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General Trading License in Dubai, UAE

A general trading license in Dubai is a mainland commercial license from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET, formerly DED), registered under activity code 4690018. It lets one company import, export, distribute, and sell across multiple, unrelated product categories. Incorpyfy manages your general trading license application from activity selection all the way through to your issued license and customs import-export code.

We confirm what your general trading license will let you trade, which product categories need an extra approval before you can sell them, and what the government charges look like before you commit to anything.

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General Trading License Activities and Products in Dubai

A general trading license removes the single-product limit that applies to a standard commercial trade license. Instead of opening a separate license for electronics, another for clothing, and another for homeware, one general trading license in Dubai covers all of them.

Products You Can Trade Under a General Trading License in Dubai

Most physical goods are covered without extra approval, including:

Electronics, mobile accessories, and computer hardware
Clothing, footwear, and textiles
Furniture, homeware, and household goods
Packaged food, cosmetics, and personal care products
Toys, stationery, and general consumer goods

Restricted Products That Need Extra Approval in Dubai

A handful of categories can still be traded under a general trading license, but only once you hold a separate permit from the relevant authority:

Alcohol and tobacco
Medicines and medical products
Vehicles
Chemicals
Firearms and weapons

If your business will move frozen or perishable stock, you’ll also need compliant temperature-controlled storage before you can trade in it. We check which of your planned product lines need external approval before we file your application. We don’t wait until after your license is issued, when you’ve already signed a supplier contract, to bring this up.

Add E-Commerce to Your General Trading License in Dubai

A general trading license covers the buying, selling, importing, and exporting of physical goods. If online sales will be part of how you reach customers, whether that’s your own website, a marketplace, or both, the e-commerce activity is typically registered alongside your trading activities on the same license, so one company can hold both. We confirm the exact activity combination your trading business needs during the initial consultation, instead of assuming it by default.

Mainland General Trading License Benefits in Dubai

A mainland general trading license is normally the stronger choice when your business needs to sell directly to customers across Dubai and the wider UAE, supply local retailers, hold inventory in a UAE warehouse, or bid on contracts that require a mainland trade license.

Sell Directly to UAE Customers With a Mainland Trading License

Sell to customers and businesses anywhere in the UAE without routing sales through a distributor. That’s something a free zone trading license generally can’t do for physical goods without an additional arrangement.

Trade Multiple Product Categories Under One Dubai License

Add, drop, or diversify the product categories on your trading license as the business grows, without opening a new license for each one.

100% Foreign Ownership on Your Trading License

Most mainland trading activities allow full foreign ownership with no local shareholder required. A local service agent may still apply to specific structures, so we confirm this before you commit to a legal form.

Full Profit Repatriation With No Currency Restrictions

Move funds internationally without foreign exchange limits. That matters for a trading business built on cross-border import and export.

Sponsor Investor and Employee Visas With Your Trading License

Sponsor investor, partner, and employee visas once your establishment card and immigration file are active. Capacity depends on your premises and activity, so we size this correctly from the start instead of leaving you short a few months in.

Build Supplier and Bank Trust With a Mainland Trade License

A mainland trade license, backed by a registered Dubai address, is often what local suppliers, landlords, and banks expect to see from a company holding physical stock and moving goods through UAE customs.

General Trading License for Importers, Wholesalers, and Retailers in Dubai

The right general trading license setup depends on how your business actually moves goods. We structure the activity list and premises around your trading model, not a generic package.

General Trading License for Import and Export Companies

Choose this route if your company mainly buys from overseas suppliers and sells into the UAE, or buys in the UAE for re-export. We register your import-export code alongside your trading activities so you’re ready to clear your first shipment.

General Trading License for Wholesale and Distribution Companies

Choose this route if you supply retailers, hospitality businesses, or other companies rather than end consumers. We confirm your warehouse and storage requirements before the activities are finalised.

General Trading License for Retail and Supermarket Businesses

Choose this route if you sell directly to the public from a physical location. We check the premises, signage, and any product-specific approvals your retail activity needs alongside the trading license.

General Trading License Cost in Dubai

Government and authority charges for a mainland general trading license typically start from approximately AED 15,000, and move higher depending on the number of activities registered, your legal structure, external approvals, and whether the license is issued in year one or renewed. This is a planning range for authority-level charges only. It’s not a fixed government quotation, and it doesn’t include your office, visas, customs registration, or Incorpyfy’s service fee.

Cost principle: we separate DET and government charges from premises, immigration, customs, and professional-service costs, so your first-year budget is easy to build and compare.

Cost category	What it can include	What changes the amount
DET and government registration	Trade-name reservation, initial approval, company registration, annual license issuance under activity 4690018	Number of activities, legal form, shareholder profile
Share capital (stated, not deposited)	Mainland LLCs typically state share capital in the Memorandum of Association	Legal structure and shareholder agreement (this figure is not paid into a bank account)
Customs and import-export registration	Dubai Customs code required before you can clear shipments	Whether the business imports or exports goods
Company documents	Memorandum of Association, resolutions, notarial work	Legal form, shareholder count, corporate ownership
Office, tenancy, and Ejari	Registered business address required for mainland licensing	Location, size, and activity-specific premises rules
Visas	Establishment card, medical, Emirates ID, residence processing	Number of visas and applicant status
External approvals	NOC or permit for any restricted product category	Which regulated goods, if any, you plan to trade

Government charges and authority requirements can change, and every applicant’s activity mix is different. We confirm your exact activities, structure, and premises first, then provide a written breakdown of the government charges, our service fee, and any conditional costs before you pay anything.

General Trading License Application Process in Dubai

Incorpyfy manages the file as one project, from your first activity check to the handover of your issued license and customs code, with one advisor coordinating the whole file.

Step 1: Confirm Your Trading Activities and Legal Structure

We confirm your product categories against DED activity 4690018, flag anything that needs external approval before you sign a supplier agreement, and recommend the legal structure that fits your ownership plan.

Step 2: Reserve Your Trade Name and Secure DED Initial Approval

We reserve a compliant trade name and secure DET’s initial approval for the file.

Step 3: Prepare Your General Trading License Documents

We prepare your Memorandum of Association, shareholder resolutions, and the full document set, with a separate, shorter checklist for individual shareholders versus corporate shareholders.

Step 4: Register Your Office and Ejari Tenancy Contract

We confirm the office or warehouse arrangement your activities require and complete the Ejari-registered tenancy your license needs.

Step 5: Receive Your Trading License and Customs Import-Export Code

Once approvals and documents are complete, we submit final payment, collect your issued trade license, and register your Dubai Customs import-export code so you’re ready to clear your first shipment.

Step 6: Process Visas and Prepare Your Bank Account Application

We open your immigration file, process investor and employee visas, and prepare the ownership, activity, and source-of-funds documentation your bank will review. Final account approval remains at the bank’s discretion. No consultant can guarantee it.

Documents Required for a General Trading License in Dubai

The exact checklist depends on your shareholders, legal form, and product categories. We issue a case-specific list before any translation or attestation begins.

Documents for Individual Shareholders

Passport copy with sufficient validity
Recent passport-size photograph
UAE visa or entry record, if applicable
Proof of residential address
No-objection certificate, only if currently UAE-sponsored

Documents for Corporate Shareholders

Certificate of incorporation and Memorandum of Association
Certificate of good standing or incumbency
Board resolution appointing a representative for the Dubai company
UBO ownership chart and declaration
Passport copies for directors and authorised signatories

Foreign corporate documents may need UAE embassy or MOFA attestation and certified Arabic translation. We confirm this on a case-by-case basis instead of asking for it by default.

Mainland vs Free Zone General Trading License in Dubai

Both routes can support a trading company. The right one depends on who you’re selling to.

Factor	Mainland General Trading License	Free Zone Trading License
Sell direct to UAE customers	Yes, directly	Generally through a distributor
Ownership	100% for most activities	100%
Warehouse in UAE	Straightforward	Zone-dependent
Best suited to	Local wholesale, retail, distribution, government-facing contracts	Import-export, re-export, international trading, lower initial setup cost

If your trading business is primarily international, buying and re-exporting without a UAE warehouse or local buyer base, compare our dedicated Dubai Free Zone Company Setup service, including trading-focused zones like DMCC and JAFZA, before choosing a jurisdiction. For a full side-by-side of every structure, start with business setup in Dubai.

General Trading License Processing Time in Dubai

A straightforward individual-shareholder application can often reach license issuance in approximately 5 to 10 working days after your complete file is submitted. Corporate shareholders, restricted product categories requiring external approval, foreign-document attestation, and premises inspections can extend this. Customs code registration and visa processing begin after the license is issued and typically run on a separate timeline. These are working estimates, not a guaranteed approval date. DET and any external regulator control final timing.

Support Services for Trading Companies in Dubai

A trading license starts the business, but most trading companies need a few things alongside it.

Add VAT Registration to Your Trading License

Once your taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000, VAT registration becomes mandatory. Our VAT consultants in Dubai handle registration and ongoing filing.

Add PRO and Visa Support After Licensing

Establishment cards, visa renewals, and government transactions don’t stop after your license is issued. Our PRO services in Dubai keep this moving without pulling you into government offices.

Add Bookkeeping and Accounting Support for Inventory

Trading companies carry inventory, VAT, and import costs that need clean books from day one. See our accounting services in Dubai.

Why Choose Incorpyfy for a General Trading License in Dubai

Incorpyfy has handled mainland trading license applications for years, and the same issues come up again and again: restricted goods nobody flagged in time, one-off costs that show up after the proposal, and files that get passed between different people at each stage. Here’s how we handle it differently.

Restricted Goods Approval Checked Before You Apply

Alcohol, medicine, chemicals, and vehicles all need approvals most first-time applicants don’t know about until it’s too late. We flag this in the first consultation, not after your license is issued.

One Dedicated Advisor for Your Trading License File

A single point of contact manages your activity selection, documents, DET submission, and customs registration, so you’re not re-explaining your business to a new person at each stage.

Clear, Itemised General Trading License Costs

Your proposal separates DET charges, customs registration, premises, visas, and our service fee, with conditional items flagged before you commit.

Customs Import-Export Code Registration Included

Many consultants stop at the trade license. We register your Dubai Customs import-export code as part of the same engagement, so you can clear your first shipment without a second provider.

General Trading License in Dubai FAQs

What is a general trading license in Dubai?

It’s a mainland commercial license, registered under DED activity code 4690018, that lets one company import, export, distribute, and sell across multiple unrelated product categories under a single license, instead of needing a separate license for each product group.

How much does a general trading license cost in Dubai?

Government charges typically start from approximately AED 15,000 and increase with the number of activities, your legal structure, and any external approvals your product categories require. This excludes office, visas, customs registration, and our service fee. We provide a full written breakdown after reviewing your activities.

Can foreign investors own 100% of a general trading business in Dubai?

Yes, for most trading activities. A local service agent may still apply to specific structures, so we confirm this before you choose a legal form.

Is a physical office required for a general trading license?

Yes, mainland general trading licenses require a registered business address with an Ejari-registered tenancy contract. We help you find and register a premises that fits your activity and budget.

Can I sell online with a general trading license?

Yes. The e-commerce activity is registered alongside your trading activities when online sales are part of your business model, so the same company can trade physical goods and sell through a website or marketplace.

What products can't I trade without extra approval?

Alcohol, tobacco, medicines, vehicles, chemicals, and firearms all need a separate permit from the relevant authority before you can trade them, even under a general trading license.

How long does it take to get a general trading license in Dubai?

A straightforward individual-shareholder application can often reach license issuance in approximately 5 to 10 working days after your complete file is submitted. Restricted goods, corporate shareholders, and attestation can extend this.

Do I need a customs code to import or export?

Yes. If your business will import, export, or re-export goods, you’ll need a Dubai Customs import-export code registered against your trade license. We register this as part of your setup.

What happens if my general trading license expires?

An expired, unrenewed license can lead to fines, suspended trading activity, and blacklisting that affects future applications. We track your renewal date and handle the renewal before it becomes a problem.

If my business only trades one type of product, do I still need a general trading license?

Not necessarily. If you’re trading a single product category rather than multiple unrelated ones, a standard commercial trade license may suit you better and can cost less to register. See the full range of DED trading licenses in Dubai to check which category fits your business.