Topic Summary
What Import and Export Between Italy and Dubai: What License You Need Means
You need a UAE trade license listing your goods activity, plus Dubai Customs registration for cross-border shipments. Most Italian founders hold a general or specialised trading license through a free zone company, which also supports a residency visa.
Choosing the Right Trade License Activity for Italian Goods
Choosing the Right Trade License Activity for Italian Goods
Step-by-Step Guide to Import and Export Between Italy and Dubai: What License You Need
Choose your activity, secure the license, register with customs, then handle visas and banking. Here's the sequence.
Customs Registration and Compliance for Italian Traders
Dubai Customs requires an active customs code linked to a valid trade license. You file declarations through Dubai Trade, pay the common 5% GCC duty on most goods and keep records for five years.
Costs, VAT and Tax Obligations for Italy-Dubai Trade
Budget for the license, visa, customs registration, freight and VAT. The UAE applies 5% VAT, and 9% corporate tax applies to profit above AED 375,000. Qualifying Free Zone Persons may get 0% on qualifying income ( Federal Tax Authority , 2025). The UAE isn't tax free, so register once you cross the VAT threshold.
Why Italian Entrepreneurs Use Dubai as a Trade Base
Dubai links Italian producers to buyers across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. That makes import and export between Italy and Dubai a practical market-entry route. A Bologna packaging machinery firm, for example, can serve Gulf clients from a Dubai South entity near Al Maktoum International Airport and Jebel Ali port. Explore setting up a trading and importing business .
Your Next Step
Import and export between Italy and Dubai: what license you need comes down to a free zone trade license, Dubai Customs registration and any product approvals. Speak with a Dubai South Business Hub adviser to confirm your activity, license package and visa options.
Dubai's non-oil foreign trade runs above AED 2.2 trillion a year (Dubai Chamber, 2024). If you're an Italian founder, import and export between Italy and Dubai: what license you need is the first question to settle. This guide shows you which activity to list, how customs works and what to budget.
What Import and Export Between Italy and Dubai: What License You Need Means
You need a UAE trade license listing your goods activity, plus Dubai Customs registration for cross-border shipments. Most Italian founders hold a general or specialised trading license through a free zone company, which also supports a residency visa.
The License and the Customs Code Are Two Different Things
The license authorises the activity. The customs code lets cargo physically clear. Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone issues the license, and Dubai Customs issues the import-export code. Picture a Milan olive oil producer: it incorporates, lists food trading, then registers with Dubai Customs before the first pallet ships. See our guide to an import export license in Dubai.
Comparison of Trade License Options for Italy-Dubai Trade
Feature | General Trading License | Specialised Trading License |
|---|---|---|
Product range allowed | Mixed Italian lines across categories | One defined category, such as furniture |
Best suited for | Agents and multi-brand traders | Producers with a single product family |
Extra approvals | Only for regulated items you add | Often built in, such as food approvals |
Customs code needed | Yes, before the first shipment | Yes, before the first shipment |
Visa eligibility | Residency visa tied to the license | Residency visa tied to the license |
Choosing the Right Trade License Activity for Italian Goods
Match the activity to your Italian product category. A general license covers broad trade, while specialised wholesale activities suit focused businesses. Food, medical and cosmetic items need extra approvals from bodies such as MoHAP.
A Veneto furniture maker, for example, would pick household furniture wholesale rather than a broad license. Licensing starts from AED 12,500 at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone. Read how to get a general trading license in Dubai.
Food: municipality and food-safety approval.
Cosmetics and medical goods: MoHAP registration.
Restricted items: specific permits.
Step-by-Step Guide to Import and Export Between Italy and Dubai: What License You Need
Choose your activity, secure the license, register with customs, then handle visas and banking. Here's the sequence.
Select the activity and license. Submit your passport and application online. Italians can hold 100% ownership. See which license you need to import goods.
Register with Dubai Customs. Get your code through Dubai Trade. Prepare the commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin. Hire a clearing agent. UAE ports handle over 14 million TEUs a year (DP World, 2025).
Apply for residency and banking. Visas run through ICP, with a medical test and Emirates ID. Italians don't need visa pre-approval to enter the UAE.
Customs Registration and Compliance for Italian Traders
Dubai Customs requires an active customs code linked to a valid trade license. You file declarations through Dubai Trade, pay the common 5% GCC duty on most goods and keep records for five years.
An Italian wine importer, for instance, classifies goods by Harmonised System code and pays duty on mainland release. Free zone stock moves duty-suspended until then, so plan your sales channel before choosing a license. Check whether you need a separate license to export from Dubai.
Costs, VAT and Tax Obligations for Italy-Dubai Trade
Budget for the license, visa, customs registration, freight and VAT. The UAE applies 5% VAT, and 9% corporate tax applies to profit above AED 375,000. Qualifying Free Zone Persons may get 0% on qualifying income (Federal Tax Authority, 2025). The UAE isn't tax free, so register once you cross the VAT threshold.
If you're relocating from Milan, review AIRE registration, Italian tax residency tests and the Italy-UAE double taxation treaty with an accountant before you move.
Why Italian Entrepreneurs Use Dubai as a Trade Base
Dubai links Italian producers to buyers across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. That makes import and export between Italy and Dubai a practical market-entry route. A Bologna packaging machinery firm, for example, can serve Gulf clients from a Dubai South entity near Al Maktoum International Airport and Jebel Ali port. Explore setting up a trading and importing business.
Your Next Step
Import and export between Italy and Dubai: what license you need comes down to a free zone trade license, Dubai Customs registration and any product approvals. Speak with a Dubai South Business Hub adviser to confirm your activity, license package and visa options.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
