As a way to stop harmful products reaching Dubai consumers, they must be registered with the Dubai Municipality prior to being launched.
Before even thinking about product registration, your company must have a valid license with related activity to a consumer product category, and you need to create an account on the Dubai Municipality portal.
Working with a company formation specialist such as Set Hub can greatly ease this process, taking you through it step-by-step.
Once you have a valid license in place, it’s time to start thinking about product registration. Let’s break down everything you need to know to register a product with Dubai Municipality, and everything you need to have ready in order to make the process as easy as possible.
What is Product Registration?
Dubai’s government controls which products enter the market, so it’s vital your product is registered.
This has a number of additional benefits:
- It protects your brand
- It gives you greater insight into your import and export rights
- It reduces red tape when trading in the UAE and wider GCC
There are also specific areas of registration, including cosmetic product, food product, health supplement product.
Why Product Registration Is Compulsory In UAE
Everyone should be concerned about what goes into the products we use on a daily basis. There are often stories in the media about toxic chemicals that find their way into everyday products, so a rigorous registration process is extremely important.
The Dubai Municipality understands this, and carries out random testing of products as a way of controlling exactly what enters the market, and to ensure that consumers stay safe.
Documents required for product registration in the UAE
There are a number of documents you need to have in place before you start the process. These include:
- Free sale certificate (attested by a government authority in the country of origin)
- Ingredients report (signed and/or stamped by the manufacturer or brand owner)
- Analysis report (signed and/or stamped by the manufacturer or brand owner)
- Good manufacturing practice (GMP) certificate (required for health supplements and all locally manufactured products)
- Material safety data sheet (for detergents / air fresheners and scented candles)
- Halal certificate from certified Islamic society (for health supplements containing animal-derived ingredients, e.g. gelatine / collagen / stearic acid, etc, and any product claiming to be Halal)
How does Product Registration work?
The actual process of product registration contains several key steps. It’s important that before you even start the process, you have the necessary documents (mentioned above) and you also review the individual steps of the process ahead of time, to ensure that you won’t fall into the ‘major remarks’ category described below.
In short, there are mistakes you can make which you are allowed a period of time to fix before re-applying; then there are mistakes which will lead to an automatic denial. It goes without saying that the former is better than the latter, but success here is mostly down to planning ahead of time.
So let’s look at the actual registration process step-by-step:
- Submit Consumer Products Registration Service Application (CPRE) and pay the fees.
- The first check assesses whether the product complies with DM regulation and the required documents are uploaded.
- If there are any major remarks, it will be denied. Major remarks include: free sale certificate and/or ingredient report not uploaded; failed lab test; banned ingredient / exceeding concentration; inconsistent illustration (name/ shape/photos); the product is not within the scope.
- If there are only minor remarks the application will be sent back to customer one time only in order to fulfill the missing requirements. These minor remarks may include: label requirements; medical / unaccepted claims; lab test request; clinical study/scientific evidence request; additional required document(s)/certificate(s).
- Once everything is in place, the product will be registered and an electronic registration certificate will be automatically generated.
It’s important to note that the CPRE application will be automatically cancelled by the system if payment is not made within 45 days of submission.
Working with company formation specialists
The product registration process may seem a little daunting, particularly given that the decision the Dubai Municipality gives you will determine the future of your product and whether it reaches the market at all. But to register a product with Dubai Municipality doesn’t have to be intimidating and it shouldn’t slow you down in your ambitions for your company.
So with that in mind, it’s always worth working with specialists who understand the process and can guide you through it. It gives peace of mind and means that if there are any bumps in the road, you’re in experienced hands with the best possible advice on how to manoeuvre.
We are a team of company registration professionals who are passionate about bringing the dreams of aspiring entrepreneurs and SMEs to life.
As well as handling your license application, Set Hub can also assist with the opening of corporate bank accounts and advise on the most appropriate financial institution to suit your specific needs.
We also offer visa and immigration services and can handle all government formalities, permissions, work permits and visas applications that are required to trade in the UAE.
In short, our experts can establish your company on your behalf, make your license and visa applications, and take care of all the necessary admin – leaving you free to get on with running your business.
