Reefers are positioned and sealed at the packhouse so the cold chain holds from the farm gate to the quay.
Egypt to UAE corridor
Shipping from Egypt to UAE
We move Egyptian commercial and industrial exports from Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said and Ain Sokhna into Jebel Ali and the UAE market, and by air out of Cairo. We lodge the Egyptian export declaration, obtain the chamber-attested certificate of origin, attend the inspection at origin and clear the cargo on arrival in Dubai.
MIDTRANS operations deskEgypt to UAE
Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said, Ain Sokhna, Jebel Ali
Nafeza export declaration
Lodged by an exporter listed on the register kept by the General Organization for Export and Import Control.
Arab preference on origin
Egypt and the UAE are both parties to the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, and the certificate has to be drawn in the correct form.
North or south of the canal
Mediterranean gateways route through the Suez Canal. Ain Sokhna is already on the Red Sea side.
Arrival at Jebel Ali
Mainland import against a trade licence, or duty-suspended entry into a licensed free zone.
International Shipping & Customs Assistant
MIDTRANS Operations Desk
Team review before pricing or operationsThe origin position is checked with the exporter before the chamber certificate is drawn.
The Dubai office files the arrival entry while the cargo is still on the water.
Egyptian export mechanics
The export declaration and the exporters' register
An Egyptian export shipment starts with an export declaration lodged through the Nafeza single window by an exporter listed on the exporters' register kept by the General Organization for Export and Import Control, GOEIC. Without that registration the declaration is not accepted, whatever the buyer in Dubai has already agreed.
The declaration states the commodity, the quantity, the packing and the export value, and it is tied to the export proceeds form raised with the exporter's bank so that the currency returning against the shipment is accounted for. We prepare the declaration with the exporter, book the customs examination and present the goods.
- Exporters' register
- Nafeza export module
- Export proceeds form
- Customs examination booked
Origin document
The chamber-attested certificate of origin and Arab preference
An Egyptian certificate of origin is issued and attested by the chamber of commerce of the governorate where the exporter is registered. The Cairo, Alexandria and Damietta chambers and the industrial-zone chambers each attest their own members' certificates, and UAE customs reads that attestation as the proof of Egyptian origin.
This matters commercially and not only administratively. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are both parties to the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, and goods meeting the agreement's origin rule enter the UAE at preferential duty when the certificate is drawn in the correct Arab form and the invoice supports it. Goods merely finished or repacked in Egypt from imported inputs do not qualify, and the certificate must not claim that they do. We settle the origin position with the exporter before the certificate is issued.
- Chamber attestation
- Greater Arab Free Trade Area
- Origin rule tested
- Invoice consistency
Inspection at origin
GOEIC control, plant quarantine and stuffing under supervision
Regulated Egyptian exports are inspected before they leave the country. GOEIC quality control covers food, agricultural produce, textiles and a defined list of manufactured goods. The Central Administration of Plant Quarantine issues the phytosanitary certificate for fresh produce, and food consignments carry a health certificate.
We stuff under that supervision. For produce and temperature-controlled goods the reefer is pre-cooled and positioned at the packhouse, the inspection is taken at the loading point, and the box is sealed there rather than at the port, which keeps the cold chain intact from the farm gate to the quay. For industrial cargo the examination is taken at the factory yard or at the terminal, following where the goods are consolidated.
- GOEIC quality control
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Health certificate
- Sealed at the packhouse
Routing
Out of the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Suez to Jebel Ali
Egyptian export boxes for the UAE leave from either side of the Suez Canal, and that choice sets the routing. From Alexandria, El Dekheila, Damietta and Port Said the box enters the Mediterranean network and reaches Jebel Ali through the canal, direct where a service runs it and by transhipment where it does not. From Ain Sokhna the cargo is already south of the canal and sails the Red Sea to the Gulf without a canal transit, which suits shippers in the Sokhna industrial zone and Upper Egypt.
Air freight out of Cairo International Airport carries perishables, pharmaceutical and instrument consignments and urgent industrial spares. Multimodal moves pair a road pre-carriage from an inland factory with a sea main leg.
- Mediterranean gateways
- Suez Canal transit
- Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea
- Cairo airport
Arrival in Dubai
Discharge, clearance and free zone entry at Jebel Ali
On arrival at Jebel Ali the file splits two ways: mainland import or free zone entry. Mainland import means a declaration filed with Dubai Customs against a consignee holding a valid trade licence and an importer code, duty assessed and paid, and the goods delivered into the UAE market. Free zone entry means the goods move into a licensed free zone under a free zone import declaration with duty suspended, which is what buyers use when the cargo is held for onward sale into the region.
We take the delivery order from the line, file the declaration, attend the terminal inspection and move the container out. Food consignments are additionally registered with Dubai Municipality food control, with the label and the health certificate checked before release. Goods held for re-export rest in our Jebel Ali warehouse until the onward buyer is named, and door delivery covers the final leg.
- Delivery order
- Import declaration
- Dubai Municipality food control
- Free zone storage
Cargo on this lane
What Egypt sends to the UAE
The steady Egyptian export traffic is ceramics and sanitary ware, marble and granite, processed food and beverages, fresh produce in reefer, textiles and made-up goods for the wholesale trade, cables and electrical products, chemicals and fertiliser in commercial packing, engineering products and steel fabrication. Project pieces and plant move as breakbulk or on flat racks.
We carry commercial and industrial consignments only: full container loads, part loads, project and heavy cargo, industrial equipment, raw materials and manufactured goods. Each booking is placed against a commercial invoice and a UAE consignee holding a valid trade licence.
- Ceramics and sanitary ware
- Marble and granite
- Processed food and produce
- Engineering products
Rates and transit times are indicative and confirmed at booking.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who can lodge an Egyptian export declaration?
An exporter listed on the exporters' register kept by the General Organization for Export and Import Control, GOEIC. The declaration is lodged through the Nafeza single window and is tied to the export proceeds form raised with the exporter's bank.
Does an Egyptian certificate of origin reduce duty in the UAE?
Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are both parties to the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, and goods meeting the agreement's origin rule enter the UAE at preferential duty when the chamber-attested certificate is drawn in the correct Arab form. Goods merely finished or repacked in Egypt from imported inputs do not qualify.
Where is the container stuffed for Egyptian fresh produce?
At the packhouse. The reefer is pre-cooled and positioned at the loading point, the GOEIC and plant quarantine inspection is taken there, and the box is sealed at the packhouse rather than at the port, which keeps the cold chain intact from the farm gate to the quay.
Should Egyptian cargo enter Dubai mainland or a free zone?
Mainland import requires a consignee holding a valid trade licence and an importer code and assesses duty on entry. Free zone entry moves the goods into a licensed free zone with duty suspended, which is what buyers use when the cargo is held for onward sale into the region.
Which Egyptian ports load cargo for Jebel Ali?
Alexandria, El Dekheila, Damietta and Port Said reach Jebel Ali through the Suez Canal, direct where a service runs and by transhipment where it does not. Ain Sokhna is already south of the canal, so cargo from the Sokhna industrial zone and Upper Egypt sails the Red Sea to the Gulf without a canal transit.
Which Egyptian cargo moves to the UAE by air?
Perishables, pharmaceutical and instrument consignments and urgent industrial spares fly out of Cairo International Airport. For inland factories, a road pre-carriage can instead be paired with a sea main leg.
Next step
Export a commercial consignment from Egypt to the UAE
Send the loading address, the commodity, the packing and the UAE consignee. We build the export file in Egypt and the arrival entry in Dubai on the same reference.
Factory, packhouse or industrial zone address and the date the goods are ready.
Nafeza declaration, chamber certificate of origin and the GOEIC or quarantine inspection.
Mainland entry or free zone entry at Jebel Ali, then delivery to the consignee.
Related
Where this connects on the rest of the site.
