Shopify in the UAE: the complete 2026 guide to plans, payments, VAT and delivery

Shopify works in the UAE: you can open a store, take payments in AED and deliver across all seven emirates. Running a Shopify UAE store well comes down to six decisions: your plan, how you take payments, whether to offer cash on delivery, how you handle 5% VAT, whether your storefront speaks Arabic, and which couriers deliver your orders.

This guide works through each one with the facts that matter for UAE merchants, checked against Shopify’s own pages and UAE government sources as of October 2026. Prices, fees and rules change, so each section links to the primary source to confirm before you commit.

Is Shopify available in the UAE?

Yes. Shopify is available to merchants based in the UAE and has a dedicated UAE site with local pricing pages. You sign up, choose a plan and build your store the same way as anywhere else. What differs by country is the set of payment options, tax settings and local services around the store.

A word of caution: many older articles about Shopify in Dubai and the wider UAE say Shopify Payments is not available here. That is out of date. Shopify’s Help Center now lists the UAE as a supported country, with conditions we cover below.

Shopify UAE plans and pricing

As of October 2026, the Shopify UAE pricing page shows four plans. Subscription prices are in USD, and card rates for Shopify Payments are in AED.

The same page lists higher rates for Amex and international cards (3.9% + AED 1.00 on Basic, falling to 3.5% + AED 1.00 on Plus). At the time of writing, Shopify was also advertising a trial of three days free, then USD 1 a month for three months. Promotions change often, so check the page on the day you sign up.

Which plan suits a new UAE store?

Basic covers what most new stores need: unlimited products, the online store and checkout, and up to 10 inventory locations. Move to Grow when you need staff accounts (up to 5) or when a lower third-party fee starts to outweigh the higher subscription. Advanced adds live third-party shipping rates at checkout, which matters if you want courier rates calculated per order rather than flat delivery fees.

A quick way to compare: if you will use a third-party gateway, multiply your expected monthly online revenue by the difference in transaction fee between two plans. Once that saving is larger than the difference in subscription, the higher plan pays for itself.

Shopify Payments in the UAE

Shopify Payments is Shopify’s own card processing, and using it removes the third-party transaction fee. According to Shopify’s UAE requirements page, as of October 2026:

• Licensed business: you need a commercial registration number (CRN). Non-profits are not currently eligible.
• Business type: LLC, Free Zone LLC, Sole Establishment or Free Zone Sole Establishment.
• Bank account: a UAE checking account in AED with an IBAN starting “AE”. LLCs need a business account in the company name; sole establishments use an individual account in the owner’s legal name. Savings accounts and money-transfer services are not accepted.
• Online only: Shopify Payments in the UAE covers online selling, not in-person sales.

Shopify lists Visa, Mastercard and Maestro cards, plus Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay as accelerated checkouts, on its UAE payment methods page. Shopify may ask you to verify personal and business details during activation, and some business types are prohibited under its terms, so check eligibility before you plan your launch around it.

Shopify payment gateways and BNPL in the UAE

If you are not eligible for Shopify Payments, or you want local payment methods it does not offer, a third-party gateway is the alternative. Shopify charges the third-party transaction fee from the table above on those orders, in addition to whatever the provider charges you.

Providers that publish Shopify integration guides for UAE merchants include:

• Telr offers an offsite app and an onsite card app, according to its Shopify integration guide.
• N-Genius Online by Network International lists Shopify among its e-commerce plugins.
• Tabby (buy now, pay later) has a Shopify app that accepts orders with UAE and KSA billing addresses, per its installation docs.
• Tamara (buy now, pay later) states that it can be installed through Shopify on its integration page.

Each provider runs its own merchant onboarding and sets its own rates, settlement times and order limits. Ask for these in writing and compare the total cost per order, including Shopify’s transaction fee. Many UAE stores run a card gateway and one or two BNPL options side by side.

Cash on delivery

Many UAE shoppers still ask for cash on delivery, and Shopify supports it as a manual payment method. COD orders arrive marked as unpaid, and you mark them paid once the cash is collected. Shopify does not charge third-party transaction fees on manual payments.

The cost of COD sits elsewhere: courier collection fees, slower remittance and refused deliveries. Keep it manageable with a few habits:

• Agree COD fees and remittance timing with each courier before you offer it.
• Make the phone number required at checkout so riders can reach the customer.
• Consider limits, such as no COD above a set order value, or for first-time customers in areas with high refusal rates.
• Reconcile collected cash against unpaid orders every week, not every quarter.

VAT for UAE Shopify stores

The UAE’s standard VAT rate is 5%. According to the Federal Tax Authority, as of October 2026, registration is mandatory when your taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 over the previous 12 months, or are expected to within the next 30 days. You can register voluntarily from AED 187,500.

In Shopify, VAT is handled in the tax settings: you add the UAE as a region you collect tax in, enter your tax registration number, and choose whether your displayed prices include tax. Shopify calculates the tax, but you remain responsible for registering, filing returns and issuing compliant invoices. Your tax adviser should confirm how to treat shipping charges, discounts and sales to other GCC countries.

Arabic, RTL and multi-currency

You can add Arabic as a storefront language from Settings → Languages. Shopify’s language requirements page says the latest versions of its Horizon theme family support right-to-left languages such as Arabic. With any other theme, check RTL support with the developer before you buy, and test menus, carousels, product galleries and the cart drawer in Arabic. The same page allows up to 20 languages on Basic, Grow and Advanced, and up to 30 on Plus.

Translate products and policies properly rather than relying only on automatic translation, especially sizes, ingredients and return terms.

For shoppers outside the UAE, Shopify Markets lets you show local prices. Shopify’s pricing page notes that showing prices in local currencies requires Shopify Payments. If you sell mainly to UAE customers, a single AED storefront is simpler to run.

Delivery and same-day couriers

Fast delivery is a real selling point in the UAE, and many stores offer same-day or next-day delivery within an emirate. Most combine two models: on-demand riders for urgent orders and a scheduled or next-day courier for everything else. Our guide to same-day delivery for Shopify stores in the UAE compares the main couriers by delivery model, API access and COD.

Set up shipping in Shopify with zones that match how couriers actually price: by emirate, or by area within Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Offer a clear cut-off time (“order before 12:00 for same-day”) only where your courier can keep it.

The manual cost is in dispatch: copying each order’s address, phone number and pin into a courier dashboard. That is the problem we built Waslio Courier to solve. It is a Shopify app that sends orders to your own courier accounts. The noon Send integration is live and production-tested; other couriers, including Careem Express, Quiqup and Jeebly, are in Beta while sandbox validation is pending. If noon Send is your courier, see how to connect noon Send to Shopify.

Do you need a trade licence?

Yes. To sell online on the UAE mainland, the government’s u.ae e-commerce page says you need a commercial licence that includes e-commerce activity from your emirate’s economic department, and that e-commerce licences also require approval from the TDRA. Free zone licences are an alternative, but the same page notes that selling directly to mainland customers may need a local distributor or additional approvals. Confirm the right activity and licence type with your licensing authority before you go live. You will need the licence anyway for Shopify Payments, most gateways and courier business accounts.

Shopify UAE launch checklist

1. Licence ready: trade licence with e-commerce activity, and a UAE business bank account.
2. Plan chosen: compare subscription against transaction fees at your expected revenue.
3. Payments live: Shopify Payments or a gateway activated, BNPL added if your average order suits it, and a real low-value test order placed and refunded.
4. COD rules set: COD enabled with any limits, and fees and remittance agreed with couriers.
5. VAT configured: registration status confirmed, tax settings and invoices checked.
6. Store currency AED: prices, shipping rates and free-delivery thresholds reviewed.
7. Arabic tested: if you sell in Arabic, every key page checked in RTL on mobile.
8. Checkout fields: phone number required, and address fields clear enough for riders.
9. Shipping zones: rates and delivery promises set per emirate or area.
10. Courier connected: accounts opened, dispatch tested end to end, tracking links reaching customers.
11. Policies published: returns, refunds, delivery and privacy, with your licence details where required.

If you need help with the parts that do not fit an off-the-shelf app, such as a custom integration or an ERP link, our guide to custom Shopify apps vs App Store apps sets out when each makes sense.

Delivering same-day in the UAE?
See how Waslio Courier sends Shopify orders to your own noon Send account, with other couriers in Beta. There is a Free plan with 30 deliveries a month.
Explore Waslio Courier →

Frequently asked questions

Does Shopify work in the UAE?

Yes. Shopify is available to UAE-based merchants. You can sell in AED, deliver across the emirates and use local payment providers. As of October 2026, plans on Shopify’s UAE pricing page start at USD 24 a month billed yearly for Basic.

Is Shopify Payments available in the UAE?

Yes, with conditions. As of October 2026, Shopify’s Help Center lists the UAE as supported for online sales. You need a CRN, an eligible business type (LLC, Free Zone LLC, Sole Establishment or Free Zone Sole Establishment) and a UAE checking account in AED with an IBAN starting AE.

Which payment gateway should a UAE Shopify store use?

Start with Shopify Payments if you are eligible, as it avoids the third-party transaction fee. Otherwise, compare card gateways such as Telr or N-Genius by Network International, and consider BNPL options such as Tabby or Tamara. Compare total cost per order, including Shopify’s fee of 0.2% to 2% for third-party gateways.

Can I offer cash on delivery on Shopify in the UAE?

Yes. Cash on Delivery is one of Shopify’s manual payment methods. Orders are marked unpaid until you record the payment, and Shopify does not charge third-party transaction fees on manual payments. Your courier sets its own COD collection fees and remittance timing.

Do I need to charge VAT on my Shopify store?

You must register for UAE VAT once your taxable supplies exceed AED 375,000 over 12 months, and you can register voluntarily from AED 187,500. Once registered, you charge 5% VAT. Shopify can calculate it, but filing and compliance remain your responsibility.

Do I need a trade licence to sell on Shopify in the UAE?

Yes. The UAE government’s e-commerce guidance requires a licence that includes e-commerce activity, from your emirate’s economic department or a free zone authority. Shopify Payments, gateways and couriers will also ask for it.

Waslio Connect is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Shopify or any payment provider or courier named here. Prices, fees, eligibility rules and tax thresholds were checked against the linked sources in October 2026; they change, so confirm them with Shopify, your provider or the Federal Tax Authority before relying on them. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.