Tyre trading licence, with a five-year clock

A tyre trading licence covers new tyres only. Buyers can check a tyre's MoIAT label card and its date code.

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Close view of the deep tread blocks on a new car tyre

At a glance

A tyre trading licence in Dubai, from DET or a free zone, covers importing and selling new tyres. MoIAT attests conformity paperwork for every import batch, and MoIAT issues RFID label cards, fixed to the tyres, that buyers can check. Used car tyres cannot be sold in the UAE, and a tyre five years past manufacture fails the RTA vehicle test.

Covers: New tyres for cars, SUVs, trucks and machinery
Not covered: Used tyres for the local market, fitting and retreading
Premises: A warehouse or shop sized for bulky stock
Timeline: Weeks; each import batch needs its conformity paperwork

New tyres, used tyres and fitting

The licence covers buying and selling new tyres, mostly to dealers and fleets. Retreading truck tyres is industrial work for an approved plant.

Inside this licence

Car, SUV and light truck tyres
Truck, bus and machinery tyres
Wholesale to dealers and workshops
Supply contracts with fleets
Tubes, valves and wheel accessories

Outside this licence

Fitting, balancing and wheel alignmentCovered by Tyre fitting and repair workshop
Used tyres for local buyersCovered by Export only, outside the UAE market
Retreading truck tyresCovered by Approved retreading plant (industrial licence)
Brake, engine and body partsCovered by Auto spare parts trading

A shop that fits what it sells adds the workshop activity and a fitting bay. Walk-in workshops need a mainland licence.

Import, re-export or sell locally

Tyres for the region often land in a free zone and move on to buyers abroad. Local sales usually run from a mainland warehouse or shop, with the lease registered in Ejari.

Likely route by where most of your clients are
If most of your clients are	Likely route	Why
Dealers, workshops and drivers in Dubai	Mainland (DET)	Local sales and a fitting bay call for a DET licence
Fleets on yearly supply contracts	Either route	Fleet contracts suit either, though regular free zone supply needs DET cover
Distributors across Africa and the region	Free zone	Stock re-exported from a free zone never enters the UAE market

Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025 applies once a free zone importer sells to Dubai dealers or fleets on a regular basis. The company then needs a DET branch licence or permit. For QFZP, those mainland sales go through the qualifying test.

Tyres re-exported to Africa and the region suit a free zone, and the zone needs warehouse units big enough for bulky stock. Compare free zones

Company formation in the UAE

Tyre trading licence and conformity

The licence needs no sector approval. The paperwork comes with each shipment instead, because MoIAT attests the supplier's GSO conformity certificate for every import.

Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET
The licence
- Licence with tyre trading activityDET
Alongside the licence
- Importer registrationDubai Customs
After the licence
- GSO certificate attested per batchMinistry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT)
- Tyre label cards issuedMoIAT
- Warehouse or shop fit-outDubai Municipality or the area's authority
- Work permits and visas for warehouse staffMOHRE, then GDRFA Dubai

Importer registration with Dubai Customs runs alongside the licence.

How old is the tyre?

The sidewall date code gives a tyre's week and year of manufacture. Slide to its age to see if it can still go on a Dubai car.

Slow-moving sizes age on the shelf. We look at your order sizes against expected sales before the first container.

Five years from manufacture

Below the lineIt can still be fitted and pass the RTA test, though every year on the rack leaves the buyer less life.

At or above itPast five years from manufacture, the tyre fails the RTA vehicle test, so it has no road buyer in Dubai.

Factory payments and buyer countries

Bank viewStandard; factory payments abroad and re-export sales

Tyre trading moves a bulky product in volume on thin margins, with factories in Asia paid up front. Re-export buyers can sit in many countries, so the bank asks for a buyer list by country.

Questions also come when a third party pays for goods, or when stock seems to turn faster than the warehouse could hold.

Tyre stock that turns into a problem

Old stock bought at a discount
Discounted container lots are often older stock, and the four-digit date code on the sidewall shows how old. Once a tyre passes five years from manufacture it fails the RTA vehicle test, and the discount can vanish before the stock sells.
Used tyres sold to local buyers
Part-worn car tyres cannot be sold locally, however deep the tread. A trader holding them can export them or send them for recycling, and imports of used tyres are banned outright.
A container ahead of its certificate
Attestation runs batch by batch. A container that lands before its GSO certificate is ready sits idle while the factory sends the paperwork.

Common tyre trading questions

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

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How much does a tyre trading licence cost in Dubai?

Your warehouse, activities and team drive it. A desk buying from UAE distributors is light, while importing containers, holding stock and fitting tyres add space, conformity work for each batch and more visas.

How do I start a tyre business in Dubai?

Decide first whether you only sell tyres or fit them too, because fitting is a separate workshop activity. Your buyers then set the route, and suppliers' conformity certificates come before any container.

Can you sell used tyres in Dubai?

Only for export. UAE rules bar used car tyres from sale for road use, and imports of used and retreaded car tyres are banned, though approved UAE plants may retread truck tyres.

Do imported tyres need a conformity certificate in the UAE?

Yes. Each batch carries a GSO conformity certificate that MoIAT attests for the importer, and MoIAT issues a label card with an RFID tag so buyers can verify each tyre.

Can I import tyres to a free zone and sell in Dubai?

Yes. Tyres in a free zone pay duty only when they enter the UAE market. Regular sales to Dubai dealers need a DET branch licence or permit, or a mainland company.

How many years can a tyre be used in the UAE?

Five years from the date of manufacture. Older tyres fail the RTA vehicle test, so traders watch the date code on their stock, because ageing tyres lose their road buyers.

How do you check a tyre's manufacture date in the UAE?

Read the four-digit date code on the sidewall: the first two digits are the week and the last two the year. Buyers and inspectors check it, so stock should sell well inside five years.

Do you need a licence to open a tyre shop?

Yes. A tyre shop needs a trading activity for the tyres and, if it fits them, a workshop activity with a suitable bay. Selling and fitting sit side by side on one licence.

Do tyre importers need customs registration in Dubai?

Yes. An importer code with Dubai Customs comes alongside the licence, and each consignment also needs its attested GSO certificate before the tyres are sold.

Can a tyre trading company owner get the UAE Golden Visa?

Yes, on the business owner route: AED 2 million of company capital or partner share, or AED 250,000 a year in federal tax. The entrepreneur route counts an SME with AED 1 million revenue.

How old is your first shipment?

Name your suppliers and whether you will fit tyres as well as sell them, so we can check the route and MoIAT's paperwork for each shipment.

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On the call

Date codes on the first lots
Warehouse space for bulky stock

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