What is an HS code?
An HS code is the number customs uses to classify a product. HS stands for Harmonized System, which the World Customs Organization developed so that every country describes traded goods in the same way.
Dubai Customs says the system covers more than 5,000 commodity groups. Customs authorities use it to set tariff rates and to compile trade statistics.
How many digits does an HS code have in the UAE?
Twelve. The GCC countries have adopted a unified 12 digit structure called the Integrated Customs Tariff, and Dubai Customs publishes the tariff schedules under Customs Notice No. 10 of 2025.
Before the change, declarations in Dubai used an 8 digit code. A code that did not change keeps its 8 digits and gains four zeros at the end. Some codes were split into new ones, so check yours.
Dubai Customs is bringing in the 12 digit code in phases, by declaration type. Its website lists the phases and the declaration types in each.
How do you find the HS code for your product?
Start with the Dubai Customs search tool, Al Munasiq. You describe the product and it suggests a code. It also shows the duty rate and whether the product is prohibited or restricted.
If you already have an 8 digit code, Dubai Customs publishes a correlation table that maps each old code to its 12 digit code.
For a product that is hard to classify, Dubai Customs has a service called Request Goods Classification.
- Search Al Munasiq with a plain description of the product
- Check an old 8 digit code against the correlation table
- Ask Dubai Customs for a classification if the product is unusual
- Ask your forwarder or broker to confirm the code before the invoice is issued
Can you use the HS code your supplier gives you?
Use it as a starting point. The first six digits come from the international system, so they should match. The digits after that are set by each country or customs union.
A code from a supplier in China or India will not have the 12 digits that Dubai Customs asks for. Look up the full UAE code before the cargo ships.
What does the HS code decide?
The code decides how customs treats the product.
What happens if the HS code is wrong?
A wrong code can mean the wrong duty rate or a missed permit. Either one can hold the cargo until the declaration is corrected.
Check the code for every product line before the supplier issues the commercial invoice. It is much quicker to fix a draft than a filed declaration.
Where Gxpress fits
Send us the product list before you buy. We check every line, confirm the HS codes and tell you which products need a permit.
Our Dubai team then files the declaration with those codes and follows it to release.
Written by the Gxpress Dubai team on 10 October 2026. Source: the Dubai Customs pages on the Integrated Customs Tariff and HS code search.
