A general trading license in Dubai lets one company buy and sell a wide range of unrelated goods under a single license. It suits importers, exporters, and distributors who do not want to be tied to one product line.
If you already know you want to trade inside the UAE market, start with our guide to mainland company formation in Dubai. This article goes one level deeper and walks through the general trading route itself: the steps, the documents, customs registration, and what it costs to start.
It is written by the business formation team at Exactitude Business Services, drawing on 14+ years in the UAE. The process steps come from official sources, including the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the Invest in Dubai platform, the Dubai government portal, and Dubai Customs. Where a point is our own practice, we say so.
What a General Trading License in Dubai Covers
A general trading license is a commercial license. Instead of one product group, it allows a company to trade in many categories of goods, such as electronics, textiles, furniture, building materials, and household items, under one license.
In practice, it is the license importers and distributors choose when:
- They source different product types from several countries.
- They plan to re-export to other GCC, African, or Asian markets.
- They expect their product range to change as demand changes.
- They want to supply retailers, contractors, and other businesses across several sectors.
General trading is a trading license, not a retail shop permit. If you also want to run a shop, open a restaurant or provide services, those activities usually need to be listed separately and may have their own conditions.
General Trading vs a Specific Trading License
Many owners compare general trading with a trading license for a named product group, such as “mobile phones and accessories trading” or “foodstuff trading”.
- A specific trading license covers one product group, or a few related ones. It can be the simpler route if your business will always stay in one sector.
- A general trading license covers a broad range of goods. It gives room to grow without amending the license each time you add a new product line.
Some points to weigh:
- Flexibility: general trading leaves room to add product lines later.
- Premises: on the mainland, the type and size of premises can depend on the activity. We check this with you at the start, because it affects cost.
- Regulated goods: neither route removes the need for product-specific approvals. Food, cosmetics, medicines, chemicals, and some other goods have their own rules, whichever license you hold.
- Customs: both routes register with Dubai Customs in the same way, according to the activities on the license.
Mainland or Free Zone for a General Trading Company in Dubai?
The jurisdiction decides where you can trade and how you reach customers.
Dubai mainland
A mainland general trading company is licensed by DET. It can trade directly with customers anywhere in the UAE, take government and private contracts, and import and export.
The Dubai government portal and the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism confirm that most commercial activities allow 100% foreign ownership, under the Commercial Companies Law as amended in 2020. A small number of activities with strategic impact still need an Emirati partner. General trading is generally open to full foreign ownership, but we confirm this for your exact activity list before you apply.
Free zones
Free zones such as IFZA and Meydan also license general trading. A free zone company is well suited to international trade and re-export. Trading directly into the UAE local market from a free zone usually needs a local distributor, a mainland branch or other arrangements, so plan this early if UAE customers are your main market.
For a free zone route, see our IFZA business setup cost guide or our wider free zone company setup page. If you are choosing between zones, our IFZA vs Meydan vs DMCC guide compares them side by side.
A quick way to decide
- Most customers inside the UAE? The mainland is usually the more direct route.
- Mostly import, re-export, and international buyers? A free zone can work well.
- Both? Some groups use a free zone company for international trade and a mainland company for local sales. We review this case by case.
Step by Step: Getting a General Trading License on the Dubai Mainland
The Dubai government portal and DET describe three core steps for a mainland business license: initial approval, trade name reservation, and license issuance. Around them, a general trading company has some preparation and some follow-up.
1. Confirm the activity and legal form
Choose general trading as your main activity on the Invest in Dubai platform, and decide on the legal form. Most foreign owners choose a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a One Person LLC. List any other activities you need now, rather than amending later.
2. Check for additional approvals
The Dubai government portal advises checking, before you start, whether your activities need approval from other government entities. For general trading, this depends mostly on the goods. See the section on regulated goods below.
3. Reserve the trade name
Your trade name must follow Dubai’s naming rules. DET allows you to reserve the trade name either before or after initial approval. Names usually need to reflect the legal form, and certain words and references are not allowed. We suggest preparing two or three options.
4. Get initial approval
DET reviews the application and documents and issues initial approval. According to DET, initial approval lets you continue with other procedures, such as securing premises and applying for approvals from other authorities.
5. Secure premises and register the lease
A mainland company needs a business address in Dubai. You lease suitable premises and register the tenancy contract through Ejari. For trading companies, think about where stock will be held. Office space and warehouse space are different questions.
6. Sign the Memorandum of Association
For an LLC, the shareholders sign the Memorandum of Association (MoA). Dubai offers electronic MoA options for some company types.
7. Collect the license
Once the initial approval, trade name, MoA, premises, and any additional approvals are in place, DET issues the business license. You can then move on to customs registration, the establishment card, visas and banking.
How long does it take?
Timing varies. It depends on how complete your documents are, whether any approvals are needed, how quickly premises are finalised and whether foreign documents need attestation. Simple cases move faster. Cases with corporate shareholders or regulated goods usually take longer. We give you a realistic timeline once we have reviewed your file.
Documents You Will Need
The Dubai government portal lists these documents for initial approval of a new business:
- A copy of each licensee’s passport or Emirates ID.
- A copy of the residence permit or visa, where applicable.
- The company’s Articles of Association (not applicable for a One Person LLC).
For later steps, expect:
- The reserved trade name certificate.
- The signed Memorandum of Association.
- The Ejari-registered tenancy contract for your premises.
- Any additional approvals required for your goods.
If a company is the shareholder
Branches of foreign companies, or of free zone companies, need a copy of the parent company’s license. The Dubai portal also states that foreign documents must be attested in the country of origin and by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and legally translated into Arabic where required. Our attestation and legal translation services cover this part of the file.
Additional Approvals for Regulated Goods
This is the part of a general trading license in Dubai that surprises people most. The license is broad, but some goods are regulated by other authorities.
Examples of goods where extra approvals or product registration may apply include:
- Food and beverages.
- Cosmetics and personal care products.
- Medicines, medical devices and health products.
- Chemicals and hazardous materials.
- Telecommunications equipment.
- Some vehicles, parts and equipment.
DET notes that initial approval lets you apply to other authorities whose approval your activity needs. The exact authority and requirement depend on the product. We check the product list you plan to trade before you apply, so you know which approvals sit on your path.
Expert tip: write a short list of your first 10 to 20 products before you start. It is the quickest way to spot regulated goods early.
Registering With Dubai Customs
A general trading company that imports or exports through Dubai needs a customs code. According to Dubai Customs:
- Any business licensed by a competent authority in the UAE or GCC can register online through the Dubai Trade portal.
- The business type you register, such as importer and exporter, must match the activities on your license.
- Required documents include a valid trade license copy and the authorised person’s passport and Emirates ID copies. Dubai Trade also lists an undertaking letter for importers.
- After registration, Dubai Customs issues a unique business code.
- The validity of the code follows the validity of your license, so it is renewed after the license is renewed.
Dubai Customs also states that the client code can be suspended if it is not renewed within 60 days of expiry, or if no customs transaction is processed for six months. Keep it active if you trade only occasionally.
What a General Trading License in Dubai Costs to Start
Costs depend on the jurisdiction, the number of visas, the premises, and any approvals your goods need. As a starting point, Exactitude Business Services packages begin at:
- Dubai mainland: from AED 11,000 without a visa, or from AED 23,750 with 1 visa.
- IFZA: from AED 12,999.
- Meydan and other Dubai free zones: from AED 12,500.
These are starting figures, not a fixed quote for general trading. Premises, product approvals, customs registration fees and visa medicals are added depending on your case. We share a written estimate once we know your activity list, shareholders, and visa needs.
After the License: Bank, Visas, VAT and Books
The license is the start, not the finish. A new general trading company usually needs:
- An establishment card and visas for owners and staff. Our PRO services in Dubai handle the government paperwork.
- A corporate bank account. Banks review trading companies closely, especially for cross-border flows. Preparation helps, but every bank makes its own decision. Read more on corporate bank account opening.
- VAT registration once taxable supplies and imports pass the threshold. Imports count towards it, which catches many traders early.
- Corporate Tax registration, which applies to UAE companies separately from VAT.
- Inventory bookkeeping. Stock, landed costs, customs duty, and VAT on imports all need correct treatment from the first shipment. Our accounting and bookkeeping services set this up for trading companies.
Common Mistakes When Setting Up a General Trading Company
These are the issues we most often fix:
- Choosing a free zone when most customers are in the UAE local market.
- Leaving regulated goods off the plan until the first shipment is held.
- Picking premises before checking what the activity needs.
- Forgetting the customs code, then finding that goods cannot be cleared in the company’s name.
- Unattested corporate documents from abroad.
- Treating import VAT and customs duty as general expenses instead of tracking them properly.
- Letting the customs code lapse after a quiet period.
A Client’s Experience Setting Up a General Trading Company
“I had been importing household goods and small electronics through an agent for two years. My buyers were mostly retailers in Dubai and Sharjah, so I wanted my own company, but I was not sure whether a free zone or the mainland was right.
Exactitude asked me one question first: where are your customers? Because almost all of them were in the UAE, they recommended a mainland general trading license. They explained the free zone option too, and why it would have meant extra steps for local sales.
They also asked for a list of my products. Two of them turned out to need product approvals, which I would never have checked on my own. We planned those approvals alongside the license, so they did not hold up my first container.
The trade name, initial approval, and Ejari went through in order. Once the license was issued, they registered us with Dubai Customs and set up our books with separate codes for stock, duty, and import VAT.
Opening the bank account took preparation, so they helped me put together invoices, supplier contracts, and a clear explanation of how my goods would move. The bank asked questions, and we had the answers ready.
What I valued most was knowing the next step at every stage. Our first shipment cleared in the company’s own name, and my accountant could see the true cost of every item.”
How Exactitude Business Services Helps
- Jurisdiction advice: mainland or free zone, based on where your customers are.
- Activity and approvals check: we review your product list and flag regulated goods early.
- License application: trade name, initial approval, MoA, Ejari, and license issuance, handled through our business formation
- Customs, visas, and PRO: customs code, establishment card, and visas.
- Accounting from day one: inventory, VAT, and Corporate Tax set up correctly.
Book a Free Consultation on Your General Trading License
Planning to trade in Dubai? Book a Free Consultation with Exactitude Business Services. We will review your products, recommend the right jurisdiction, and share a written estimate.
- Call or WhatsApp:+971 52 177 1150
- Email:sales@exactitudebusiness.com
FAQ: General Trading License in Dubai
What is a general trading license in Dubai?
It is a commercial license that allows a company to trade in a wide range of unrelated goods under one license, rather than a single product group.
Can a foreigner own 100% of a general trading company in Dubai?
Most commercial activities on the Dubai mainland allow 100% foreign ownership under the Commercial Companies Law as amended in 2020. A small number of strategic activities still require an Emirati partner, so the final activity list should be checked.
Is a mainland or free zone general trading license better?
It depends on your customers. A mainland license allows direct trade across the UAE. A free zone license suits import, re-export, and international trade.
Do I need a customs code for general trading?
Yes, if you import or export through Dubai. You register with Dubai Customs through the Dubai Trade portal, and the code is valid for the duration of your license.
Do I still need approvals for food or cosmetics?
Yes. A general trading license does not replace product-specific approvals. Food, cosmetics, medicines, and some other goods have their own requirements.
How much does it cost to start?
Exactitude packages start at AED 11,000 without a visa on the Dubai mainland, AED 12,999 in IFZA, and AED 12,500 in Meydan and other Dubai free zones. Your final cost depends on premises, visas, and approvals.