United arab emirates Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in united arab emirates, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Prohibited & Restricted Imports
Last published date:

Please see UAE official websites for authoritative, up-to-date information:
https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/finance-and-investment/clearing-the-customs-and-paying-customs-duty

Certain goods cannot be imported, exported, transited, or require permits from the competent authority. The restrictions and prohibitions of goods are determined in accordance with GCC Customs Tariff Codes. The classified goods under those customs tariff codes will require a permit while submitting the online Customs Declarations. The UAE has a stringent policy in dealing with the import of banned items.

Relevant authorities and the goods categories they oversee are listed below (Dubai customs):

AuthoritiesGoods Categories
Ministry of Climate Change & EnvironmentLive animals, plants, fertilizers and insecticides
Ministry of Defense / Armed Forces / Ministry of Interior Arms, ammunitions, explosives, and fireworks
Ministry of Health & PreventionPharmaceutical products and Medical/ Surgical instruments and machines
National Media CouncilPrint materials, publications, and media products
Federal Authority for Nuclear RegulationNuclear energy-related products
Emirates Authority for Standardization and MetrologyNew tires
Telecommunications Regulatory AuthorityTransmitters and radio equipment
Dubai PoliceAlcoholic beverages
Dubai MunicipalityFoodstuffs, personal care and cosmetic products
UAE Kimberley Process officeRough diamonds

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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