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Regulations

Ecommerce regulations in the GCC

Gulf rules are clearer than their reputation, and foreign sellers can comply without a local partner in many cases. Start with your country, then sort tax and product rules.

24 guides

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Regulations · Saudi Arabia

Saudi ecommerce regulations

Saudi Arabia is the Gulf's biggest ecommerce prize, and its rules are well documented. Register the right way first, then handle VAT, selling rules and product approvals.

12 guides
Regulations · UAE

UAE ecommerce regulations

The UAE is one of the easiest Gulf markets to set up in, with fast licences and low tax. Pick your licence first, then sort tax, selling rules and product certification.

8 guides

Selling across the Gulf

What a foreign company needs to sell legally, and how the smaller Gulf markets differ.

Regulations · GCC

Selling in the GCC as a Foreign Company: What You Need

You don't need a Gulf company to start selling in the GCC. Foreign companies sell through cross-border marketplace programmes, their own store shipping DDP, an importer-of-record partner or a local distributor. Your own entity comes later, once sales justify it. What you do need is VAT registration where you hold stock, a payment route that works for Gulf cards, and never a borrowed local licence.

8 min read
Regulations · Regional

Ecommerce Rules in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman (2026)

Selling cross-border through a marketplace needs no local licence in any of the four. A local store needs one: Qatar's MoCI e-commerce licence, a Kuwait MOCI licence, a Bahrain CR via Sijilat or an Oman e-commerce licence. Bahrain charges 10% VAT and Oman 5%, while Qatar and Kuwait have none.

9 min read

VAT

See each country's VAT rate and the sales level at which you must register.

Regulations · Tax

GCC VAT Rates and Registration Thresholds 2026: All Six Countries

VAT is 15% in Saudi Arabia, 10% in Bahrain and 5% in the UAE and Oman. Qatar and Kuwait have no VAT in 2026. Local businesses register once yearly taxable sales pass SAR 375,000, AED 375,000, BHD 37,500 or OMR 38,500, but foreign sellers get no threshold and register from their first taxable sale.

10 min read

Product rules

Get your labels and packaging right before stock reaches customs.

Regulations · GCC

GCC Product Labeling Rules: Arabic, Origin & Safety Marks

Products sold in the GCC need key label information in Arabic: product name, warnings, instructions and mandatory data. Add the country of origin, the manufacturer or importer, a batch or model number and any conformity mark your product's regulation requires. Since 1 October 2026, Saudi Arabia also wants the supplier's name and CR on products under ten technical regulations.

7 min read