What items are prohibited?

UAE law prohibits weapons, explosives, drugs, alcohol unless properly licensed, certain wildlife products, currency above declarable limits, and anything otherwise illegal in the UAE. We refuse these at intake regardless of fee.

Which items need a permit?

Alcohol, tobacco, certain cosmetics with active ingredients, pharmaceuticals, and food requiring approval all need the relevant UAE registration before we can ship. Tell us upfront if your category needs a permit so we can verify before stock arrives.

Do you handle perishables?

We have cold storage at our Ras Al Khor warehouse that handles ambient and chilled. Frozen is case-by-case depending on volume and lane. Always ask before shipping perishables so we can confirm capacity and timeline.

How do I check whether my product is OK to ship?

When in doubt, contact us with the product spec before sending stock. Your account manager will tell you upfront whether it needs registration, what the duty rate is, and whether there is an inspection step.

Restricted items

12+ years of UAE logistics tells us most category questions can be answered before stock ever leaves China; the key is asking before the supplier ships, not after the cargo lands. Below is the standard list of what is prohibited under UAE law, what needs a permit, what we refuse regardless of fee, and the cold-chain capacity for perishables.

Prohibited

UAE law prohibits these categories. We refuse them at intake regardless of fee.

Weapons and ammunition. Firearms, edged weapons, ammunition, replicas, and accessories.
Explosives. Including fireworks beyond licensed retail allowances.
Drugs. Narcotics and any substance scheduled under UAE controlled-substances law.
Alcohol unless properly licensed. Alcohol can move through licensed channels only; a retail seller without a UAE alcohol licence cannot ship alcohol through us.
Certain wildlife products. Ivory, certain corals, anything covered by CITES restrictions.
Currency above declarable limits. Cash, gold bullion, or bearer instruments above the UAE customs declarable threshold.
Anything otherwise illegal in the UAE. Counterfeit goods, religious materials targeting the UAE, items banned by Customs or Municipality.

Restricted with permit

These categories need the relevant UAE registration or licence before we can ship. With the right permit on file, they move through normal channels.

Alcohol through licensed channels with the buyer’s licence verified.
Tobacco through registered importers with the appropriate excise duty paid.
Certain cosmetics with active ingredients. Most cosmetics are fine; products with active pharmaceutical or therapeutic ingredients need ingredient declaration and registration with the relevant authority.
Pharmaceuticals. Ministry of Health registration and import permits required. Most retail e-commerce sellers do not ship pharmaceuticals; specialised channels handle this.
Food requiring approval. Most packaged food is fine; items requiring Dubai Municipality food approval or label review need that on file before shipment.
Regulated electronics. Radios, drones, and other RF devices need TDRA approval.

If your category needs a permit, tell us upfront. Your account manager confirms what is needed and verifies before stock arrives.

What we will not ship

Beyond the legal restrictions, we refuse a few categories regardless of fee.

Live animals. No live animals at any size or category.
Hazardous materials without proper documentation. Including DG-classed cargo without MSDS on file and approved packaging.
Perishables beyond our cold-chain capacity. See cold-chain section below.
Anything illegal in the UAE. Same line as the prohibited section above; no exception for “we will be careful”.

We will not ship something into a grey area “as a favour”; the cost of a refused customs entry or a regulatory issue is always higher than the lost margin.

Cold-chain capacity

We have cold storage at our Ras Al Khor warehouse for ambient and chilled goods. Frozen is handled on a case basis depending on volume and lane.

Ambient. Standard storage, climate-controlled within the typical range our warehouse maintains.
Chilled. Cold storage for items that need refrigeration but not freezing. Typical for some cosmetics, supplements, beverages, and packaged food.
Frozen. Case basis. Volume, frequency, and last-mile lane all matter. Ask before shipping; we may not be the right partner for high-frequency frozen direct-to-consumer.

Always ask before shipping perishables so we can confirm capacity and timeline. The wrong storage choice on a perishable SKU is expensive (spoilage, returns, buyer disputes) and avoidable with a 5-minute conversation upfront.

How to check

When in doubt, contact us before sending stock. The full path:

Send the product spec to your account manager. Ingredient list for cosmetics or food, technical spec for electronics, MSDS for anything chemical.
We confirm whether the category is fine, needs a permit, or is restricted. Usually inside the same business day.
If permits are needed, we tell you what to file and where; some sellers handle the registration themselves, others use a registration partner.
Once cleared, stock can ship; we will not be surprised by your category at the warehouse.

For sellers bringing in a category for the first time, this is the single most valuable 5 minutes you spend in onboarding.

Customs clearance UAE clearance work and the categories that need specialised handling.

Warehousing What we store, including cold-chain capacity.

Shipping FAQ Common questions about what we will and will not ship.

Contact and support Reach the team to clear a category before stock arrives.