By registering a company in the United Arab Emirates, you can gain access to a growing market. The UAE allows you to trade duty-free with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Members of this council include Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain. Therefore, your potential market of 10.2 million (the population of the UAE) increases sixfold. In addition, please note that the company in Dubai will be exempt from income taxes. 

In response to the question in the topic, let's talk about prices. There will be about 9000 USD in expenses to open a cosmetics trading business in Dubai, plus the cost of renting an office, showroom, warehouse, as well as obtaining at least one resident of the UAE visa, and obtaining the services of a local agent (a requirement of the UAE). In order to open a bank account and to certify cosmetic products, you will also need a service provider. A cosmetics registration and certification procedure will be required in Dubai. The average cost is 550 USD per unit.

Now let's take a closer look at the registration procedure and the expenditures.

Initial approval of company registration

Dubai allows local companies to sell cosmetics with 100% ownership. Under this form of business, you can conduct business throughout the state.

A company registration application is submitted to the Department of Economic Development (DED) of Dubai with three preferred names for the company.

Renting office space

After obtaining prior approval from DED, you need to rent premises for your business. There is no minimum area for cosmetics sales, but the size must be appropriate to your business. The license must be renewed annually and you will be charged 5% of the rental price in DED.

Obtaining a license

Upon submitting an Ejari rental agreement to DED, you will receive a company license in Dubai that will allow you to do cosmetic business in the country.

There will be a cost of approximately 6500 USD for the license, which includes application fees, registration fees, and license fees. A license can be obtained within about 10 days, which does not include the time for registering the lease agreement.

The process of obtaining a UAE residency visa

As part of a resident visa (actually a "residence permit"), you can open a corporate bank account, send your children to schools and kindergartens, and enjoy other benefits. It usually takes about three weeks from the time documents are submitted until a passport with a visa and an Emirates ID card are received. A "turnkey" visa costs approximately 2500 USD.

Opening a bank account

Applying for a bank account is free. Alternatively, we can handle all the paperwork and communicate with the bank on your behalf if you do not wish to deal with the paperwork. Our services will be priced based on the urgency with which you need a business account.

Cosmetic products registration and certification in the UAE

The following procedures must be completed before you are permitted to sell your cosmetic products in the UAE. First, you must register your company with the Dubai Municipality, then apply for the registration of your products. You do not need to test your cosmetics in the UAE if you possess all of the necessary documentation and your products have been tested in a laboratory that is accredited according to ISO standard 17025. The period for registering products is up to 22 working days.

After the goods have been registered, it is necessary to obtain a cosmetics certificate from ESMA, the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology. Cosmetic products in the UAE come under the category of regulated goods. It takes three working days for products to be certified with proper documentation.

Unless additional testing is required, the cost of the full registration and certification process will be approximately 650 USD per type of product.

For a free consultation on opening a business in the UAE and for support with the registration and certification of products, please leave your contact information on the site. We will contact you shortly. You are welcome to visit our office in Jumeirah Lake Towers if you are in Dubai or planning to visit the city.