail or wholesale. Two things draw a closer look. Souk and mall shops take cash. Re-export trade moves stock to markets the bank must screen, and counterfeit perfume makes that a known risk. We put the trade licence, supplier invoices, brand distribution agreements and your product registrations into the account file together, so each payment has a clear source.

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

What trips up perfume sellers

Stock on shelves before registration
No fragrance may be imported, advertised or sold in Dubai until Dubai Municipality has registered it. The opening range registers first, because unregistered stock on a shelf brings recalls and violations.
Decanting on a trading licence
Pouring perfume into sample bottles or refilling a customer's bottle counts as filling, which Dubai Municipality expects to be licensed. A trading licence covers sealed products.
Launch posts without approval
Adverts and promotions, social media included, need pre-approval through Dubai Municipality's product system. A launch campaign booked before approval has to wait.

Questions about a perfume trading licence

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

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How much does a perfume trading licence cost in Dubai?

A perfume trading licence cost in Dubai depends on the route, the shop or warehouse, and how many products you register. Each fragrance registers separately, so a wide range adds up, and decanting or blending adds a production activity. You get a written quote before anything starts, and it only changes if your plans do.

Do perfumes need Dubai Municipality registration?

Yes. Every fragrance product is registered in Dubai Municipality's system before it is imported, advertised or sold in Dubai, and the registration lasts five years. The applicant holds a licence with a fragrance activity. Products only for hotels or other businesses register without a barcode. We prepare the opening range for registration.

Can I sell perfume online in Dubai?

Yes, with an online selling activity on a trade licence, or an E-Trader licence for social media sellers. The products still need Dubai Municipality registration, and posts and adverts need its pre-approval. We set up the licence around the channel you sell through.

Do I need a licence to refill or decant perfume in Dubai?

Yes. Filling, mixing and packing perfume need a licensed activity, and a trading licence covers sealed products. Decanting into sample bottles or refilling a customer's bottle counts as filling. Blending your own perfume is manufacturing, with an industrial licence and good manufacturing practice certification. We match the activity to what happens at your counter.

Can I sell private label perfume in Dubai?

Yes. A manufacturer makes the perfume for you, and your company registers each product with Dubai Municipality before sale. Products made abroad need a certificate showing they are on sale in their home market, and UAE-made ones need a GMP-certified factory. We check your brand name against registered trademarks first.

Will you sell it sealed, or fill it yourself? The answer shapes the licence wording

Fifteen minutes on your range, your suppliers and how you plan to sell. You leave with the activities, the route and the order of the licence and product registrations.

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On the call

The activity wording that fits your plan
The route, and the approvals in order
A written quote before any work starts

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