Love shopping online? Take note of these additional charges…

If you’re planning to ‘add to cart’ in the near future whilst on an international website, do note that there are some additional fees that have been introduced by the UAE that you need to be aware of.

Recently, Dubai Customs announced that any goods above Dhs300 that are purchased will be taxed at five per cent. The threshold was previously set at Dhs1,000. VAT taxes will also apply on the goods purchased.

Courier companies such as Aramex, Ship & Shop have all been notified of the amendment.

According to The National, the move is intended to give local online businesses and retailers a competitive edge.

The new custom duty charge came into effect on January 1, 2023.

Just in: Fees for goods above Dhs10,000

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has also just announced a ‘digital attestation fee’ on commercial invoices for imported goods valued at over Dhs10,000.

The fee is Dh150 and attestation will take around six minutes and can be done online on mofaic.gov.ae. After approvals. a reference number will be generated as proof of attestation.

Declarants can either register as a citizen, resident or visitor; or as a private company.

The attestation requirement will come into effect from February 1, 2023. The Ministry added that failure to attest invoices for imports within 14 days will lead to an administrative fine of Dhs500.

Certain categories will be exempted from this requirement. It includes invoices lower than Dhs10,000; personal imports; GCC imports; freezone imports; police and military imports and charity imports; transit imports and B2C e-commerce movements.

For further information, consumers can reach out to The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on 06 506 8888.

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