Send a parcel to United Arab Emirates (Includes Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm Al Qaiwain)

Customs, Prohibitions and Restrictions

• Sending parcels to UAE requires customs paperwork for most items 
• As of 29 February 2024, the UAE National Advance Information Centre (NAIC) requires 6-digit HS codes on all goods being imported into the United Arab Emirates. Please note, any non-compliant items may be subject to delay and return 
• In the event that shippers do not declare any value or place zeroes on the Commercial Invoice, the customs authorities will charge a flat rate VAT charge of approximately £11 (Oct19). 
• Lithium batteries cannot be sent to this country. 
• In addition, goods of Israeli origin are not permitted. 
• The term "Gulf", "Arabian Gulf", or "Persian Gulf" should not be used on documentation. 
• Arab-British certificates of origin are needed for most types of goods. 
• Meat for human consumption will require a halal certificate. 
• Import licences are required for 
  • alcohol 
  • ammunition and weapons, 
  • medicines. 
• Foodstuffs may require a "radiation free" certificate. 
• Consumer goods should preferably be labelled in Arabic 
• In order to confirm that your items are not prohibited or restricted, please check our dedicated page here  
• Should you require specific customs advice and the latest rules please visit the UAE customs website

This is for information only and should not be considered to have legal basis. Where doubt exists appropriate legal advice should be sought.

Bank Holidays & Non-Working Days

• Bank Holidays for this year in UAE can be found here 
• Typical Non-Working Days in UAE is: Friday

Postcode Areas (globalpriority ROW)

• The UAE is currently split into four delivery speed areas - please refer to the attached PDF for specific details 

  AE Postcodes Aug19 v1 241224.pdf (PDF 1020.04 kb) 

Additional information (globalpriority ROW)

High Level Standard Offered By Emirates Post

General Advice

• In order to ensure a delivery on time, please ensure that your parcel has the full, correct address, an email address in the correct format and a mobile or landline number for the intended recipient. This will help the delivery partner to ensure the parcel is delivered correct first time. This should be clearly marked on the parcel.   
• United Arab Emirates do not use formal postcodes with a formal structure, so normal practice is to put zeroes into fields that require a formal postcode (e.g."000000" for a six digit numerical postcode), however, there is a form of postcode(s) used by Emirates Post which involves three digits (e.g. "101" = Abu Dhabi) that may be formally adopted in the future. 
• Delivery in the UAE is made to PO Boxes only and this is conditional to strict addressing criteria being met (see below) 
• Timescales shown above do not include delays caused by destination country customs processes. Please be aware that customs could add additional time to your parcel delivery. 

Product Specific Advice

• The definition of 'working days' and other important information can be found here

    globalexpress parcels

• globalexpress transit times are based upon collection times, sender and recipient locations. 

PO Box service 

The actual Emirate (there are 7) for the location must be provided when PO Box numbers are sent to - PO Box numbers are duplicated across the Emirates, so this prevents delays or accidental returns. 
  

Addressing Guidelines 

Delivery in the UAE is made to PO Boxes only and this is conditional to strict addressing criteria being met, i.e. a complete and full address including a mobile number. Please note, as there is zero de minimis on VAT, contact with the recipients is generally completed using SMS, phone call or WhatsApp hence mobile number is key.  
  
An example of a complete and full address including a PO Box and telephone number is below, i.e. the address must include the full town or village name as there are many identical street numbers and must include a telephone number, preferably a mobile number 
 

Mr John Smith 
PO Box 99999 
Dubai 
UAE 
054 994 1779 
 

Please note, any non-compliant items may be subject to delay and return. 
 

VAT Low Limit 

Please note, there is no VAT low limit, so any declared value requires 5% to be paid and the Emirates will not attempt delivery without confirmation from the receiver.