E-commerce licence in Dubai that follows your stock
Your e-commerce licence in Dubai depends on where the goods sit when a UAE order lands. We settle that before you apply.
- Licence
- Free zone or DET
- Ownership
- 100% foreign
- Decides the route
- Where stock sits
- Payments
- Bank and gateway
E-commerce business setup in Dubai turns on where your stock sits when a UAE order lands, and the licence follows from it. Selling from abroad, a free zone store or a marketplace fits a free zone e-commerce licence with an investor visa. Holding stock on the mainland for local delivery needs a mainland licence, a distributor or a DET branch.
Which e-commerce licence do I need?
Licence
Free zone or DET mainland
DET's eTrader permit is for UAE residents selling from home on social media and carries no visa, so it does not suit a founder moving to Dubai.
Visas
Where the routes differ
A free zone licence comes with residence visas for the owner and staff. On the mainland, the visa quota follows the office you lease.
Stock
Where it sits on a UAE order
Holding stock on the mainland and delivering locally needs a mainland licence, a distributor or a DET branch.
Payments
Two separate approvals
The bank account and the payment gateway each run their own review, and the gateway is usually the slower one.
What drives the cost is the jurisdiction, the number of activities and visas, and whether you need warehouse space. We scope those before you apply.
Where e-commerce business setups go wrong
None of these show at the licensing desk. Each one surfaces later, once orders and money are moving.
- What founders assume
A free zone licence lets me sell anywhere in the UAE.
It covers online and cross-border sales, with each parcel imported to the buyer. Holding stock on the mainland and delivering locally needs a mainland licence, a distributor or a DET branch of the free zone company. With no stock in the UAE, a dropshipping licence is a light file.
- What founders assume
Once the licence issues, I can take payments.
The bank account and the payment gateway are separate approvals, and the gateway is usually the slowest step to a first sale. Started late, the store goes live and takes no money.
- What founders assume
The home-based permit works like a company.
Dubai's eTrader permit is for UAE residents and carries no investor visa. A founder relocating to Dubai who picks it has bought the wrong product.
- What founders assume
VAT can wait until the store is big.
Registration is due once taxable sales over any 12 months pass AED 375,000. Online stores reach it faster than founders plan, and late registration carries a fixed penalty.
Free zone or mainland for e-commerce
Most UAE online sellers start in a free zone, and the best free zone for e-commerce depends on your visas, banking and where stock is held. Whether a free zone fits at all comes down to one question: will you hold stock on the UAE mainland and deliver locally?
| Online sellersFree zone | Mainland presence | |
|---|---|---|
| Stock on the UAE mainland | No, you sell from abroad, a free zone store or a marketplace, and each parcel is imported to the buyer | Yes, local stock and delivery |
| What you need | A free zone e-commerce licence, the lightest setup | A mainland licence, a local distributor or, for many Dubai free zone companies, a DET branch licence |
| Ownership and visas | Full foreign ownership and an investor visa | Full foreign ownership, with the visa quota set by the office you lease |
| Read further | See the free zone routes | Mainland vs free zone in full |
Online sellersFree zone
- Stock on the UAE mainland
- No, you sell from abroad, a free zone store or a marketplace, and each parcel is imported to the buyer
- What you need
- A free zone e-commerce licence, the lightest setup
- Ownership and visas
- Full foreign ownership and an investor visa
- Read further
- See the free zone routes
Mainland presence
- Stock on the UAE mainland
- Yes, local stock and delivery
- What you need
- A mainland licence, a local distributor or, for many Dubai free zone companies, a DET branch licence
- Ownership and visas
- Full foreign ownership, with the visa quota set by the office you lease
- Read further
- Mainland vs free zone in full
We settle this question first. The licence, customs registration and banking are then built around the answer, because deciding it after launch forces a restructure.
Payments need two approvals
The bank account is half of it. The payment gateway is the other half, and founders tend to start it late, usually after the website is built and the first stock has been ordered.
- The bank decides
The corporate account
The bank runs its own checks under Central Bank of the UAE rules. Retail of physical or digital goods to identifiable customers is well understood and usually opens cleanly. We prepare the file the way the bank reads it, and the decision stays with the bank. Our banking page covers the wider picture.
- The gateway decides
The merchant gateway
The gateway reviews your model, products and flow of funds separately. Cross-border drop-shipping, higher-risk categories and a money trail that is hard to document all slow it down. We prepare both files in parallel from the day the licence is in motion.
E-commerce setup questions
A question about your own setup? Send it on WhatsApp and an advisor answers it directly.
Ask on WhatsAppWhat licence do I need to sell online in the UAE?
How much is an e-commerce licence in Dubai?
Does an e-commerce licence in Dubai come with a visa?
When does an online store have to register for UAE VAT?
Can I sell on Amazon and Noon with a free zone licence?
Related reading
- The free zone routes most online sellers useThe right zone licenses your exact activity and suits how your bank reads you, with the visas you need.
- Mainland or free zone for local stockThe difference between mainland and free zone is your customer: mainland sells to UAE buyers and government, free zone mostly abroad.
- UAE VAT registration and the AED 375,000 lineYou must register once taxable supplies over any 12 months pass AED 375,000.
- How UAE business banking worksThe bank decides under Central Bank rules.
Not sure where your stock should sit?
In 15 minutes a senior advisor looks at what you sell, where your customers are and how you fulfil orders. You leave with the structure, the customs and VAT position and the scope.
On the call
- What you sell, and where your customers are
- How you fulfil orders, and where stock should sit
- The structure, the customs and VAT position, and the scope
