Business licences

E-commerce licence in Dubai

Selling online in the UAE legally means a licence that names e-commerce among its activities, a bank account that will settle your payments, and a merchant facility that will underwrite you. The licence is the easy part.

Online retail

Marketplace, own store, social selling

Gateway needed

Separate approval from your bank

From AED 12,500

Free zone e-commerce licences

Who it is for

This licence suits you if

What to plan for

The parts that catch people out

Stock changes the answer

If you hold inventory in the UAE you need warehousing, and zones like Dubai CommerCity or Dubai South integrate it. If you never touch stock, a desk-only licence at Meydan is cheaper.

Selling to UAE consumers

A free zone licence does not permit direct mainland retail of goods. Most online sellers handle this through customs clearance on import or a mainland distribution arrangement — get the structure right before you launch.

Payment processing is separate

Your merchant account is underwritten independently of your bank account, with its own rates and its own reasons for refusal. See payment gateways.

Questions

Questions about this licence

Which is better for e-commerce, mainland or free zone?

Free zone is cheaper and faster, and works well if you sell internationally or fulfil from outside the UAE. Mainland is better if you sell directly to UAE consumers at scale, operate physical retail alongside online, or want to avoid the import and distribution complications entirely.

Do I need a physical address for an e-commerce licence?

A registered address, yes — usually the flexi-desk bundled with your licence. A warehouse is only needed if you hold stock in the UAE. Payment processors and banks do look at whether the address is plausible for the business described.

Can Emirates Business Lounge handle the approvals as well as the licence?

Yes. Where an activity needs a regulator — municipality, RERA, DET tourism, civil defence, a health authority — we prepare and submit the approval alongside the licence application rather than leaving you to discover it afterwards.

Free consultation

Planning to launch in this sector?

We will confirm the licence type, the activity codes, every approval you need and the realistic timeline — before you sign a lease or pay a fee.

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