United Arab Emirates — agent-bev Library

Market status

Licensed. Beverage alcohol is not a state-monopoly channel in the official sources found; it is a restricted and emirate-regulated product. Federal criminal law allows drinking, possession and trade only in authorised cases and places under legislation in force, and gives each emirate power to regulate use, circulation, possession and trade. Dubai’s model uses authorised establishments for import, re-export, distribution and supply, with Dubai Police permit categories for import, re-export, sale or supply and serving. Detailed emirate-by-emirate alcohol permissions outside Dubai and the federal restricted-goods framework: Not yet sourced.

Sources

Who can trade

Import: Alcoholic drinks are restricted goods requiring prior approval from the competent authorities. The official customs guidance identifies alcoholic drinks under Ministry of Interior and Dubai Police control. Import documents generally include commercial invoice, certificate of origin, packing list with Harmonized System (HS) codes and an import permit from competent agencies for restricted goods. Food and beverage shipments also require pre-approval from the food-control department of the concerned municipality.

Wholesale and distribution: In Dubai, an authorised establishment is defined as a company or corporation authorised to import, re-export, distribute and supply others with alcoholic drinks. Dubai permit categories include import, re-export, sale or supply through warehouses, stores, factories or outlets, and serving at licensed hospitality premises. Establishments must keep transaction records covering imported, re-exported, sold, supplied and transferred quantities, and the names and permit details of supplied establishments.

Business-to-business (B2B) online sale: The online channel does not remove the underlying alcohol approvals. The federal eCommerce framework covers online sale of goods through websites, applications, social media and digital marketplaces; online sellers must hold required licences and approvals, sell only permitted products and obtain approvals for regulated or restricted products. Mainland online sale needs a commercial licence including eCommerce activity; free-zone businesses need the relevant free-zone licence and, for mainland access, a local distributor or additional approvals may be required. Independent marketplace, broker and payment-intermediary treatment for alcohol: Not yet sourced.

Regional layer: Each emirate may regulate alcohol use, circulation, possession and trade. Dubai’s published permit framework is sourced above. Complete local premises permissions and alcohol-trade conditions in the other emirates: Not yet sourced.

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Customs and duty

Tariff headings: Beer: 2203, beer made from malt. Wine: 2204, wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wine; certain grape must. Cider: 2206, other fermented beverages including cider, perry, mead and qualifying mixtures. Spirits: 2208, undenatured ethyl alcohol below 80% alcohol by volume; spirits, liqueurs and other spirituous beverages.

Import duty: The official portal states the general customs-duty basis and a separate alcohol duty rate. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) publishes tariff lines through the Unified Customs Tariff for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States and local customs portals. The tariff schedule classifies beverage alcohol lines as “special goods”; use the full HS code, product description, origin and any applicable preference or restriction. A four-digit heading alone does not establish the payable duty. Exact preferential treatment for a specified product and origin: Not yet sourced.

Excise: Cabinet Resolution No. 197 of 2025 lists excise goods as tobacco and tobacco products, liquids and devices for electronic smoking, energy drinks and sweetened beverages. It states that the energy-drink and sweetened-beverage provisions do not include beverages containing alcohol. Beverage alcohol can still attract customs duty, value added tax and local alcohol charges or permit conditions.

Territorial treatment: The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security is the federal customs entity, while emirate customs authorities operate at local ports. Free-zone cargo stored for re-export can remain without customs duty; moving goods from a free zone into the UAE or GCC mainland requires customs clearance and applicable duty, and restricted goods require competent-authority approval. Other emirate-specific alcohol fees and free-zone alcohol-specific rules outside Dubai: Not yet sourced.

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Labelling

Required language(s): General pre-packaged food label information must be in Arabic. Other languages may be used in addition to Arabic. If the original label is not Arabic, a supplementary Arabic label may be attached if it is complete, accurate, non-misleading, does not obscure required information and is applied by the manufacturer, producer, packer or importer. Imported food packaging and boxes must show production and expiry dates in Arabic and English.

Mandatory warnings: Product-dependent advisory statements apply. The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority code gives examples including protective-atmosphere, sweetener, aspartame, polyol and high-caffeine statements. A general mandatory alcohol-health or pregnancy warning: Not yet sourced.

Alcohol strength: Mandatory alcohol-strength declaration for beer, wine, spirits and cider: Not yet sourced.

Allergens: Specified allergenic ingredients must be named or clearly referenced. The listed allergens include gluten-containing cereals, crustacea, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk including lactose, tree nuts and sulphites at or above the stated threshold. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites above the prescribed level must appear under their full name.

Origin lines: Country or place of origin is required where absence may mislead. If the food’s origin differs from its primary ingredients’ origin, those ingredients’ origin must also be given where relevant.

Wine particulars: Wine-specific origin, ingredient, nutrition, vintage, grape variety and importer particulars: Not yet sourced.

Label registration: In Dubai, food establishments can register a food product after ensuring conformity and can assess the food label against local, GCC and European specifications. Alcohol label-registration treatment outside Dubai: Not yet sourced.

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Age and sale limits

Legal purchase age: 21. Federal criminal law penalises offering or selling alcoholic drinks to a person who has not completed 21 years of age, or buying them to provide to that person; the offence is avoided where the seller verifies, from a passport or other official document, that the recipient is at least 21.

Channel limits: Alcohol may be drunk, possessed or traded only in cases and places authorised under legislation in force. Each emirate may regulate use, circulation, possession and trade. Dubai’s sourced rules show separate permits for import, re-export, sale or supply, serving and individual obtaining of alcoholic drinks, and fines for supplying, selling, serving or obtaining without the relevant permit.

Sale-hour limits: Not yet sourced.

Regional layers: Complete emirate-by-emirate legal purchase, possession, off-trade, on-trade, delivery and dry-area rules: Not yet sourced.

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Protected names

Protection framework: Federal trademark law contains a geographical-indications chapter. Geographical indications are registered as trademarks under the trademark law and executive regulations. A geographical indication can be a sign or group of signs, including words and geographical names. Protection applies while the indication is protected in the country of origin, and the Ministry maintains a geographical-indications register. For a foreign geographical indication, the executive regulation requires a certified and translated copy of the origin-country registration certificate.

Verified examples: The Ministry of Economy announced a first phase for national products including Hatta honey, Ras Al Khaimah ceramics, Dabbas dates from Al Dhafra, and traditional palm-frond products. These are not alcoholic-beverage examples.

Wine, spirit and beer names: Verified alcoholic beverage geographical indications or protected names registered or recognised for UAE trade: Not yet sourced.

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GTIN authority

Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) member organisation: GS1 UAE. GS1 UAE states that a GS1 number and barcode is the starting point for products sold online or in store, and GS1’s member-organisation listing identifies GS1 UAE in Dubai.

Sources

Not yet sourced

Detailed emirate-by-emirate alcohol permissions outside Dubai and the federal restricted-goods framework; independent marketplace, broker and payment-intermediary treatment for alcohol; complete local premises permissions and alcohol-trade conditions in the other emirates; exact preferential treatment for a specified product and origin; other emirate-specific alcohol fees and free-zone alcohol-specific rules outside Dubai; general mandatory alcohol-health or pregnancy warning; mandatory alcohol-strength declaration; wine-specific label particulars; alcohol label-registration treatment outside Dubai; sale-hour limits; complete emirate-by-emirate legal purchase, possession, off-trade, on-trade, delivery and dry-area rules; verified alcoholic beverage geographical indications or protected names registered or recognised for UAE trade: Not yet sourced.