Petroleum trading licence, desk, depot or tanker
A petroleum products trading licence needs Supreme Council of Energy permits once fuel or lubricants enter Dubai.
- Usual route
- Mainland or free zone
- Extra approval
- SCE permits
- Timeline
- Weeks
- AML
- Not a DNFBP activity
A petroleum products trading licence in Dubai comes from DET or a free zone. Dubai's Supreme Council of Energy (SCE) then adds a permit for importing, storing, transporting or selling fuel, lubricants or bitumen in Dubai, free zones included. Every product needs an SCE-approved source. Banks screen cargo origin and sanctions closely.
- Covers
- Diesel, fuel oil, lubricants, base oils and bitumen
- Not covered
- Retail fuel stations, refining and crude oil
- Premises
- An office for desk trading; permitted tanks for stock
- Timeline
- Weeks for a desk; months once tanks and tankers are permitted
Products a petroleum trader can sell
Dubai's rules treat diesel, petrol, kerosene, fuel oil, jet fuel, lubricants, greases, bitumen and LPG as petroleum products. Crude oil sits outside.
Covered
Not covered
- Covered by national petroleum companies only
- Covered by a manufacturing licence and SCE permit
- Covered by an SCE transport permit and RTA rules
- Covered by Shipping agency
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Desk trading and physical supply often start on one licence, and we add the Dubai permits the day a buyer asks for local delivery.
Trading desk, depot or delivery fleet
Desks trading cargoes between foreign ports often sit in a free zone. Supplying fuel or lubricants inside Dubai brings SCE permits wherever the company sits.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Buyers abroad, cargo never reaches Dubai | Free zone | A trading desk with no product here; banks study every cargo |
| Building sites, generators and fleets in Dubai | Mainland (DET) | Local diesel supply needs SCE permits for sale, storage and transport |
| Workshops and factories buying lubricants | Either route | Lubricants are petroleum products under Dubai's rules, in free zones too |
| Ships calling at Dubai's ports | Either route | Marine fuel supply also answers to the Dubai Maritime Authority |
A free zone trader supplying mainland customers regularly can add a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). The SCE permit is separate and applies in free zones too.
Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Petroleum products trading licence and SCE permits
Dubai's Supreme Council of Energy (SCE) permits each way you deal in petroleum products, from import and storage to transport and sale. The rules apply in free zones too, and product must come from an SCE-approved source.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET or the free zone
- Petroleum activity approvalThe licensing authority
The licence
- Trade licenceDET or the free zone
After the licence
- Import, sale and storage permitsDubai Supreme Council of Energy (SCE)
- Tank and depot safety clearanceDubai Civil Defence
- Tanker permits and vehicle rulesSCE and the RTA
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
We map each permit to how your product moves.
Where does the product sit?
Dubai's permits follow the product, so where it physically sits matters as much as what it is.
A desk that starts delivering locally moves from the left column to the right, so we plan the permits before the first local order.
| Traded abroad, never in Dubai | Brought into, stored or moved in Dubai | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuels and bitumen | A trading desk A licence with the petroleum activity and its approval; banks read every cargo closely. | Fuel handled in Dubai SCE permits for each step you take, and product from SCE-approved sources only. |
| Lubricants, greases and base oils | Lubricants traded abroad A lubricants trading activity; Dubai's permits start the day stock lands here. | Lubricants stocked in Dubai SCE storage and sale permits; blending base oils brings a manufacturing permit too. |
Answer both to highlight your square.
What the bank asks a petroleum trader
Bank viewSpecialist appetite; cargo origin and sanctions screening
Banks give petroleum trading specialist attention, because sanctioned oil moves through the region. Expect questions on the origin of each cargo, the vessels and their routes, your counterparties and how trades are financed. We put your supplier and buyer contracts, the SCE permits where product touches Dubai and a written sanctions screening policy into the account file. The bank can then follow every cargo.
AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.
Common mistakes in fuel trading
Diesel from an unapproved source
Dubai requires proof that petroleum products came from an SCE-approved company. Cheap diesel with a thin paper trail is what the 2026 inspection campaigns targeted, along with missing source records.
Storing product at an unlicensed site
Storage needs its own SCE permit and a site that meets Civil Defence and safety standards. Diesel kept at unlicensed facilities is one of the findings inspectors have reported.
A desk that starts handling product
A desk set up for cargoes abroad drifts into local supply when a buyer asks for delivery. That step brings SCE permits, so we add them before the first local order.
Questions about a petroleum products trading licence
A question about your plan? Describe your petroleum products trading plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does a petroleum products trading licence cost in Dubai?
What do you need for an oil trading licence in Dubai?
Do I need a permit to trade diesel in Dubai?
Can a free zone company trade petroleum products in Dubai?
Can I trade lubricants on a general trading licence?
Related pages
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Will your product ever touch Dubai? The permits follow the product
Fifteen minutes on your products, your buyers and where the cargo moves. You leave with the activities, the route, the SCE permits you need and what the bank will ask.
On the call
- The activity wording that fits your plan
- The route, and the approvals in order
- A written quote before any work starts
