Postage to the United Arab Emirates

Prohibited items are forbidden and must not be sent.
Restricted items are allowed under certain conditions.

Prohibitions and restrictions vary from country to country and can sometimes apply to items which you may think are ordinary so please check the criteria carefully. 

Please ensure that you follow the below guidelines before sending your items to the United Arab Emirates

• Royal Mail prohibits and restricts certain categories of items, please click here to check that your item is allowed within our network. 
• Each post around the world must follow the Universal Postal Union (UPU) rules applicable to letter post and postal parcels regarding prohibited and restricted items. To identify whether your item is allowed, please visit Article 19 which contains a detailed list of items that are not admitted in the International mail flow here.
• The destination country also set their own rules around which items are prohibited and/or restricted. To check that your item is allowed to be sent to the United Arab Emirates please visit the UPU Country specific list here and scroll down to the United Arab Emirates.
• You can also use the UPU CDS search function here.  

Please note: Specific Country restrictions and changes may be enforced at short notice, so for any clarification please contact the destination country’s trade, postal and customs authorities as appropriate. Royal Mail have no control over UPU and Country specific restrictions regarding prohibited and restricted items and it is your responsibility to check whether your items are allowed.

Delivery in the UAE is made to PO Boxes only and this is conditional to strict addressing criteria being met, i.e. a complete and full address including a mobile number. Please note, as there is zero de minimis on VAT, contact with the recipients is generally completed using SMS, phone call or WhatsApp hence mobile number is key. To help understand this more please see examples below.

• Letters and Large Letters are delivered to a PO Box, so address must include the PO Box number and state, i.e. Dubai. A telephone number, preferably a mobile number is required
• Untracked small parcels are delivered to a PO Box, so address must include the PO Box number and state, i.e. Dubai. A telephone number, preferably a mobile number is required
• Tracked items are delivered to a PO Box, so address must include the PO Box number and state, i.e. Dubai. A telephone number, preferably a mobile number is required
• Tracked and Signed items are delivered to a PO Box, so address must include the PO Box number and state, i.e. Dubai. A telephone number, preferably a mobile number is required

Please note, any non-compliant items may be subject to delay and return.
 
An example of a complete and full address including a PO Box and telephone number is below, i.e. the address must include the full town or village name as there are many identical street numbers and must include a telephone number, preferably a mobile number

Mr John Smith
PO Box 99999
Dubai
UAE
054 994 1779

You’ll need to apply a customs declaration form to your package. 

If you buy postage online with Click & Drop the label will be generated automatically, and we will also send customs data in advance of your parcel. 

Alternatively, customs declaration labels are available online or in a Post Office® branch. 

• For items with a value up to £270, you will need customs form CN22 (pdf, 394.05 KB). 
• For items with a value over £270, you will need customs form CN23 (pdf, 227.98 KB) and clear plastic wallet SP 126, also available at any Post Office® branch. 

Help with customs and sending items abroad

As of 29 February 2024, the UAE National Advance Information Centre (NAIC) requires 6-digit HS codes on all goods being imported into the United Arab Emirates. Please note, any non-compliant items may be subject to delay and return.