Certificates of origin in the UAE: when you need one and how to apply

A certificate of origin states the country where goods were made. In the UAE, the Ministry of Economy and Tourism issues preferential certificates, which let exports claim lower duties under trade agreements, and the Ministry and the chambers of commerce share the issue of non-preferential ones. Exporters apply online with the export invoice, and each issuer sets its own fee.

Key takeaways

• A preferential certificate of origin claims the lower duty a trade agreement gives; a non-preferential one proves where the goods come from.
• The Ministry of Economy and Tourism issues preferential certificates under the UAE's trade agreements; non-preferential certificates are split between the Ministry and the chambers by type.
• The Ministry charges AED 10 to AED 200 depending on the invoice value and takes one working day on average.
• Dubai Chambers charges its members AED 100 and approves complete applications within two hours.
• Imports for personal use and other goods not brought in for trade can be exempted from proving their non-preferential origin.

On this page 9 sections

What a certificate of origin is

A certificate of origin is an official document that states where the goods in a shipment originate. It goes with the commercial invoice, and customs in the importing country use it to decide which duties and trade rules apply.

Law on rules and certificates of origin

Federal Law No. 11 of 2019

Federal Law No. 11 of 2019 on Rules and Certificates of Origin and its Implementing Regulation (Cabinet Decision No. 43 of 2022) set how the origin of goods is determined; competence for non-preferential certificates of origin is divided between the Ministry of Economy and the chambers of commerce and industry by type of certificate, for national and re-exported foreign products, and preferential certificates of origin issued under the trade agreements the UAE is party to follow the rules of origin set in those agreements.

The Implementing Regulation also sets the criteria for treating a product as national, such as the manufacturing processes it went through and the inputs used. It requires UAE non-preferential certificates to carry an electronic link, a QR code or both, so that a certificate can be checked as genuine; preferential certificates carry them too, unless the agreement concerned provides otherwise.

Preferential and non-preferential certificates

The two types answer different questions: a preferential certificate claims a lower duty under an agreement, and a non-preferential certificate only proves where the goods come from.

The agreements concerned are the free trade agreements and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) the UAE has concluded; each one sets its own rules of origin. Dubai Chambers also lists a separate Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) certificate of origin service, for reduced duties on goods exported from Dubai to eligible countries.

Who issues certificates of origin

Two kinds of body issue certificates: the federal Ministry of Economy and Tourism, and the emirates’ chambers of commerce and industry.

Ministry of Economy and Tourism

The Ministry issues both preferential and non-preferential certificates for exporting locally made products. Only producers and exporters registered with the Ministry can apply.

Ministry fee, by invoice value

AED 10 to AED 200 by invoice value

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism issues preferential and non-preferential certificates of origin for exporting locally made products; its fee depends on the invoice value: AED 10 up to AED 1,000, AED 20 from 1,001 to 5,000, AED 30 from 5,001 to 20,000, AED 40 from 20,001 to 40,000, AED 50 from 40,001 to 100,000, AED 100 from 100,001 to 500,000 and AED 200 above 500,001; average delivery is one working day.

The service runs through the Ministry’s website and smart app, and applications can be made 24 hours a day.

Chambers of commerce

Chambers issue certificates of origin to their members for goods they export, and for a re-export of goods first imported into the UAE.

Dubai Chambers certificate of origin

AED 100; two hours

Dubai Chambers issues certificates of origin, which certify the origin of goods being exported or re-exported, to Dubai Chamber of Commerce members for AED 100, with approval within two hours of submission when all requirements are met; a commercial invoice is the primary document, and AED 5 is charged for each commercial invoice page after the fifth and for each page of the packing list.

Other chambers run their own services. The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry issues certificates for export and re-export by companies in Abu Dhabi, with valid membership required for commercial exports, and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry issues them to its members for export and re-export. Each chamber sets its own fees: Abu Dhabi Chamber lists them on its service page, and Sharjah Chamber’s page says its fee depends on the invoice value.

Documents you need

The commercial or export invoice is the core document everywhere; the rest depends on the issuer and on whether the goods were made in the UAE.

Dubai Chambers can also ask for a packing list, bills of the exporting country or the exporter’s country invoice. Abu Dhabi Chamber asks for the original invoice and a packing list, and for goods made in the UAE it adds the factory’s invoices and a valid factory licence.

How to apply, step by step

Both the Ministry and Dubai Chambers work online: the applicant submits the documents, pays, and downloads the certificate that the issuer generates.

Through the Ministry

1. Register the company in the Ministry’s system as an exporter or a producer and qualify it. A producer also adds and qualifies its products.
2. Fill in the application for the shipment and attach the documents.
3. Pay the fee.
4. The Ministry reviews the data and documents and sends a message if anything is missing.
5. Once the request meets all the conditions, download the certificate from the workspace.

The Ministry gives one working day as the average time to deliver the service.

Through Dubai Chambers

1. Log in to the Dubai Chambers services portal, or the Dubai Chambers app, with a member account.
2. Submit the application with the required documents.
3. Dubai Chambers reviews the request and approves a complete one within two hours.
4. Pay the fee and download the certificate.

Abu Dhabi Chamber follows the same pattern: log in with UAE PASS, submit, pay and receive the certificate. Export declarations and the rest of the export process are a separate step with customs.

Certificates of origin on imports into the UAE

On imports, customs can ask for a certificate of origin with the declaration; it is not demanded for every consignment.

Dubai Customs declaration documents

AED 15 to AED 100 per declaration

Dubai Customs charges AED 15 to AED 100 for an import or export declaration depending on the declaration type and shipping channel (transit AED 15 to AED 80, transfer AED 80, temporary admission AED 100), plus the AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee on service costs of AED 50 and above; the documents required are the invoice, the packing list, the certificate of origin and any permit from a restricting authority, and the service completion time is 2 working hours.

The GCC Unified Guide for Customs Procedures at First Points of Entry, published on the Abu Dhabi Customs website, lists the certificate of origin “if requested” among the documents attached to the declaration for commercial and personal imports.

The Implementing Regulation lists cases in which imports can be exempted from proving their non-preferential origin. Most are goods not brought in for trade, such as small parcels between individuals, travellers’ luggage, occasional imports for personal use, samples and advertising material with no commercial value, and the personal effects of people coming to live in the UAE; goods in transit or under temporary admission are also on the list. Instead of a non-preferential certificate, the regulation also accepts a commercial invoice from the competent authority of the exporting country that states the origin, a permanent marking of origin on the product, or other documents the authorities ask for.

To claim a lower rate under an agreement on import, the importer presents the proof of origin the agreement requires, such as a preferential certificate from the exporting partner country, in the form and under the rules the agreement sets. The clearance process is covered in importing goods into the UAE, and the rates in UAE customs duty.

Fees: a worked example

The fees below are the issuers’ own published fees, as shown on the Ministry of Economy and Tourism and Dubai Chambers service pages on 21 October 2026. The two issuers serve different cases: the Ministry certifies locally made goods, and the Dubai Chambers shipment is a re-export.

Worked example

What two certificates of origin cost

The invoice values and page counts are illustrations.

1. Ministry of Economy and Tourism, locally made goods with an invoice value of AED 75,000. The value falls in the band from AED 40,001 to AED 100,000, so the fee is AED 50.
2. Dubai Chambers, re-exported goods with a 7-page commercial invoice and a 2-page packing list. The base fee is AED 100.
3. Invoice pages after the fifth: 7 minus 5 = 2 pages, and 2 × AED 5 = AED 10.
4. Packing list pages: 2 × AED 5 = AED 10.
5. Dubai Chambers total: AED 100 + AED 10 + AED 10 = AED 120.

Fees: AED 50 at the Ministry; AED 120 at Dubai Chambers.

A certificate of origin is one part of the paperwork for moving goods across borders; the Trade and customs guides cover the rest.