Shipping from Portugal to UAE

DHL Express: 1–2 business days to Dubai. FedEx International Priority: 1–3 days. UPS Worldwide Express: 2–3 days; Expedited: 3–5 days. All UAE services travel by air. Dubai is a major aviation hub — it has direct flight connections to Lisbon, making express services extremely fast.

UAE applies 5% import duty on most goods calculated on the CIF value (cost + insurance + freight). Some goods are exempt: medicines, medical equipment, and educational materials attract 0%. UAE VAT at 5% applies to all taxable imports on top of the customs duty. No EU-UAE FTA is in force, so EU-origin goods face the standard 5% MFN rate.

Commercial wine and alcohol imports into the UAE are permitted only for licensed importers — hotels, restaurants and licensed alcohol retailers operating in the UAE. Personal import of alcohol for consumption is prohibited. If your B2B customer in Dubai holds a UAE liquor import licence, commercial wine shipments from Portugal are possible — verify the licence before shipping.

UAE introduced Value Added Tax (VAT) at 5% in January 2018 — one of the lowest standard VAT rates in the world. UAE VAT applies to all taxable goods and services, including imports. The VAT is paid by the UAE importer on import and can be recovered by VAT-registered UAE businesses as input tax. UAE businesses with taxable supplies over AED 375,000/year must register for VAT.

Yes — Dubai is one of the world's largest re-export hubs. Many global businesses use Dubai as a distribution point for re-exporting goods across the GCC (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman) and wider Middle East/Africa. Goods imported into UAE free zones (e.g., Jebel Ali Free Zone) benefit from simplified import procedures and 0% import duty for re-export. Your Dubai-based customer may be importing for regional distribution.

DHL Express delivers on Saturdays in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The UAE working week runs Sunday to Thursday, so Saturday is a non-working day — express Saturday delivery to UAE businesses is primarily useful for residential recipients. FedEx also has Saturday options for UAE. Check availability at Cargosender checkout.

DHL and FedEx in the UAE require accurate addresses and a working UAE mobile number — UAE addresses often use building names, floor numbers and PO Boxes rather than street numbers. Carriers typically call recipients before delivery. If no one is available, parcels are held at the carrier's Dubai or Abu Dhabi depot for collection. Always include a UAE mobile number on shipping labels.

DHL Express guarantees 1–2 day delivery to Dubai and offers a money-back guarantee for late deliveries. UAE FCA customs is generally efficient and rarely delays well-documented express commercial shipments. FedEx International Priority has a similar money-back guarantee for UAE. No carrier guarantees apply if goods are held for customs examination.

Yes — DHL, FedEx and UPS all provide excellent tracking to UAE. DHL MyDHL+ is widely used by UAE businesses and recipients — Dubai is a highly tech-engaged market. Last-mile tracking in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is very reliable. Always provide a UAE mobile number so the carrier can coordinate delivery at the correct location.

DHL Express: 70 kg per parcel, girth 300 cm, single dimension 120 cm. FedEx and UPS: similar limits. UAE free zone imports (Jebel Ali JAFZA) may have specific size/weight handling requirements for re-export processing. Check carrier-specific limits at Cargosender before booking oversized items to UAE.

No — transit times are air transport only. UAE FCA customs clearance for well-documented B2B commercial shipments typically clears same-day or within 24 hours. Personal imports and high-value goods (jewellery, electronics above AED 1,000) may be examined. Express carriers handle UAE customs brokerage as part of their international service.

Yes — all international air carriers charge fuel surcharges (typically 15–25% of base rate), adjusted monthly. These are included in Cargosender's quoted prices. Dubai is a global aviation hub with direct Lisbon connections — very high flight frequency keeps the Portugal-UAE route highly competitive on both speed and cost.

UAE has strict DG import rules. Air DG via DHL or FedEx requires IATA-compliant packaging and carrier pre-approval. UAE prohibits certain DG categories and items for personal import. Industrial chemicals require UAE ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology) compliance certification. Alcohol is only permitted for licensed UAE importers. Contact Cargosender before booking any DG shipment to UAE.

Book at Cargosender.com — compare DHL Express and FedEx for 1–2 day UAE express. Before booking, ensure you have the complete UAE address (emirate, building name, street, PO Box if available) and a working UAE mobile number for the recipient. The carrier collects from your address anywhere in Portugal and handles all UAE customs brokerage.

DHL Express has the strongest UAE network — the Dubai hub is one of DHL's largest global operations with same-day customs clearance for most B2B express shipments. FedEx International Priority is equally strong for Dubai and Abu Dhabi. For non-urgent shipments, UPS Worldwide Expedited (3–5 days) offers a more economical alternative. Compare all options at Cargosender.