Export from Egypt · To the United Arab Emirates

Shipping from Egypt to the United Arab Emirates.

We are an Egypt-based forwarder shipping commercial cargo to the UAE by sea, by air and by road through Saudi Arabia. We clear your goods for export in Egypt and deliver to the port, the airport or your buyer's door, on the terms you agreed.

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At a glance

Ways to ship: Sea: full container (FCL), shared container (LCL), reefer. Air. Road through Saudi Arabia.
From Egypt: Sokhna, Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said. Cairo Airport by air. Safaga for trucks.
Into the UAE: Jebel Ali in Dubai and Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi by sea. Dubai or Abu Dhabi by air.
Export customs: Cleared in Egypt by a licensed customs broker in our group.

Three ways to move it.

By sea

For most cargo, from TV sets and building materials to food. A full container (20ft, 40ft, 40HC) when you have the volume, a shared container when you don't, and reefer containers for fresh fruit and vegetables.

Sokhna on the Red Sea is the nearest port to Cairo, and Alexandria, Damietta and Port Said have sailings through the Suez Canal. Ships go down the Red Sea and around Arabia to Jebel Ali or Khalifa Port. We choose the Egyptian port by where your goods are and which UAE port they go to.

Sea freight

By air

For urgent, light or perishable cargo such as samples, spare parts or fresh produce. It leaves from Cairo Airport, where our branch works in the Cargo Village and issues the air waybill, and lands in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Check your chargeable weight

By road

One truck from your factory or farm to your buyer: by road to Safaga, across the Red Sea by ferry to Duba, then by road through Saudi Arabia into the UAE. Refrigerated trucks for fresh produce.

Road freight

Paperwork on both sides.

What you prepare in Egypt, and what your buyer needs on arrival. Not every item applies to every shipment.

Before it leaves Egypt

Exporters register. Your company must be on the exporters register at GOEIC before it can export.
Invoice and packing list. Commercial invoice and packing list for every shipment.
Certificate of origin. Usually the Arab certificate of origin (GAFTA). It can lower duty in the UAE if the goods meet its origin rules.
Fresh produce. A phytosanitary certificate from the agricultural quarantine, after inspection.
Export declaration. We file it and clear the goods at the port or Cairo Airport.

When it arrives in the United Arab Emirates

UAE customs. Your buyer or their broker files the import declaration and clears the goods on arrival, unless you sell delivered duty paid. The certificate of origin matters when your buyer claims Arab free trade duty treatment.
Food. Food must be registered on ZAD, the UAE's national food platform, before it is sold, and a food imported for the first time needs approval from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. Your buyer usually handles both.
Inspection on arrival. Each emirate's food authority, such as Dubai Municipality, inspects food and fresh produce before releasing it, and may ask for your labels and certificates.

Your buyer's broker in the UAE confirms what applies to your product.

Egypt to the UAE in numbers.

Every figure has a source and a date. Checked 8 Oct 2026.

USD 7.03bnEgypt's exports to the UAE in 2025, its largest destination. Most of it is gold and precious metals: USD 5.86bn.UN Comtrade, Egypt-reported, all partners, HS 71, 2025 · checked 8 Oct 2026
USD 1.17bnExports to the UAE in 2025 without gold, close to USD 1.21bn in 2024. On this basis the UAE is Egypt's 10th-largest destination.UN Comtrade, Total less HS chapter 71, all partners, 2024 and 2025 · checked 8 Oct 2026
USD 244mElectrical goods in 2025, the largest category after gold, most of it TV sets and monitors (USD 160m).UN Comtrade, HS 85 and 8528, 2025 · checked 8 Oct 2026
USD 152mFruit in 2025, up from USD 133m in 2024. Citrus was USD 73m of it.UN Comtrade, HS 08 and 0805, 2024 and 2025 · checked 8 Oct 2026
USD 66mVegetables in 2025, including USD 22m of potatoes.UN Comtrade, HS 07 and 0701, 2025 · checked 8 Oct 2026
15.5mContainers handled at Jebel Ali in 2024, counted in twenty-foot equivalent units: its highest since 2015.DP World · 19 Feb 2025
1998The Greater Arab Free Trade Area, which Egypt and the UAE both belong to, has been in force since 1998. Goods that meet its origin rules can enter with lower duty.WTO Regional Trade Agreements Database · checked 8 Oct 2026

Questions about shipping to the UAE.

Which Egyptian port do you ship from to the UAE?

It depends on where your goods are and where your buyer is. Sokhna on the Red Sea is the nearest port to Cairo, and Alexandria, Damietta and Port Said have sailings through the Suez Canal. Most sea cargo goes to Jebel Ali in Dubai or Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi. Air cargo leaves from Cairo Airport.

Can cargo go to the UAE by road?

Yes. Trucks cross the Red Sea from Safaga to Duba by ferry and drive on through Saudi Arabia into the UAE, so the goods stay on one truck from your door to your buyer. Fresh produce goes in refrigerated trucks and needs a phytosanitary certificate from the agricultural quarantine in Egypt before it leaves.

Which certificate of origin does the UAE need?

Usually the Arab certificate of origin under the Greater Arab Free Trade Area. Your buyer needs it to claim lower duty, and only if the goods meet its origin rules. Your buyer's broker can confirm for your product.

What does my buyer need to import Egyptian food into the UAE?

The food must be registered on ZAD, the UAE's national food platform, before it is sold, and a food imported for the first time needs approval from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. The emirate's food authority, such as Dubai Municipality, inspects it on arrival. Your buyer usually handles this; you supply labels, ingredients and certificates if asked.

Request a quote.

Tell us what you are exporting, where it is in Egypt and where it goes in the UAE. We come back with your options.

Prefer to talk? Message our team on WhatsApp or call +20 122 000 1573.