Key takeaways
- To start a perfume business in Dubai, match the licence activity to the model, whether trading, retail, blending or online.
- Dubai Municipality registers each fragrance product through Montaji, and the registration lasts five years.
- Filling or blending perfume, even at a shop counter, needs a licensed activity of its own.
- Register the brand as a UAE trademark before the name goes on a bottle.
Which licence fits your perfume model?
Related activities can usually share one licence. Start from how you will sell.
| Model | Licence activity | Plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Own brand, made abroad | Fragrance trading, mainland or free zone | A free sale certificate for each imported product |
| Wholesale and re-export | Fragrance trading in a free zone | Montaji registration for every product |
| Perfume shop | Perfumery retail on the mainland (DET) | Filling at the counter needs its own activity |
| Blending and bottling | Manufacturing, with a production unit | GMP (ISO 22716) and licensed staff for filling |
| Selling online | E-commerce activity or DET’s E-Trader licence | Advert pre-approval through Montaji |
What Dubai Municipality checks
Each product is registered before it is made, imported, advertised or sold in Dubai.
Labels carry English, Arabic or both, with a barcode, batch, expiry date or period after opening, and allergens. Products made abroad need a free sale certificate. Lab tests confirm there is no methanol and check the allergen labelling. Hotel amenities and products sold business to business register without a barcode.
Register the brand name too. UAE trademarks are registered federally with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism. A name that echoes a registered brand puts the stock at risk of seizure as counterfeit.
Mainland or free zone for perfume?
Shops sit on the mainland. Stock held for re-export suits a free zone.
Retail sales to individuals fall outside qualifying income for the 0% free zone rate, so a zone company selling bottles to shoppers does not get that rate on those sales. Shop and stock can sit in separate companies, and we plan the split during your company setup.
Our perfume trading licence page covers sealed stock, filling and the approvals for each.
