The Dubai e-Trader Licence
A Department of Economy and Tourism licence for selling from home and on social media. It costs AED 1,370 at the counter, issues in minutes through Invest in Dubai, and carries a set of limits that decide whether it is the right licence for you or the wrong one.
What it actually is
The e-Trader licence was introduced by Dubai Economy, now the Department of Economy and Tourism, to bring home businesses and social media sellers into the licensed economy rather than leaving them trading informally. It licenses an individual to sell products and services online from their place of residence.
It is issued in a person's name. A company cannot hold one, and two people cannot share one. That single fact explains most of what follows.
What it costs
AED 1,070
The licence itself, including the knowledge and innovation fees that DET adds to every Dubai licence.
AED 300
Dubai Chamber membership, required where the activity is commercial.
AED 1,370 total
The full government cost at issuance. There is no office rent, no Ejari and no establishment card to pay for, which is the entire point of this licence.
Confirmed on the day
Government fees move. These are the figures at the time of writing and we verify them against the DET schedule before you pay anything, rather than quoting last year's numbers back at you.
Who can hold one
- UAE nationals resident in Dubai
- GCC nationals resident in Dubai
- Individuals only — never a company, a partnership or two people jointly
If you are an expatriate resident
The position on expatriate eligibility has moved more than once since the licence launched, and the agency blogs contradict each other on it. We check your specific case against DET's current rule before you spend anything. If the answer is no, a low-cost free zone licence does the same job for a comparable figure — see the free zone comparison.
What you can do with it
Sell products online
Garments, cosmetics, sweets, handicrafts and certain home-prepared food, sold from your place of residence.
Sell services
IT, marketing, social media management, tailoring, design and publishing, among other professional activities.
Trade on social media
Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp Business and the marketplaces — subject to each platform's own seller onboarding, which is a separate hurdle from the licence.
Dubai Chamber membership
Included with the commercial activity, which carries its own access to events, certificates of origin and member services.
A customs client code
Available through dubaitrade.ae, so you can import and export in your own name rather than through someone else's code.
Banking and workspace perks
DET bundles bank offers, temporary employment services, exhibition access and training workshops with the licence.
What it will not do
This is the part that matters, and it is the part most people find out about afterwards.
- No shop, office or customer-facing premises. You cannot take a unit, and customers cannot come to you
- No residence visa in the ordinary case. There is no establishment card, so there is no visa quota
- No company can hold it, and it cannot be put into a corporate structure later
- No activity that needs on-site delivery, staff at a location, or a commercial premises to operate from
- No activity federal e-commerce rules exclude, and regulated activities still need their regulator's approval first
The visa exception
DET allows up to three visas on an e-Trader licence where ownership is 100% Emirati and the holder carries the legal liability personally. For everybody else, treat this as a licence with no visa attached. If you need residence out of your company, you need a different licence — which is a conversation worth having before you apply, not after.
How to apply on Invest in Dubai
The whole thing is digital and genuinely does issue in minutes once the inputs are right. invest.dubai.ae is the official DET portal — apply there rather than through an intermediary site that charges for the same form.
- Create your Invest in Dubai account. You will need UAE Pass or an email registration, and the identity documents the portal asks for at sign-up.
- Enter your residential address and your social media accounts. The handles you trade under are part of the application — this is a licence tied to where you live and where you sell, so both are declared.
- Select your activity and trade name. This is the step that decides whether the licence works. Pick the activity that matches what you actually sell, not the nearest-sounding one.
- Pay the fee. AED 1,070 for the licence plus AED 300 for Dubai Chamber membership, settled in the portal.
- Receive the licence electronically. DET issues it to your account. There is no counter visit and no physical certificate to collect.
Where we come in
You can do this yourself and plenty of people should. We are worth paying when the activity is not obvious, when you are unsure whether you qualify, when the activity touches something regulated, or when you want someone to tell you honestly that a free zone licence would serve you better than this one.
When it is the wrong licence
An e-Trader licence is the cheapest legitimate way into business in Dubai, and for a solo seller working from home it is frequently the right answer. It stops being the right answer the moment any of the following is true.
- You need a residence visa for yourself or anyone else
- You want an office, a studio, a clinic or a shop
- You intend to employ staff
- You want the business held by a company rather than by you personally
- You are trading at a volume where personal liability is a real exposure
- You want to take on a partner or raise investment
Tax still applies
A licence this cheap leads people to assume the tax rules do not reach them. They do.
- Corporate tax applies to a natural person carrying on business in the UAE once turnover from that business passes AED 1,000,000 in a calendar year. Below that, business income is outside the charge
- VAT registration is mandatory once taxable supplies exceed AED 375,000, and voluntary above AED 187,500
- Records still have to be kept, and the FTA can ask for them
Thresholds and their conditions change, and the natural-person rules are newer and less well understood than the company ones. We check your position rather than assuming it, and The One Accountant handles the filings if you cross a threshold.
Ask about an e-Trader licence
Tell us what you sell and whether you are a UAE, GCC or expatriate resident. We will confirm whether the e-Trader licence is open to you and whether it is actually the right one.
Questions We Get Asked
Can an expatriate resident get an e-Trader licence?
UAE and GCC nationals resident in Dubai are clearly eligible. The position for expatriate residents has changed more than once since the licence launched and published guidance contradicts itself, so we confirm your case against DET's current rule before you pay. If the answer is no, a budget free zone licence costs a comparable amount and does the same job.
Does it come with a residence visa?
In the ordinary case, no — there is no establishment card and therefore no visa quota. DET permits up to three visas where ownership is 100% Emirati and the holder carries the legal liability personally. If residence is the reason you are setting up, this is the wrong licence.
Can I open a shop with it?
No. It does not permit a physical shop, office or any customer-facing premises, and it excludes activities that need on-site delivery or staff at a location. It licenses selling from your place of residence and online.
What does it cost in total?
AED 1,070 for the licence including the knowledge and innovation fees, plus AED 300 for Dubai Chamber membership — AED 1,370 at issuance. There is no rent, no Ejari and no establishment card on top. We confirm the figures against DET's schedule on the day.
Can a company hold the licence, or two of us jointly?
No. It is issued to one individual in their own name. It cannot be held by a company or a partnership, it cannot be shared, and it cannot be moved into a corporate structure later — you would incorporate separately.
Can I import and export on it?
Yes. A customs client code is available through dubaitrade.ae, so you can clear goods in your own name rather than borrowing someone else's code.
Do I pay corporate tax on it?
Corporate tax reaches a natural person carrying on business in the UAE once turnover from that business exceeds AED 1,000,000 in a calendar year. Below that, business income is outside the charge. VAT registration becomes mandatory above AED 375,000 in taxable supplies. A cheap licence does not mean no tax obligations.
Can I upgrade to a proper company later?
You incorporate a new company rather than converting this one, because the licence belongs to you personally and not to an entity. The trading history does not transfer automatically either, which is worth knowing if you expect to need audited accounts or bank lending in a couple of years.
Not Covered Above? Ask Us.
Send the question as you would ask it on the phone. One of the team answers it properly — not a template, and not a sales call dressed up as an answer.