Dubai Customs: 19m Customs transactions, 8%+ in 9 Months

Customs declarations rise to 16.6m

Dubai – 08 November 2022:  The quick and agile recovery that Dubai is witnessing after the pandemic has reflected positively on the commercial sector. Figures released by Dubai Customs showed a growth of 8% to 19 million transactions in the first nine months of this year, compared to 17.6 million transactions for the same period last year. The number of customs declarations rose to 16.6 million, compared to 15.6 million.

“The commercial sector is a major driver of growth in the local economy, and we, at Dubai Customs, have developed world-class smart customs systems to facilitate and automate procedures,” said H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs, CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation. “This supports companies and traders and boosts the return on their business and commercial activities, as well as attract new investments, especially in digital trade. Dubai Customs has established a cross border e-commerce platform to attract online trade businesses and affiliated logistics companies. 

We are also eyeing new markets, which will increase Dubai’s mutual trade as part of the emirate’s plan to reach two AED trillion in trade in the coming years following the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. We also work closely to develop the strategic plan of Dubai 2030, by building on what Dubai has achieved within its quest to become the most active commercial hub worldwide.
Our digital programs are widely praised by the World Customs Organization, which described Dubai Customs as a role model in customs work. Almost all of our transactions (99%) were completed through smart systems, which makes around 18.965 million, and our advanced systems can grant automatic approval without any human intervention to about 98% of customs clearance and release of shipment transactions. Clients’ happiness with Dubai Customs electronic and smart services has reached 98%. We have a clear vision in our 2021-2026 strategy, and we have identified nine major goals that we will work on. “

The World Customs Organization directed Dubai Customs, due to its distinguished customs performance and innovative technical capabilities, to develop the Authorized Economic Operator Platform; a platform that facilitates sharing secure date by the World Customs Organization and member customs administrations, and contributes to the continuous improvement of the Authorized Economic Operator Program. 

The first nine months of 2022 have seen 860,000 refund claims for customs duties compared to 724,000 claims for the same period last year. There are 493,000 certificate and report requests compared to 446,000 for the same period in 2021, 468,000 customs inspection date bookings compared to 390,000, and 200,000 business registration applications compared to 170,000.