Montaji Registration in 2026: Who Must Register, the Dossier, Validity and What Dubai Municipality Does Not Publish

Montaji is Dubai Municipality's online service for registering consumer products, and for cosmetics and personal care products registration is a precondition for selling: the municipality's guideline says no cosmetic may be manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, sold or distributed in Dubai unless it has been registered. A registration is valid for 5 years. This page follows the guideline version 2.1 issued 15 September 2025, read in October 2026. It does not publish a Montaji fee or a processing time.

What is Montaji and which products does it cover?

Montaji is the name of the Dubai Municipality (DM) Consumer Product Registration Service. The guideline we read covers cosmetics and personal care products, and it tells applicants to log in to dm.gov.ae, choose Services, pick Consumer Product Registration Service (Montaji) and run the service.

DM publishes separate guidelines for other consumer product groups, such as fragrance and handmade products. We have not verified their rules, so this page does not state them. For the wider picture of DM product registration, see Dubai Municipality product registration. For a short definition, see the Montaji glossary entry.

Who can apply for Montaji registration?

DM states the applicant "must be a company incorporated in Dubai or have a warehouse in Dubai" and hold a Dubai trade license that lists cosmetics-related activities.

In practice that means:

• Importer or local manufacturer. The guideline makes whoever imports or manufactures the product, or has it imported or made on their behalf, responsible for applying.
• Foreign brand owner. The guideline routes foreign manufacturers through the importer, which is responsible for registration matters. You need a Dubai importer, or your own Dubai company.
• Agents. Agents of foreign manufacturers must make sure products are registered before consignments are imported to Dubai.

If your license is a free zone license, check the activity and the place of business with DM before you pay anyone. The guideline asks for a Dubai trade license and does not say how free zone licenses are treated, so treat that as an open question to confirm in writing. Licensing basics are in what license you need to sell online in the UAE.

What documents does the Montaji dossier need?

The dossier below comes from section 9 of the DM guideline. DM adds that "any other document may be requested during the registration process".

If the name you will sell under in Dubai differs from the name on the Free Sale Certificate, DM asks for a confirmation letter from the product owner, attested by a government authority in the country of origin. Rename a product after you have the certificate and you will lose weeks.

How do you register a product on Montaji, step by step?

1. Confirm you hold a Dubai trade license with the right activity, or appoint a Dubai importer who does.
2. Collect the dossier from the manufacturer. The Free Sale Certificate and ingredient report take the longest.
3. Check the label against the guideline's component list. See cosmetics registration in the UAE for the label list and Arabic label requirements for the language question.
4. Log in at dm.gov.ae, open Services, choose Consumer Product Registration Service (Montaji) and run the service.
5. Upload the dossier for each product, answer DM's queries, and pay what the portal asks.
6. Keep the registration record. You will need it when a marketplace asks for proof.

How much does Montaji registration cost and how long does it take?

The DM guideline we read states neither. It does not give a fee schedule or a processing time. Consultancy blogs quote figures, but they are not DM and we do not repeat them as fact. Do this instead:

• Read the fee shown inside the Montaji portal before you submit.
• Ask any agent for a written quote that separates the DM fee from their service fee.
• Count fees per product, because registration is per product, and shades or sizes may need their own entries. Ask DM or your agent how variants are treated, because the guideline text we read does not say.

How long does a Montaji registration last, and what if something changes?

A cosmetic registration "shall be valid for 5 years", with renewal to be reviewed. Put the expiry date in your calendar. The guideline does not give the renewal fee or lead time.

After registration, any change to the particulars of the application must be notified to, or approved by, DM's Registration and Permits Section. A new formula, a new manufacturer or a changed pack are all changes. Do not ship the new version until DM has agreed.

Is Montaji the only approval a cosmetic needs?

Not always. Montaji is Dubai Municipality's registration, and Dubai rules apply to products placed on the Dubai market. Federal conformity is a separate system run by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), which issues UAE Certificates of Conformity for products subject to technical regulations. Meydan Free Zone's own e-commerce guide says cosmetics and health-related goods often need Dubai Municipality and MoIAT registration. We could not confirm from a primary source which cosmetic lines fall under a MoIAT technical regulation, so ask MoIAT or an accredited certification body. The federal route is explained in the ECAS certificate guide.

Dubai Municipality lists its consumer-goods work under a "Food & Consumer" service category on its service hub. A Montaji registration is a Dubai document first. If you sell from another emirate, ask the local authority what it requires and whether it accepts a Dubai registration, because we found no primary source on that.

What goes wrong with Montaji applications?

• Label claims. DM bans medical claims about preventing, treating or curing disease on labels, brochures, leaflets or advertisements, and illustrations at odds with prevailing social customs.
• Expired Free Sale Certificate. It must be valid on the day you submit.
• Wrong applicant. An overseas brand cannot apply without a Dubai company or importer behind it.
• Halal logo with no certificate. If the pack shows the logo, the certificate is mandatory. See halal certificates for UAE sellers.

FAQ

Is Montaji registration compulsory to sell cosmetics online in Dubai? Yes, according to Dubai Municipality's guideline: no cosmetic may be manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, sold or distributed in Dubai unless it is registered. Selling through Amazon.ae or noon is still selling. Whether a marketplace checks your registration is the marketplace's decision, not a reason to skip it.

Who is the applicant if my brand is overseas? The guideline makes the importer responsible for registration matters for foreign manufacturers, and requires the applicant to be a company incorporated in Dubai or with a Dubai warehouse and a Dubai trade license. You need a Dubai importer or your own Dubai company.

How long is a Montaji registration valid? A cosmetic registration is valid for 5 years, with renewal to be reviewed, per the DM guideline version 2.1 issued 15 September 2025. The guideline does not state the renewal fee or when to apply.

Does Dubai Municipality publish the Montaji fee? The guideline we read does not. Check the amount inside the portal when you submit and get any agent's quote in writing, split between DM's fee and theirs.

Is a halal certificate needed for Montaji? Only when the label carries a Halal logo. Then the certificate is mandatory, from a recognised Islamic body in the country of origin, and valid at submission. If you do not use the logo, DM does not list it as mandatory for cosmetics.

Does Montaji cover food and supplements? This guideline covers cosmetics and personal care. We have not verified DM's rules for food or supplements, so see supplement registration in the UAE and check with DM.

What to do next

Start with the Free Sale Certificate and ingredient report, because they gate everything else. When the products are registered and you want them listed and advertised on Amazon.ae and noon, Blooprint runs those accounts as part of its Amazon.ae account management. General information only; confirm requirements with Dubai Municipality.