Short answer: the importer must be a UAE company with a trade licence and a customs code, or a clearing agent who declares the doors for you. Customs wants a commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and bill of lading. You pay 5% duty on the CIF value and 5% VAT. We found no mandatory MoIAT certificate for a manually operated entrance door. In 2026, plan for the door to land at an east-coast or Omani port and finish the trip by truck.
For sizes, styles, heat and the 2026 shipping overview, see our villa entrance doors guide.
Who can import entrance doors into the UAE?
The importer must be a business registered with customs. In Dubai, a company registers with Dubai Customs using its trade licence and the passport and Emirates ID of its authorised person, and receives a customs code. Any company with that code can submit the customs declaration, so a clearing agent can file it for a client.
Where the importer is licensed decides when duty is paid:
| Importer | What happens to the doors | When the 5% duty is paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mainland company | Imported for the local market | At clearance |
| Free-zone company | Can enter the free zone and wait there | When they leave the zone for the mainland, on a separate declaration |
| No UAE company | A company with a customs code declares them | As for that company |
The UAE is part of the GCC Customs Union, where duty is collected at the first point of entry into the union. If a crate lands in Oman and is trucked to the UAE, ask your forwarder whether it travels in bond and is cleared in the UAE, or is cleared in Oman first. That decides where you pay.
What documents does UAE customs ask for?
Dubai Customs lists four documents for an import declaration: the invoice, the packing list, the certificate of origin, and a permit where an authority restricts the goods. The bill of lading comes from the carrier or your forwarder. Check the seller’s invoice and packing list before the door ships.
| Document | Issued by | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | The seller | Buyer and seller, description, HS code, quantity, value, currency and Incoterm. Since 2023, invoices for imports of AED 10,000 or more must be attested through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cabinet Resolution No. 38 of 2022); ask your broker for the current procedure |
| Packing list | The seller | Each crate’s size, gross weight and contents, matching the invoice |
| Certificate of origin | Issued in the exporting country | Origin China, even for doors sold under a dealer’s own brand. Ask your broker whether it must be attested |
| Bill of lading | The carrier or forwarder | Consignee exactly as registered with customs |
| Permit | The authority that restricts the goods | Only for restricted goods; ask your broker |
How much duty and VAT will you pay?
Customs duty is 5% of the CIF value: the goods plus transport, insurance and related charges up to the place of import. This is the GCC common rate on goods from outside the union. VAT is 5%. A VAT-registered importer accounts for import VAT through the reverse charge; an unregistered importer pays it before customs releases the goods.
Our prices are EXW, so the CIF value is the door plus every transport and insurance cost from our gate to the UAE: trucking in China, sea freight, insurance and any transhipment. See our EXW vs landed cost guide.
The first six digits of the HS code are the same in every country that uses the Harmonized System; your broker confirms the full UAE code.
| Door | HS subheading | Heading text |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium door | 7610.10 | Doors, windows and their frames and thresholds for doors (aluminium structures) |
| Iron or steel door | 7308.30 | Doors, windows and their frames and thresholds for doors (iron or steel structures) |
Armoured aluminium doors often combine aluminium with steel, so send the broker a material breakdown and let them classify the door.
Does an entrance door need a MoIAT (ECAS) certificate?
We found no MoIAT technical regulation that makes an ECAS conformity certificate mandatory for a manually operated entrance door. The regulated product lists that SGS published for the MoIAT programme in 2022 and 2023 include “automatic door and window”, but not ordinary doors, windows, locks or construction products in general.
- The list changes. SGS notes it is updated often; check it with MoIAT or your broker before you ship.
- Powered doors are different. An automatic door is on the regulated list.
- Smart locks. The lists include low-voltage electrical products and RoHS (restriction of hazardous substances). Ask your broker whether an electronic lock falls under them, and ask the lock maker for its documents.
- Voluntary certificate. MoIAT also issues a UAE certificate of conformity on request for products not subject to a technical regulation. The applicant needs a trade licence and a test report from an accredited laboratory.
When do Dubai Municipality or Civil Defence approvals apply?
Mainly for fire-rated doors. Fire and life safety products on Civil Defence’s list need a Civil Defence certificate of compliance, issued by an approved certification body, under the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice. Dubai Municipality’s Dubai Central Laboratory also certifies some materials against that code, such as insulation. We do not make fire-rated doors.
A villa’s main entrance door is not normally specified as a fire door. The project’s consultant must still check it against the code. If a door must be fire-rated, buy it from a maker that holds the approval Civil Defence asks for.
How do doors reach the UAE in 2026?
Ask your forwarder for the route when you book. Jebel Ali and the other ports inside the Gulf are reached through the Strait of Hormuz, and on 4 November 2026 carriers were still cautious about resuming routine transits. Workable routes land cargo outside the strait, on the UAE’s east coast or in Oman, and finish by truck.
| Route | Status found | Ask your forwarder |
|---|---|---|
| Jebel Ali, Khalifa, Sharjah (inside the Gulf) | Operational but constrained; no direct vessel options; feeders subject to carrier confirmation (Expeditors; ocean status of 13 October, still shown on 4 November 2026) | Is a feeder running this week, and at what surcharge? |
| Khor Fakkan, Fujairah (east coast) | Operational, with signs of congestion (Expeditors). Maersk accepted in-gauge cargo to Khor Fakkan but had suspended out-of-gauge cargo, and could route some Khor Fakkan cargo on to Jebel Ali by bonded truck via Fujairah (2 October 2026) | Clear at the east coast or truck in bond to Jebel Ali? |
| Sohar, Salalah (Oman) with trucking | Operational alternatives, subject to feeder and inland connections (Expeditors). Maersk had paused landside bookings from both to the UAE (2 October 2026) | Which carrier trucks across the border, in bond? |
- Large crates. A crate that sticks out of an open-top or flat-rack container is out-of-gauge cargo, which Maersk had suspended for Khor Fakkan. Get the crate size early (pivot door size and weight).
- Customs. Expeditors reported UAE customs working with minimal to no clearance delays on 4 November 2026.
- Insurance and damage. See crating, shipping and damage claims.
How long does it take from order to site?
| Stage | Who | Time | Have ready before the next stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drawing approval and 50% deposit | You and the factory | Depends on your client | Importer, consignee and HS code agreed |
| Production | Factory | 35–45 days | Forwarder booked; port and route confirmed |
| Photos and video; 50% balance | Factory; you | Before shipment | Door checked against the drawing |
| Collection at the factory and export | Your forwarder | Ask your forwarder | Crate size and gross weight sent |
| Sea freight to the east coast, Jebel Ali or Oman | Carrier | Varies by route in 2026 | Invoice attested; documents with the broker |
| Trucking and customs clearance | Forwarder and broker | Varies | Duty and VAT paid or reverse-charged |
| Delivery and installation | Your installers | Local | Installation drawings; video call booked |
Importer checklist
- Trade licence and customs code in the consignee’s name, or a clearing agent appointed.
- Mainland or free zone decided, so you know when duty falls due.
- VAT registration status known.
- HS code confirmed by your broker from a material breakdown.
- Invoice attestation and any certificate-of-origin attestation arranged.
- Current MoIAT list checked, including any smart lock.
- The consultant has confirmed the door does not need a fire rating.
- Port, route and in-bond trucking confirmed in a dated quote; crate in-gauge.
- Cargo insurance in place for the whole route, including the truck leg.
- Installer ready, with site access for the truck and lifting.
Dealers, see also importing luxury doors as a dealer; for Saudi Arabia, our SABER import guide.
How does this work with Dooream?
Our prices are EXW at our factory in Wuyi, and your freight forwarder collects the door. Production takes 35–45 days after drawing approval and the 50% deposit; the other 50% is paid before shipment. Before the door ships, we send photos and video of the finished door. It is packed in blankets, foam and a wooden crate. Your local installers fit it with our installation drawings and remote guidance, and the warranty runs two years from shipment. Dealers can have doors labelled under their own brand. We do not make fire-rated doors; if a project needs a test report, testing can be arranged with a laboratory, usually at the buyer’s cost. Send your opening through our contact page, or see working with us as a dealer.
Sources, checked November 2026: Dubai Customs, FAQ and Service Guide 2025, version 9; Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security, Customs Union for GCC States; Federal Tax Authority, FAQs; Al Tamimi & Co., commercial invoice attestation (15 September 2023); Philippine National Trade Repository, HS texts for 7610.10 and 7308.30; MoIAT, conformity certificate for unregulated products; SGS, UAE MoIAT import guidelines (December 2022) and UAE PCA brochure (2023); UL, UAE Civil Defence certificate of compliance FAQ (2018); BSI, UAE Civil Defence approvals for exporters (2019); Dubai Municipality, Dubai Central Laboratory, specific rules for insulation materials (2021); Expeditors, Middle East operational update (UAE status, 4 November 2026); Maersk, Middle East operational update 50 (updated 2 October 2026).
Quick answers
What duty and VAT apply to entrance doors imported into the UAE?
Customs duty is 5% of the CIF value (cost, insurance and freight), the GCC common rate. VAT is 5%. A VAT-registered importer accounts for import VAT through the reverse charge; an unregistered one pays it before the goods are released. The broker confirms the HS code, usually 7610.10 for aluminium doors or 7308.30 for iron or steel doors.
Does an entrance door need a MoIAT (ECAS) conformity certificate?
We found no MoIAT regulation that makes one mandatory for a manually operated entrance door. The regulated product lists we found include automatic doors and windows, but not ordinary doors, windows or locks. The list changes, so check it with MoIAT or your broker before you ship.
Which port should a door for Dubai go to in 2026?
Ask your forwarder when you book. In Expeditors' update of 4 November 2026, Jebel Ali was working but had no direct vessel options, Khor Fakkan and Fujairah on the east coast were operating with some congestion, and Sohar and Salalah in Oman were alternatives with onward trucking.