24 September 2026
Dubai Customs has extended the customs duty suspension period by another 60 days, taking the total to 180 days. Customs Announcement No. 17 of 2026, issued on 23 September 2026, applies to duty suspension arrangements whose period expires after 27 February 2026 and up to 31 October 2026, and it covers imports intended for re-export, temporary admission and all types of transit. The additional 60 days run from the date on which the original suspension period expires, not from the date of the announcement. For a trading company that means six months instead of four before duty becomes payable on goods that have not yet left the country.
What exactly changed
The measure is short and specific. Dubai Customs extended the suspension period for customs duties on eligible customs declarations by an additional 60 days, taking the total suspension period from 120 days to 180 days. The announcement takes effect from the date of its issuance and applies temporarily to the customs declarations covered by its provisions.
This is the second extension of 2026. Customs Notice No. 12 of 2026, issued on 18 June, had already taken the period to 120 days for arrangements expiring after 27 February and up to 31 July 2026. Dubai Customs reported that the earlier extension benefited 6,613 companies. The new announcement pushes the eligibility window out to 31 October 2026 and adds another 60 days on top of the existing period.
Dubai Customs also said it may extend the period further in accordance with its approved rules and procedures. Any further extension would stay in force until a subsequent customs announcement amends, suspends or terminates the measure.
Which arrangements qualify
Three customs regimes are named in the announcement:
- Imports intended for re-export. Goods brought into Dubai with the declared intention of shipping them out again, normally handled through a deposit or a bank guarantee that is released once re-export has been proven.
- Temporary admission. Equipment, exhibition goods, machinery and similar items entering the country for a defined purpose and a defined period before leaving again.
- All types of transit. Consignments moving through the UAE towards another destination.
The common thread is that duty is suspended rather than waived. The obligation sits in the background while the goods are under the regime, and it crystallises if the goods are not re-exported or if the arrangement is not closed correctly within the permitted period. That is why the length of the window is a working capital question: the longer the suspension runs, the longer a deposit or guarantee stays in place instead of the duty being paid outright.
How the 60 days are counted
This is the detail that matters most in practice. The additional 60 days take effect from the date on which the original suspension period expires. A company whose suspension period was due to lapse on 10 October 2026 now runs to early December. A company whose period was due to lapse on 31 October 2026 moves to the end of December.
The test is the expiry date of the suspension, not the date the declaration was filed. If the suspension on a given arrangement expired on or before 27 February 2026, it falls outside the announcement. If it expires after 31 October 2026, it is not covered either. Everything between those two points is in scope.
Why Dubai Customs is doing this
The stated aim is to reduce financial and administrative burdens on customers, support supply chain continuity and facilitate the smooth flow of trade amid current operational challenges. The extension sits inside a broader set of measures introduced under the economic support packages approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.
The published results of the first stage give a sense of the scale. Between 1 March and 30 June 2026 the package delivered more than AED 79 million in liquidity to 428 companies. Over the same four months the Green Corridor, an alternative routing scheme launched when established trade channels were disrupted, handled 203,242 containers carrying more than 3.16 million tonnes of goods from 188 countries, with a combined value above AED 33.9 billion. Food products led at more than AED 5.3 billion, followed by machinery and electrical equipment at AED 4.24 billion and vehicles at AED 2.21 billion. Dubai Customs reported an instant clearance rate of 93 per cent and more than 4,000 new customers over the period.
The rest of the support package
Two other notices are still open, and both carry deadlines that traders should check now rather than later.
Customs Notice No. 14 of 2026 lets importers apply to pay eligible customs duties in instalments for import declarations issued between 1 March and 30 July 2026. The scheme is open to customers using a credit account, requires prior approval, and applications go to the Dubai Customs Finance Department either by the designated email address or in person at the authority headquarters in Port Rashid. Applications close on 30 September 2026, and an approved repayment plan must be completed within one year of the date of approval.
Customs Notice No. 15 of 2026 grants a temporary 80 per cent reduction on eligible customs fines issued before 28 February 2026. It covers financial penalties only, not duties, service charges, administrative fees or other outstanding amounts, and it does not apply to fines that have already been paid. Applications close on 31 December 2026. The remaining 20 per cent stays payable, and in exceptional cases the balance may be settled in instalments provided full payment is completed by 30 June 2027. Both notices took effect on 21 May 2026.
Separately, Dubai Customs extended the transit period from 30 days to 90 days. Consignments arriving through Khorfakkan and Fujairah ports, as well as the Hatta Border Crossing, can move onward by road under the customs guarantee system.
What trading companies should do now
- Pull the list of open suspension arrangements and check the expiry date on each one against the window after 27 February 2026 and up to 31 October 2026.
- Recalculate the release dates for deposits and bank guarantees on the new 180 day basis, counted from the original expiry rather than from the announcement.
- If duties on import declarations issued between 1 March and 30 July 2026 are still outstanding, decide on the instalment application before 30 September 2026.
- Review any customs fines dated before 28 February 2026 against the 80 per cent reduction, with applications open until 31 December 2026.
- Keep the re-export evidence complete. The extension moves the deadline without removing the obligation to close the arrangement properly.
- Watch for a further announcement, since Dubai Customs has said the measure may be extended again and stays in force until a later announcement ends it.
How Atlant Capital can help
Duty suspension is a cash flow question before it is a customs question, and it tends to land hardest on companies that are still building their structure in the UAE. Where a trading entity sits changes how import, re-export and local distribution are treated, and our guide on mainland versus free zone companies in the UAE sets out that choice in detail, including the customs position of each option.
We handle company setup in the UAE for trading and logistics activities, including licence selection and the activity codes that determine what a company may import and re-export. We also support corporate bank account opening, which matters directly here: the deposits and guarantees behind suspended duties run through the same banking relationship, and a bank that understands the trade flow makes the paperwork considerably faster.
The bottom line
Dubai Customs has given eligible traders another 60 days, taking the duty suspension period to 180 days for arrangements expiring between 27 February and 31 October 2026. The measure does not cancel duty and it does not change what has to be proven at the end of the period. What it changes is timing, and for a business running import for re-export or transit through Dubai, six months instead of four is real working capital. The two other open notices, on instalments and on the 80 per cent fine reduction, carry their own deadlines in September and December 2026, and those are the ones worth checking this week.
Source: Gulf News.
FAQ
How long is the Dubai customs duty suspension period now?
The total suspension period is 180 days. Customs Announcement No. 17 of 2026, issued on 23 September 2026, added 60 days to the 120 day period that had been set by Customs Notice No. 12 of 2026 in June. Dubai Customs has said it may extend the period again in accordance with its approved rules and procedures.
Which customs declarations qualify for the 60 day extension?
The extension applies to duty suspension arrangements whose period expires after 27 February 2026 and up to 31 October 2026. It covers imports intended for re-export, temporary admission and all types of transit. Arrangements that expire outside that window are not covered by the announcement.
When do the additional 60 days start?
The extra 60 days run from the date on which the original suspension period expires, not from the date of the announcement. If an arrangement was due to expire on 15 October 2026, the suspension now runs to roughly mid December 2026.
Does the extension mean the customs duty is cancelled?
No. The duty is suspended, not waived. The obligation remains attached to the goods while they sit under the re-export, temporary admission or transit regime, and it becomes payable if the arrangement is not closed correctly within the permitted period. The extension changes the deadline only.
What other Dubai Customs relief measures are still open?
Customs Notice No. 14 of 2026 allows duties on import declarations issued between 1 March and 30 July 2026 to be paid in instalments, with applications closing on 30 September 2026. Customs Notice No. 15 of 2026 gives an 80 per cent reduction on eligible customs fines issued before 28 February 2026, with applications closing on 31 December 2026. Both took effect on 21 May 2026.
