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Selling alcoholic drinks in the UAE

In the UAE, dealing in food or products that contain alcohol without permission is an offence under Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 on Food Safety, with a prison term and a fine of up to AED 500,000. Permission comes before anything else; the product then meets the quantity labelling and product safety rules that apply to goods generally.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Key rule
Permission is needed to deal in products containing alcohol
Penalty
At least a month in prison and a fine of up to AED 500,000
Quantity label
Cabinet Resolution No. 83 of 2024, in Arabic
Online sales
Approvals needed for regulated or restricted products

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Do you hold the permission needed to deal in products containing alcohol? Read more
  2. 2Is the net quantity declared in legal units on an Arabic label? Read more
  3. 3Is the product safe, and can you show it? Read more
  4. 4Will it be sold online, and is the activity licensed for that? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Permission to deal in alcohol

The offence in the federal food law, and where the Dubai food rules stop.

  • Under Federal Law No. 10 of 2015, those dealing in food or products that contain pork or alcohol, or any of their by-products, without permission face a prison term of not less than a month and a fine of up to AED 500,000 (u.ae).
  • Dubai Municipality's Food Code defines food to include beverages and drinks, except alcohol, so its food establishment rules are written for non-alcoholic products.
  • The official pages read for this guide do not set out who grants the permission or how; check with the authorities of the emirate where you sell.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the permissions and licences you hold with the products they cover, with their expiry dates, and shows what lapses first. Ask about this

Quantity labelling

How the contents of a prepacked drink are declared.

  • Cabinet Resolution No. 83 of 2024 applies to prepackages sold in the UAE in legal units of weight, volume, length, area or count, imported or made locally.
  • The label is fixed indelibly on the main display panel and gives the product name, information to trace it to the packer, importer or manufacturer, the nominal quantity and the unit.
  • The label is in Arabic; other languages may be used unless a technical regulation says otherwise.
  • Nominal quantities are written in whole numbers or decimals, not fractions, to no more than three decimal places.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your bottle and can labels against the prepackages regulation and keeps the reading with each label version. Ask about this

Product safety

The general duty that applies to products placed on the UAE market.

  • Federal Law No. 10 of 2018 on Product Safety (قانون اتحادي رقم 10 لسنة 2018 في شأن سلامة المنتجات) applies to products placed on the market in the UAE, free zones included; its exceptions are medicines, vaccines and sera, antiques, and used products needing repair.
  • A supplier may not place unsafe products on the market, and keeps the product safe through normal and foreseeable use.
  • Customs authorities stop unsafe products from entering the UAE.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the test reports and specifications behind each product with the lot they cover. Ask about this

Selling online

What the eCommerce law asks of online sellers.

  • Federal Decree by Law No. 14 of 2023 on Modern Technology-Based Trade covers goods sold through websites, apps, social media and digital marketplaces.
  • Online sellers sell only permitted products and obtain approvals for any regulated or restricted products.
  • Selling online on the mainland needs a commercial licence that includes eCommerce activity from the emirate's economic department (u.ae).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the licences and approvals behind each listing with the product, ready for a marketplace that asks. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
Importer or distributorHolding the permission to deal in alcoholic products, and the documents for each consignment.Permissions and consignment papers kept together and dated.
Brand ownerThe label, including the Arabic quantity statement.Label versions read against the prepackages regulation.
Retailer or online sellerSelling only permitted products, with the licence and approvals that requires.Licences and approvals on file for each product listed.

Emirates

The federal food law makes dealing in alcohol without permission an offence. The pages read for this guide do not set out who grants that permission; check with the authorities of the emirate where you sell.

Federal rules on product safety and prepackage labelling apply across the seven emirates.

Questions businesses ask

Is it legal to sell alcohol in the UAE?
Dealing in food or products containing alcohol without permission is an offence under Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 on Food Safety, as summarised on u.ae, so a business dealing in alcohol needs that permission first.
What is the penalty for dealing in alcohol without permission in the UAE?
A prison term of not less than a month and a fine of up to AED 500,000, according to the u.ae summary of Federal Law No. 10 of 2015.
Who grants permission to sell alcohol in the UAE?
The official pages read for this guide do not say who grants it or how. Check with the authorities of the emirate where you plan to sell before importing or listing a product.
Does Dubai's Food Code cover alcoholic drinks?
Its definition of food includes beverages and drinks except alcohol, so its food establishment rules are written for non-alcoholic products.
Does an alcohol label need to be in Arabic in the UAE?
The quantity label under Cabinet Resolution No. 83 of 2024 is in Arabic, and other languages may be used unless a technical regulation says otherwise.
Can I sell alcohol online in the UAE?
Online sellers must sell only permitted products and obtain approvals for regulated or restricted products, under Federal Decree by Law No. 14 of 2023, and hold a licence that includes eCommerce activity.
Does the UAE Product Safety Law apply to alcoholic drinks?
It applies to products placed on the UAE market, free zones included, except medicines, vaccines and sera, antiques and used products needing repair. A supplier may not place unsafe products on the market.
Can customs stop an alcoholic drink at the border?
Customs authorities stop unsafe products from entering the UAE under Federal Law No. 10 of 2018 on Product Safety, and dealing in alcohol requires permission under the food safety law.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in the UAE?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the federal schemes and the emirate-level registrations. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in the UAE and what your paperwork needs to show.

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