Commercial trade licence in Dubai

The DET licence for buying and selling goods. If your revenue comes from moving physical products — importing, wholesaling, distributing, retailing or selling online — this is the licence category you fall into.

Goods and trading

Import, export, wholesale, retail

Up to 10 activities

From the same activity group

AED 7,000–15,000

Indicative DET licence fee

Coverage

What this licence covers

What to know

Four things that affect your application

Activity grouping matters

You can hold up to ten activities on one commercial licence, but they must come from compatible groups. Mixing unrelated trading categories often pushes you into a higher fee band or a general trading licence.

Customs registration

Importers need a customs code linked to the licence before goods can clear. We register it as part of the setup rather than leaving you to discover it at the port.

Premises may be inspected

Retail and storage activities can attract municipality inspection of the premises before the licence is released. The tenancy needs to match the declared use.

VAT comes quickly

Trading businesses cross the AED 375,000 VAT threshold faster than service businesses. Register before you have to, not after.

Process

How we handle it

Activity confirmation

We map what you do to the DET activity codes that sit under this licence type and confirm the fee band before quoting.

Name and initial approval

Trade name reservation and initial approval, with any external regulator submissions identified and started in parallel.

Documentation and premises

Memorandum drafting and notarisation where required, plus the tenancy or office arrangement your licence type demands.

Issuance and immigration file

Licence issued, establishment card opened, and residence visa applications started for whoever needs them.

Questions

Questions about this licence

How is a commercial licence different from general trading?

A commercial licence covers specified activities from a defined group. A general trading licence allows you to trade almost any legally permitted goods without listing each category. General trading costs more but removes the need to amend your licence every time your product range changes.

Can I sell online on a commercial licence?

Yes, provided e-commerce or online selling is among your listed activities. If online is your main channel, look at the e-commerce licence options too, since some free zones price that model more favourably.

How long does it take to get this licence?

For standard activities with complete documents, seven to fifteen working days on the mainland. Activities requiring external regulator approval take longer, and we tell you how much longer before you commit to a timeline.

What does Emirates Business Lounge charge?

Our fee is quoted for your file, separately from the government fees. Two packages have published prices, from AED 10,620. See company formation cost for the full picture.

Free consultation

Is this the right licence for you?

Describe your business in a sentence. We will confirm the licence type, the activity codes, the fee band and whether any regulator needs to approve you first.

+971 52 222 2594

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B1 Mall, Shop 3, Opposite Mall of the Emirates