Passenger Customs Guide: What Travelers Need to Know at Dubai Airports

Dubai Airports is one of the largest airports in the world in terms of international passengers, making efficient customs procedures essential for traveler experience. This comprehensive guide covers everything passengers need to know about customs clearance.

The Customs Zone

The customs zone at Dubai airports begins immediately after passport control and extends until passengers exit through the customs gates. This area is where all baggage is subject to customs inspection and declaration requirements apply.

The Passenger Operations Department of Dubai Customs employs advanced inspection and monitoring systems, working in cooperation with strategic partners at the airport to provide efficient processing while maintaining security.

Declaration Requirements

Passengers can declare goods verbally, in writing, electronically via the iDeclare app, or by choosing between green (nothing to declare) and red (goods to declare) channels. Declaration is considered a customs declaration that triggers inspection procedures.

Cash Declaration: Passengers aged 18 and above must declare cash, cheques, promissory notes, payment orders, precious metals, or stones with value exceeding AED 60,000 or equivalent in foreign currencies. For passengers under 18, amounts are added to their parent or guardian's permitted limit.

Duty-Free Allowances

The following items are exempt from customs duties:

Personal gifts not exceeding AED 3,000 in value.

Tobacco products: 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 500 grams of tobacco (pipe tobacco, tumbak, or hookah molasses). Customs duties apply to excess quantities.

Alcoholic beverages: 4 liters of spirits or 2 cartons of beer (24 cans maximum, 355ml each). Excess quantities are confiscated.

Conditions for Exemption

Several conditions apply to duty exemptions:

Items must be of personal nature and not in commercial quantities.

The passenger must not frequently visit the same customs center or trade in the items.

Passengers must not be crew members or airport ground staff.

Passengers under 18 cannot claim exemptions for tobacco or alcohol.

Commercial samples valued under AED 5,000 are exempt from duties.

Items Requiring Permits

Certain goods require permits from relevant authorities:

Medicines and medical equipment require health authority approval.

Domestic animals need veterinary permits.

Plants and seedlings require agricultural inspection.

Drones require regulatory authority approval.

Filming equipment for news or official events needs media permits.

Electronic devices and wireless equipment may require telecommunications authority clearance.

Prohibited Items

Items absolutely prohibited for import include:

Indecent and obscene materials.

Gambling tools and machines.

Narcotics of all kinds.

Nasvaar and betel leaves (paan).

Counterfeit goods and counterfeit money.

Any goods banned under UAE laws or GCC Common Customs Law.

Commercial Quantities

When passengers carry goods in commercial quantities or values, full customs procedures apply, including tariff classification, valuation, customs declaration preparation, and applicable duties and VAT.