Shipping to the UAE & the Gulf
Counter-surveillance equipment is not an ordinary parcel into the GCC. This page sets out how orders to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman are handled, what customs will expect of you, and where we will stop an order rather than let it fail at the border.
01 / Countries served
We accept and review orders from all six GCC states. Equipment is dispatched from our fulfilment partner in Italy by international courier, and every Gulf order is reviewed against destination rules before it leaves. Acceptance of an order is not automatic, and review happens before payment is captured.
- United Arab Emirates — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates
- Saudi Arabia — Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and the Eastern Province
- Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman
02 / Import duty, VAT and clearance
The buyer is the importer of record. Our euro price covers the goods and dispatch; it does not include destination charges. Expect to account for the following, and to have a customs broker or the courier's clearance desk act on your behalf:
- GCC common customs tariff duty, typically 5% of the declared CIF value
- Destination VAT — 5% in the UAE, 15% in Saudi Arabia at the time of writing
- Courier clearance and handling fees, billed to you directly by the carrier
- Any inspection, testing or type-approval charge raised by the regulator
Rates change. Treat the figures above as orientation and confirm the current position with your broker before you commit to a purchase.
03 / Regulatory approval for RF equipment
This is the part that catches most buyers out. Radio-frequency detectors, GPS hardware and encrypted communications devices sit under national telecoms regulators across the Gulf — the TDRA in the UAE, the CST in Saudi Arabia, and their counterparts elsewhere. Depending on the unit and the destination, import may require type approval, an end-user declaration, or a corporate or licensed-security importer rather than a private individual.
We would rather tell you this before you order than after your shipment is detained. Where a product is affected we ask for end-use information and, if it cannot be cleared lawfully into your country, we decline the order and refund in full.
04 / Lead times
Air freight from Italy to the Gulf is fast. Clearance is the variable, and for security equipment it can add days rather than hours. We do not publish a delivery-date promise for the region because we cannot control the inspection queue. Instead, the courier, service level, cost and a realistic estimate are confirmed to you before dispatch.
05 / Currency and payment
All orders are contracted and charged in euro through Stripe. Gulf visitors see an indicative AED figure next to the euro price as a convenience; it is a reference conversion, not the billed amount. Your card issuer applies its own exchange rate on the day of the transaction.
06 / Discretion
Equipment ships in neutral outer packaging with no brand markings or category references on the exterior. Customs paperwork, however, must describe the contents accurately — we do not mis-declare shipments, and we will not accept a request to do so.
07 / Questions
Do you ship counter-surveillance equipment to the UAE?
We ship to the UAE subject to review. Radio-frequency detection equipment and GPS hardware fall under TDRA type-approval and customs controls, so Gulf orders are checked against destination rules before dispatch rather than shipped automatically. If a specific unit cannot be cleared into your country, we tell you before taking payment.
Who pays customs duty and VAT in the Gulf?
The buyer is the importer of record. Duties, the destination country's VAT (5% in the UAE and Saudi Arabia at the time of writing), clearance fees, and any type-approval requirement are the buyer's responsibility. Our EUR price is exclusive of these destination charges.
Can I be billed in AED?
No. Orders are charged in euro through Stripe. Where an AED figure appears on the site it is an indicative conversion for reference only — your card issuer applies its own rate on the day, and the euro amount is the amount contracted.
How long does delivery to Dubai, Riyadh or Doha take?
Transit itself is short from Italy, but Gulf customs clearance for security equipment is the variable that matters and it is not something we can promise a date for. We confirm courier, service level, cost, and a realistic estimate before dispatch rather than publishing a number we cannot hold to.
Is it legal to own an RF detector in the UAE or Saudi Arabia?
Detection equipment and transmitting equipment are treated very differently across the GCC, and the rules change. We supply for lawful defensive use only, and it remains the buyer's responsibility to confirm the position for their own country and circumstances before ordering. Where a product is restricted we ask for end-use information rather than shipping blind.
08 / Before you order
If you are buying into the Gulf for the first time, or buying on behalf of a company, family office or security team, contact us with the destination and intended use and we will confirm what can be supplied before you pay.