Dubai Customs put AED 79 million in liquidity into the hands of 428 private-sector companies during Q2 2026 — the direct output of its Customs Economic Support Package. The same package underwrote AED 33.9 billion in Green Corridor trade between March and June: 203,242 containers, 3.16 million tonnes, 188 countries. The operative Notices — 12/2026, 14/2026 and 15/2026 — remain open, some through year-end, some deeper into 2027.
What's in the package and how it works
The package bundles three distinct instruments, each with its own filing window. Notice 14/2026 unlocks duty instalments. If a declaration was issued between 1 March and 30 July 2026, an approved applicant gets up to 12 months from the date of approval to pay — with the application window closing 30 September 2026.
Notice 15/2026 cuts eligible customs fines by 80%. The catch: the fine must have been issued before 28 February 2026. Applicants pay the remaining 20% upfront by default. In exceptional cases, and only by agreement with Dubai Customs, that 20% can itself be split into instalments running through 30 June 2027. Filing deadline for this one is 31 December 2026.
Notice 12/2026 covers suspended duty cases — import for re-export, temporary admission and every transit variant — with a 120-day extension. According to Dubai Customs, 6,613 companies have already used it. Alongside the Notices, the transit period widened from 30 to 90 days, food and medicine shipments now get priority clearance, and cargo can be routed through Khorfakkan Port, Fujairah Port or the Hatta Border Crossing when Dubai's own gateways are congested.
Who benefits and how to apply
The measures target importers, exporters, freight forwarders, customs brokers and trading holdings operating through Dubai — including free-zone operators dependent on Green Corridor flows. Relief is not automatic. Companies apply per Notice, per declaration, per fine.
For Notice 14 (duty instalments) and Notice 15 (fine reduction), the entry point is the Finance Department at Dubai Customs. Applicants file either through the designated departmental email or in person at HQ in Port Rashid. Forms, eligibility criteria and any procedural updates sit on dubaicustoms.gov.ae; the broader trade contour — permits, manifests, declarations — continues to flow through Dubai Trade.
Deadlines matter. Miss 30 September and Notice 14 shuts. Miss 31 December and Notice 15 shuts. Neither is currently signalled for rollover.
What Dubai Customs officials said
Dr Abdulla Busenad, Director-General of Dubai Customs, framed the effort as an operating philosophy rather than a one-off: "Measures reflect the leadership's directives and Dubai's proactive approach to anticipating developments."
Abdulla bin Damithan, Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, cast the package as coordinated capacity: "The organisation mobilised its capabilities to offer businesses practical solutions amid regional shifts."
Rashid Al-Sharid, Executive Director of the Finance and Administration Division, tied it back to client-facing intent: "The economic packages are designed to meet business community needs by strengthening resilience and easing pressures."
What this means for UAE business
Three practical shifts for anyone clearing goods through Dubai. First, working capital: if duties from March–July are pressing cash flow, Notice 14 turns a lump sum into up to 12 monthly slices. Second, a compliance reset — legacy fines from before 28 February 2026 can be settled at 20 cents on the dirham, a rare chance to clean the ledger before year-end audit season. Third, routing flexibility: Khorfakkan, Fujairah and Hatta are realistic alternatives when volumes spike, and the 90-day transit window absorbs delays that used to trigger penalties.
The clock is the constraint. Two of the three deadlines land before the calendar turns. Companies that treat this as a paperwork exercise will file. Those that treat it as strategic — matching each declaration and each open fine against the right Notice — will keep more of the money on the table. Package details, forms and any updates are published by Dubai Customs on dubaicustoms.gov.ae as the official source of record.
Sources
- Dubai Customs — Policies and Notices (primary, government body) — dubaicustoms.gov.ae
- Emirates News Agency (WAM), "Dubai Customs economic packages provide more than AED79 million in liquidity for private sector", 19 July 2026 — WAM via BigNewsNetwork
- Gulf News, "Dubai Customs: Dh79 Million Aid, Duty Instalments and 80% Fine Cuts…", 19 July 2026 — gulfnews.com
- Gulf News, "Dubai Customs unveils duty instalment plan, 80% cut on eligible fines", 21 May 2026 — gulfnews.com
- Dubai Trade — DC News & Announcements — dubaitrade.ae
