Ship boxes from United Kingdom to United Arab Emirates
1 to 10 boxes, collected from your door in United Kingdom and delivered to the door in United Arab Emirates. Price up front, customs paperwork prepared for you.
- Typical transit
- 4–7 business days
- Duty-free up to
- Dubai exempts cross-border e-commerce purchases worth up to AED 1,000 (about $272) from customs duty since August 3, 2026, up from AED 300
United Kingdom → United Arab Emirates
Enter a weight to see your price.
Who ships on this route
- Expats and people relocating for work
- Households moving a few boxes, not a whole home
Professional expat relocations.
Leaving United Kingdom
Sending boxes out of United Kingdom
Sending your own belongings out of the UK is straightforward for everyday things. The courier prepares the export paperwork from your packing list. The UK rules that matter most are export licenses for antiques and art, and the import rules where the boxes land.
Documents
- Itemized packing list with a fair value for each item, marked as used personal effects or gift
- Sender's passport or ID
- The receiver's tax or ID number if the destination requires one
- A UK export license from Arts Council England for any object of cultural interest that needs one; a digital copy is attached to the export declaration
Can't leave United Kingdom
- Objects of cultural interest, such as antiques and artworks, need a UK export license to leave Great Britain for any destination outside the UK. Arts Council England runs licensing, including an Open General Export Licence, and can confirm whether an item needs its own license.
- From Northern Ireland, cultural objects going directly to non-EU countries need an EU export license, and those going to the EU need a UK license. Arts Council England issues both.
- Medicines containing controlled drugs: other countries have their own import laws, so check with the destination's embassy before sending any.
- Items made from protected species (CITES), such as exotic leather, furs, or some wooden instruments, may need permits. Check with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) before you ship.
- Couriers won't carry cash, weapons, or dangerous goods.
Arriving in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates customs, in short
- Duty-free threshold
- Dubai exempts cross-border e-commerce purchases worth up to AED 1,000 (about $272) from customs duty since August 3, 2026, up from AED 300. The rule covers goods bought online and handled by companies registered with Dubai Customs. Tobacco, e-cigarettes, nicotine liquids, alcohol, and food containing alcohol are excluded. No official low-value exemption is published for gifts or your own belongings, and the VAT rules set no low-value exemption for imports, so a small personal box can still owe 5% VAT and possibly 5% duty.
- Import tax
- VAT at 5%, charged on the customs value (goods, freight, and insurance) plus any customs duty and excise tax. Customs duty is 5% of the CIF value for most goods. Dubai charges 50% duty on alcohol and 100% on cigarettes.
- Who pays
- Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
- Moving there?
- Used personal effects and household items are free of customs duty, and of VAT, for UAE nationals returning from living outside the GCC and for foreigners arriving to live in the UAE for the first time. Items must be used, personal, in non-commercial quantities, and sent from the country where you lived. Foreigners must show they are coming to work or live for at least 365 days. New items need an invoice and can be charged, and vehicles are not covered. Customs asks for your passport or ID, your residence visa, and a detailed packing list.
Not allowed into United Arab Emirates
- Aerosols, spray cans, and compressed gas cylinders
- Flammable liquids and solids: fuel, lighter fluid, paint, nail polish, matches
- Loose or spare lithium batteries and power banks not installed in a device
- Cash, gift cards, checks, and other negotiable items
- Firearms, ammunition, replicas, and weapon parts
- Perishable food, and meat, dairy, or fresh produce
- Cannabis, CBD, and THC products, even where they are legal at origin
- Narcotics of all kinds
United Kingdom to United Arab Emirates: questions
How long does it take to ship boxes from United Kingdom to United Arab Emirates?
Typically 4 to 7 business days door to door after pickup, plus any time customs in United Arab Emirates takes to clear the shipment.
Do I pay duty on used belongings sent to United Arab Emirates?
Dubai exempts cross-border e-commerce purchases worth up to AED 1,000 (about $272) from customs duty since August 3, 2026, up from AED 300. The rule covers goods bought online and handled by companies registered with Dubai Customs. Tobacco, e-cigarettes, nicotine liquids, alcohol, and food containing alcohol are excluded. No official low-value exemption is published for gifts or your own belongings, and the VAT rules set no low-value exemption for imports, so a small personal box can still owe 5% VAT and possibly 5% duty. Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
What paperwork do I need to send boxes from United Kingdom?
A commercial invoice listing what's in each box and what it's worth today. Onvoyo prepares it from your contents list for you to review and approve. Sending your own belongings out of the UK is straightforward for everyday things. The courier prepares the export paperwork from your packing list. The UK rules that matter most are export licenses for antiques and art, and the import rules where the boxes land.
Is there a duty-free limit for parcels to the UAE?
Dubai exempts online purchases worth up to AED 1,000 (about $272) from customs duty since August 3, 2026, except tobacco, vapes, and alcohol. For gifts and your own belongings no official low-value exemption is published, and VAT has no minimum. Plan for 5% duty and 5% VAT unless the household-effects exemption applies.
How much will the receiver pay on a personal box?
Usually 5% duty on the CIF value (goods plus shipping and insurance) and 5% VAT on that value plus the duty, so about 10.25% in total, plus any courier fee. Alcohol and cigarettes pay much higher duty.
Do I pay duty on used household items when I move to the UAE?
No, if you are a foreigner coming to live in the UAE for the first time, for at least 365 days, or an Emirati returning from living outside the GCC. Items must be used, personal, and not in commercial quantities. VAT doesn't apply to them either. New items can be charged.
Official sources
Export rules for United Kingdom and import rules for United Arab Emirates, checked against these official pages. Customs makes the final decision on every shipment.
- 1.Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Animal and Plant Health Agency, and Border Force · Bringing food into Great Britain (opens in a new tab)
- 2.Home Office · Travelling with medicine containing controlled drugs (opens in a new tab)
- 3.Department for Culture, Media and Sport · Exporting or importing objects of cultural interest (opens in a new tab)
- 4.Dubai Customs · Clearance of Personal Effects (opens in a new tab)
- 5.Dubai Customs · Customs Notice No. (16/2026) Amending Customs Notice No. (15/2021) concerning Customs Procedures for Cross-Border E-Commerce (opens in a new tab)
- 6.Dubai Customs · Customs Notice No. (15/2021) Concerning Customs procedures for Cross-Border e-Commerce (opens in a new tab)
- 7.Dubai Customs · Passenger Customs Guide, Version No. 6 - 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- 8.The Official Portal of the UAE Government (u.ae) · Customs duty and tariff (opens in a new tab)
- 9.Abu Dhabi Customs · Unified Guide for Customs Procedures at First Points of Entry in the GCC Member States (2025) (opens in a new tab)
- 10.Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council · Common Customs Law of the GCC States, Rules of Implementation and Explanatory Notes Thereof (opens in a new tab)
- 11.Federal Tax Authority · Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax and its amendments (opens in a new tab)
- 12.UAE Ministry of Finance · Executive Regulation of the Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax (Cabinet Decision No. 52 of 2017) and its amendments (opens in a new tab)
- 13.Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) · Import an agricultural consignment (opens in a new tab)
- 14.Central Bank of the UAE · Exchange Rates against UAE Dirham for VAT related obligations, June 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Going the other way? Ship boxes from United Arab Emirates to United Kingdom