United Arab Emirates — Market Route

The route

1. ECAS registration. Products are registered per variant under the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS) administered by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, with packaging conformity to the applicable GSO requirements, including prescribed warnings.
2. Classification first. Our research position for customs classification is HS 2402.90 (cigarette-format products made from tobacco substitutes). Chapter 24 classification brings the product into the UAE excise framework.
3. Excise registration and marking. Where excise applies, the importer registers with the Federal Tax Authority, excise is accounted for at the applicable rate, and packs carry the digital tax stamp before retail sale.

Why classification comes before quotation

If the product is classified inside Chapter 24, excise at the Chapter 24 rate is the single largest cost line in the UAE — larger than freight. We therefore ask UAE importers to obtain, or jointly prepare, an advance classification position before we quote. Quotations state the classification assumption they are built on.

Who should enquire

UAE importers and GCC distributors with excise registration in place, or in progress, and with licensed distribution for regulated smoking-category products.

Status

Conditional start: ECAS registration and the classification position precede shipment.