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A lot of expatriates arrive in Dubai with just the 20kg of baggage their air ticket allows them to check in. That means that many people here have to ship in some of their possessions after they have arrived.
Similarly, most expatriates leaving the UAE shipping their possessions back to their home country.
Freight companies can provide a door-to-door service, picking up your things from your home country address and delivering them to your residence here. They can pack everything too.
If they do not have agents in your home country, you must organise the packing and transportation, either through a friend or by finding an agent yourself.
Costs vary depending on how the goods are sent.
For example, sending 100kg from India to the UAE by air will take about two days and cost in freight fees about $200, according to Jabber from Dubai-based TransNet Freight Forwarding and Shipping Service.
The same parcel, sent by sea, will take about 12 days, including time for customs clearing, and cost about $150.
In addition, agents’ fees, plus delivery and handling charges, will be about Dh300 for a 100kg parcel arriving by sea and Dh175 by air.
Customs clearance
You will be notified by customs once your goods arrive and you must attend in person, bringing the airway bill or tracking number and a passport copy.
After you pay the various delivery and handling charges, customs will open and inspect the packages with you there.
If picking up someone else’s belongings, you must bring a signed letter of authorisation from them and copies of both of your passports.
You can pay a freight company a clearing charge and they will deal with customs for you. Expect to pay about Dh150 for a 100kg parcel.
You can pay a freight forwarding firm to transport to your door. A Shaikh Zayed Road resident in Dubai would pay about Dh120 to have a 100kg consignment delivered from Dubai Cargo Village.
Sending goods from the UAE to your home country involves similar processes in reverse.
It might prove cheaper to find your own agent back home rather than letting a firm here do it and add commission.
Tips on getting a good bargain
- The more you are shipping, the more likely it is that sea freight will be cheaper than air freight.
- Insure your belongings, particularly if they are valuable. Freight forwarding firms can do this for you. Keep a list of everything.
--Try to get your goods packed into a single container as this will make customs clearing simpler.
- Booking a whole container will cut down on the number of times your goods are handled.
- Check how well your goods will be packed if the freight company is doing this - some will show you what materials they use.
- Do not bring in banned goods or anything inappropriate for a Muslim country.
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