Dubai Customs exempts e-commerce shipments up to Dhs1,000 from customs duties

Dubai Customs has affirmed that customs procedures for cross-border e-commerce have been amended as part of its approach to enhancing the competitiveness of the business environment, attracting investment and reducing costs for the e-commerce sector with a view to raising the efficiency of trade operations.

To this effect, goods and products whose value does not exceed Dhs1,000 would be exempt from customs duties, it added.

Exemption from customs duties, however, would not apply to tobacco and its derivatives, electronic smoking devices and their accessories, nicotine liquids, alcoholic beverages and food preparations containing alcohol, it said.

The amendment also stipulated that goods returned via companies for personal purposes would be exempt from customs duties only if customs duties had already been paid on them and they were returned within 60 days from the date of their departure, it added.

According to the announcement, the Client Happiness Department is responsible for registering companies or adding activities to the customer registration system and including them in the platform, while the Legal Affairs Department is the entity concerned with looking into any dispute that arises or is related to the execution of this announcement.

Dubai Customs affirmed that the announcement would take effect from August 3, 2026 and that companies wishing to benefit from its provisions must take the necessary steps to adjust their situations accordingly.