All Guides / Logistics, Shipping & Freight
Starting a logistics or freight business in the UAE
Freight forwarding and warehousing are core free-zone business, the transport authorities enter the picture the moment you own vehicles.
What This Sector Covers
Freight forwarding, customs clearance, sea and air freight, warehousing, cold storage, courier and last-mile delivery, and cargo handling all appear across the zones. For a logistics business, free zones are the natural home: bonded storage, customs proximity and re-export treatment are precisely what they were designed to provide.
The regulatory line falls at asset ownership. Arranging freight as a forwarder is commercially straightforward. Operating your own trucks, vans or delivery riders brings in the Road and Transport Authority and the Federal Transport Authority, with vehicle registration, driver permits and route permissions attached.
Who typically licenses this. Freight forwarders, customs brokers, 3PL and fulfilment operators, courier firms and shipping agents.
Browse by category
Find Your Category First
Not sure which activity you need? Start with the category closest to your business, then pick the activity inside it.
Freight & Forwarding
149- Land Freight & Trucking
- Freight Forwarding
- Sea Freight Services
- Air Freight Services
- Customs Clearance & Brokerage
Courier, Delivery & Last Mile
59- Postal & Mail Services
- Courier & Express Delivery
- Last-Mile Delivery Services
Transport Operations & Support
54- Cargo Handling & Stevedoring
- Towing & Recovery Services
- Taxi & Limousine Services
- Bus & Coach Operations
- School & Staff Transport
Warehousing & Storage
43- Warehousing Services
Approvals You Should Expect
Across our partner zones, 175 of the 302 listings in this sector (58%) carry a named external approval. These are the bodies that appear most often, an approval here is a condition of the license, not an optional extra, and several must be obtained before the license issues.
Which Zone Carries It
Every partner zone publishes activities in this sector, but not evenly. SRTIP carries the most at 74 listings. Breadth is not the only thing that matters (fees, visa quota, facility type and reputation all count) but a zone with a thin list in your sector is a zone that may not have your exact activity.
Before You Apply
- Customs clearance requires a customs code and, at most ports, a registered clearing agent, it is not automatic with the activity.
- Cold chain and pharmaceutical logistics add health and food regulators on top of the transport ones.
- Last-mile delivery using riders is a labour-heavy model with its own permit regime in each emirate.
A to Z of Every logistics, shipping & freight Activity
Every activity published in this sector across our partner zones, alphabetically. Zone codes show where each one is available; click any activity carrying ⓘ to read the free zone’s own official description of it.
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Questions We Get Asked
Do I need the exact activity, or is something close enough?
The exact one. Banks, customs, payment providers and clients all read the license wording literally, and an activity that only roughly describes what you do creates friction at account opening and at import. With 186 activities published in this sector alone, there is almost always a precise line available.
Can I hold more than one activity on a single license?
Yes. Every zone allows multiple activities on one license, usually with a package covering a set number and a fee per additional activity beyond it. Some zones restrict mixing across license types, for example combining a trading activity with a professional one, so the combination matters more than the count.
What does an “external approval” actually mean here?
It means a body outside the free zone has to sign off before your license can issue or before you may operate. In this sector that most often means Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), followed by Emirates Post Group. The free zone will not waive it, and applying without it is the most common cause of a stalled application.
Which free zone should I choose for this sector?
Start by confirming the zone publishes your exact activity, that alone removes several options. In this sector SRTIP publishes the most activities. Then weigh cost, visa quota, whether you need a physical facility, and whether your clients or bank have a preference. We do this comparison as part of the setup rather than leaving it to you.
Is a free zone license enough to trade on the UAE mainland?
Not by itself. A free-zone company can sell to mainland customers through a distributor or agent, and can service mainland clients in many sectors, but holding a physical outlet, a workshop or a site presence on the mainland generally needs a DED license or a branch. This matters more in some sectors than others, it is decisive in retail, hospitality and contracting.
How current is this list?
It reflects the activity lists each zone publishes, as loaded into our catalogue. Zones add and retire activities without announcement, and fees change. Treat it as an accurate map rather than a live feed, and confirm the specific activity before you commit.