1.1. Prohibited

The Department is not aware of any prohibited edible non-prescribed goods* that are for export to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

1.2. Conditions

Edible non-prescribed goods* do not usually require an export certificate. However, the EX188B certificate (manual only) has been used in the past to enable a range of edible non-prescribed goods to enter the UAE.

^* Importing country requirements for some non-prescribed goods that contain meat, fish, dairy or egg products and animal by-products are covered on the relevant meat, dairy, fish or eggs sections in Micor. You should check for importing country requirements there.

2.1 Import permit

Exporters are not required to obtain an import permit.

2.2 Listing and audit

2.3 Prohibited products

The Department is unaware of any prohibited edible apiculture products for the UAE.

3.1 Government certification

For edible apiculture products (honey and bee products) use the EX188B certificate (NEXDOC only) with endorsement 600.

NEXDOC endorsement 600

The animal product(s) herein described complies/y with the relevant UAE standards and requirements which have been recognised as equivalent to the Australian standards and requirements as prescribed in the UAE/DAWR* Memorandum of Understanding.

The following document provides instructions on how to complete certificate template number EX188B (within the Next Export Documentation system (NEXDOC) Portal):

• Guidance material - EX188B (PDF 160 KB)
  

3.2 Supporting documents and exporter declarations

The Department is not aware of any other supporting documents and exporter declarations.

All sizes of bottles of honey sold in the UAE, which includes honey imported from Australia, are required to have an Emirates Quality Mark (EQM) on the product label. To obtain an EQM mark, Australian manufacturers need to apply directly to the Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (ESMA) for registration and receive a desktop assessment of the manufacturing process.

There is a fee of up to AUD $12,000 to obtain an EQM. The EQM is valid for 3 years after which the manufacturer will need to repeat the process for product registration.

In consideration of the time and effort required by industry to transition to the new products labels with EQM, ESMA will provide a grace period, on a case-by-case basis. Exporters should work closely with their importers about the compliance with EQM requirements.

​The Department is unaware of any exemptions being granted by UAE. Exporters are encouraged to confirm if any exemptions apply by contacting their importer, or if needed the government authority of the UAE.​