Prohibited and restricted items: Dubai to the UK

Short answer: both UAE export rules and UK import rules apply. Anything flammable, pressurised, perishable or controlled is either banned or needs a licence — and a single prohibited item can hold up an entire container.

Never accepted

• Explosives, fireworks, ammunition and weapons
• Narcotics and controlled substances
• Counterfeit goods and pirated media
• Cash, bearer instruments and precious metals as general cargo
• Live animals as general freight
• Material prohibited under UAE law, including certain publications and religious or political material

Not accepted in household and LCL shipments

• Aerosols, paint, thinners, adhesives and nail varnish
• Fuel, gas cylinders and camping gas, including empty ones
• Matches, lighters and lighter fluid
• Bleach, pool chemicals and cleaning agents
• Fresh, frozen and perishable food
• Opened alcohol; sealed alcohol only with the correct duty declaration

Fuel must be drained and batteries disconnected on lawnmowers, generators and similar equipment.

Restricted — allowed with paperwork

• Lithium batteries — permitted under IATA rules with the correct packing, labelling and declaration; loose batteries are far more restricted than batteries installed in equipment.
• Alcohol and tobacco — UK excise duty applies and quantities are limited.
• Plants, seeds and wood products — phytosanitary certification may be required.
• Food supplements and cosmetics — must meet UK labelling and composition rules.
• Medicines — personal quantities with a prescription only.
• Antiques, ivory and protected species — CITES documentation and, for ivory, an outright ban in most cases.
• Drones and radio equipment — subject to UK approval requirements.

If in doubt, ask first

Declaring a restricted item early costs you a phone call. Finding it during a customs examination costs storage, an inspection fee, and sometimes destruction of the goods. Send us the item and, for anything chemical or battery-powered, the safety data sheet TO CONFIRM: dangerous goods classes Tanish Ventures accepts.

Lists change. Check current UK government import guidance and UAE export rules before shipping anything unusual.