Excise registration
Registered correctly as producer, importer, stockpiler or warehouse keeper — before the first transaction, not after a penalty.
Direct & Indirect Tax
UAE excise tax advisory & compliance
If you import, produce or hold tobacco, e-smoking products, energy drinks or sweetened beverages, excise tax applies at 50% or 100% — with no registration threshold, monthly filings, and product-by-product registration with the FTA. We run the whole regime for you: registration, product listings and pricing, every monthly return, designated-zone movements and audits — at a fixed fee agreed before we start.
100%
On tobacco, e-smoking & energy drinks
50%
On carbonated & sweetened drinks
Monthly
Returns, due by the 15th
Fixed fee
Agreed before we start
What it means
What is UAE excise tax?
Excise tax has applied in the UAE since 1 October 2017 under Federal Decree-Law No. 7 of 2017 — a consumption tax on goods considered harmful: 100% on tobacco products, e-smoking devices and liquids, and energy drinks; 50% on carbonated drinks and sweetened beverages. It's charged once, when goods are produced in, imported into, or released for consumption in the UAE.
Unlike VAT, there is no registration threshold. If you produce, import or stockpile excise goods — or operate a designated zone holding them — registration is mandatory before the first transaction, however small. Returns are monthly, due by the 15th of the following month, together with payment.
The regime is product-driven: every item must be registered on the FTA portal with ingredient details and lab reports where required, and tax is calculated on the higher of the standard price list or your retail selling price. Tobacco products additionally carry digital tax stamps. Goods can move duty-deferred between designated zones, but only with warehouse-keeper registration and airtight movement records.
And the rules reach backwards: hold significant stock when a rate or scope change lands and you may owe tax as a stockpiler — a trap that has caught many distributors. Excise is a small tax population under heavy FTA scrutiny; errors surface fast and penalties are steep. That's why it pays to have specialists run it.
What we handle
What our excise tax service covers
One team owns your excise position — from the day you register to every declaration, movement and audit after.
Product registration & pricing
Every SKU listed on the FTA portal with the right classification, lab reports and retail-selling-price basis for the tax.
Monthly returns & declarations
Import declarations, production reporting and the monthly return — reconciled, filed and paid by the 15th, every month.
Designated zones & warehousing
Warehouse-keeper registration, duty-deferred movements between zones, and the stock records that keep deferral defensible.
Stockpiling reviews
Stock-on-hand assessed whenever rates or scope change, so stockpiler liability is declared once — correctly — or ruled out on paper.
Audits, disclosures & refunds
FTA audits defended with clean movement records, voluntary disclosures filed properly, and deductible/refund claims that hold up.
What's involved
What excise compliance needs
Excise is a stock-and-movement tax — compliance lives in your warehouse records as much as your tax filings. These are the essentials we put in place and keep current.
The right registrant status
Producer, importer, stockpiler or warehouse keeper — registered under the category that matches what you actually do.
Every product registered
Each SKU on the FTA portal with correct classification — and lab reports where sugar content decides the rate.
The correct price basis
Tax computed on the higher of the FTA standard price and your retail selling price — reviewed as prices move.
Declarations matched to customs
Every import declaration tied to its customs entry, so the FTA's data and yours tell the same story.
Documented zone movements
Duty-deferred transfers between designated zones logged and evidenced — deferral collapses without the paper trail.
Digital tax stamps on tobacco
Stamps ordered, applied and reconciled under the Marking Scheme — unstamped product can't legally circulate.
Filing & payment by the 15th
The monthly return and the payment both in on time — excise penalties escalate faster than VAT's.
Stock records that reconcile
Opening stock, production, imports, releases and closing stock reconciling month over month — kept for the statutory period.
The signals
When you need excise support
Excise problems tend to surface at the border or in an audit — after the liability has already built. If any of these sound familiar, it's time to hand it over.
Your first excise import
You're about to bring in energy drinks, vapes or sweetened beverages and need registration and product listings before the shipment lands.
A borderline product
Sugar content, concentrates, or "is this an energy drink?" — classification calls that decide between 0%, 50% and 100%.
Stock in hand at a rule change
Rates or scope changed while you held inventory — you may be a stockpiler with a one-off liability to declare.
Goods held up at customs
Shipments stuck because declarations, product registrations or stamps don't line up — and every day costs money.
The FTA has written to you
An audit notice, assessment or penalty on your excise position needs a documented response — fast.
Zone operations growing
You're adding bonded storage or moving stock between designated zones and need warehouse-keeper status and airtight records.
How we help
From registration to every declaration, in five clear steps
One team owns the cycle — with a fixed fee agreed up front and a clear view of which step you're on.
1
Week 1
Assess & register
We map your goods and flows, determine your registrant status, and register you with the FTA before the first transaction.
2
Week 1–2
Register products
Every SKU listed on the FTA portal with classification, lab reports and the correct retail-selling-price basis.
3
Each month
Declare & file
Import declarations at the border, production reporting, and the monthly return filed and paid by the 15th.
4
Ongoing
Manage zones & stamps
Designated-zone movements, warehouse records and digital tax stamps kept reconciled and audit-ready.
5
When needed
Defend & disclose
We handle FTA audits and queries, file voluntary disclosures correctly, and pursue deductions and refunds you're owed.
Get started
Get your excise position clear.
Tell us what you import, produce or hold — and how you handle it today — and we'll reply within one business day with a clear position and an all-inclusive price.
Thank you — we've got your details.
One of our excise tax advisors will be in touch within one business day.
One of our excise tax advisors will be in touch within one business day.