On 4 September 2026, Dubai Customs participated in the Executive Contact Forum, hosted by Dubai Silicon Oasis. This event served as a platform for knowledge exchange and networking within the business community. During the forum, Dubai Customs showcased its latest initiatives, facilities, and customs solutions aimed at supporting company growth, ensuring the smooth flow of trade, and maintaining the efficiency of supply chains.
Supporting the Economy
Dubai Customs took the opportunity to highlight a range of facilitations launched to bolster the economy and streamline trade in light of ongoing geopolitical changes. In alignment with the government’s economic stimulus package, the department issued four customs announcements during June and July 2026, aimed at providing companies with greater flexibility in managing their commitments while ensuring the continuity of operations and unimpeded movement of goods.
The package included a temporary extension of deadlines related to customs duties, a temporary facilitation for the instalment of due duties, and a temporary reduction of eligible penalties in customs cases. Furthermore, the threshold for duty exemptions on e-commerce trade was raised, enhancing support for businesses in this sector.
Benefiting Companies
According to the results from customs announcement number (12/2026), 6,613 companies benefited from the 120-day extension for the resolution of customs duties. This extension applies to transactions with original deadlines that fall between 27 February 2026 and 31 July 2026, covering import scenarios for re-export, temporary entry, and various types of shipping.
This extension provides companies with additional time to complete their transactions and manage their customs obligations, alleviating the pressures arising from recent changes that have impacted trade and shipping activities. By facilitating flexible approaches to settling due obligations, Dubai Customs aims to enhance compliance and ensure business sustainability.
Raising Exemption Limits
In the realm of e-commerce, Dubai Customs has increased the exemption limit on duties for e-commerce shipments from 300 AED to 1,000 AED based on the CIF value. This adjustment is designed to keep pace with the rapid growth of digital commerce, broadening the range of shipments that qualify for exemptions and thereby reducing procedural costs for low-value shipments. This initiative supports e-commerce companies and logistics services.
The forum also served to present the cross-border e-commerce platform developed to enhance Dubai’s status as a global hub for electronic trade. This platform aims to automate procedures and link them with electronic orders, allowing for more efficient transaction processing. It provides automated creation and submission of customs data based on electronic requests, as well as automated clearance for returned goods in accordance with established regulations. Refunds for customs duties on returns are processed within 60 days.
Additionally, the system ensures no customs duties are levied on eligible shipments that do not exceed 1,000 AED in CIF value, nor are service fees charged for customs declarations on shipments worth less than 30,000 AED, subject to specific categories and conditions. It also offers facilitations related to inspections, documentation, guarantees, and modifications or cancellations of customs data.