Federal Law No. (11) of 2019 on the Rules and Certificates of Origin
Federal Law No. (11) of 2019
Sets UAE rules for determining the origin of goods and governs certificates of origin, preferential and non-preferential origin, verification, record-keeping, objections and enforcement.
Overview
What this legislation covers
Sets UAE rules for determining the origin of goods and governs certificates of origin, preferential and non-preferential origin, verification, record-keeping, objections and enforcement.
Who or what it applies to
- UAE exporters and manufacturers requesting certificates of origin.
- Importers relying on UAE origin or preferential-origin documentation.
- Chambers/authorised entities involved in certificate issuance under the regulatory system.
- Ministry of Economy and customs authorities.
- Goods subject to preferential or non-preferential origin rules.
Key points
Important points at a glance
Creates national rules for determining the origin of goods.
Distinguishes wholly obtained/produced goods from goods whose origin depends on sufficient processing or transformation.
Provides a framework for preferential origin where an applicable trade agreement grants tariff or other preferences.
Provides rules for non-preferential origin used for ordinary trade-policy and customs purposes.
Regulates issuance and authentication of certificates of origin.
Allows electronic certificate and origin-information systems subject to the statutory framework.
Requires applicants/exporters to provide accurate origin information and supporting documents.
Requires record-keeping to support origin claims.
Allows the Ministry/competent bodies to verify the truth of origin declarations and certificates.
Provides cooperation with customs and foreign authorities for verification where applicable.
Regulates correction, suspension, cancellation or refusal of certificates in relevant cases.
Provides objection/grievance procedures against specified decisions.
Creates offences/penalties for false certificates, misleading origin information and other violations.
Cabinet Resolution No. (43) of 2022 is the active Executive Regulation.
Trade agreements may impose product-specific origin rules that must be applied in addition to this general law.
Practical explanation
Understanding the law
Purpose and practical effect
Sets UAE rules for determining the origin of goods and governs certificates of origin, preferential and non-preferential origin, verification, record-keeping, objections and enforcement.
Who and what the law applies to
- UAE exporters and manufacturers requesting certificates of origin.
- Importers relying on UAE origin or preferential-origin documentation.
- Chambers/authorised entities involved in certificate issuance under the regulatory system.
- Ministry of Economy and customs authorities.
- Goods subject to preferential or non-preferential origin rules.
Important definitions
- Origin: the economic nationality of goods determined under the applicable origin rule.
- Certificate of Origin: an official/authorised document evidencing the origin of goods.
- Preferential Origin: origin satisfying a trade agreement's rules so that preferential treatment may be claimed.
- Non-Preferential Origin: origin determined for purposes not based on a preferential trade agreement.
- Wholly Obtained: goods produced entirely within a country under the relevant rule.
- Sufficient Processing: processing that meets the applicable tariff-change, value, production or other origin criterion.
Main rights, duties and legal consequences
- Eligible exporters may obtain certificates of origin when the applicable conditions and evidence are satisfied.
- Authorities may verify origin claims and request supporting documents.
- Applicants may use applicable objection/grievance routes against certain decisions.
- Preferential treatment depends on the specific trade agreement and cannot be assumed from a general UAE certificate alone.
Practical compliance / procedure checklist
- Identify whether the shipment needs preferential or non-preferential origin.
- Determine the product-specific origin rule and tariff classification.
- Compile bills of materials, production records, supplier declarations and cost/value evidence.
- Apply through the approved certificate-of-origin system/issuing body.
- Keep supporting origin records for the required period.
- Cooperate with verification requests from the Ministry/customs/foreign authority.
- Use the relevant CEPA/FTA origin protocol for preferential shipments.
- Correct or withdraw inaccurate origin claims promptly.
Important dates and deadlines
- Issued: 19 December 2019.
- Effective: 31 January 2020.
- Executive Regulation No. (43) of 2022: effective 12 June 2022.
- Certificate application, verification, record-retention and objection periods depend on the Executive Regulation and applicable trade agreement.
- Preferential claims may have additional shipment-specific time limits.
Enforcement and legal exposure
False origin statements or forged/misused certificates can lead to certificate cancellation, denial of preference, customs consequences and statutory penalties. Exact consequences depend on the conduct and applicable trade agreement/customs rules.
Practical scenarios
- A UAE manufacturer exporting under a CEPA must use that agreement's product-specific rule, not merely show that the final assembly occurred in the UAE.
- An exporter should retain supplier and production evidence because a certificate can be subject to post-issuance verification.
- A re-exported foreign product does not automatically acquire UAE origin.
- An incorrect origin declaration can affect both the UAE certificate and the importer's customs treatment abroad.
Current-law interaction
No amendment to the principal law was identified in the official portal review. Cabinet Resolution No. (43) of 2022 remains the active Executive Regulation; preferential cases also require the current origin protocol of the applicable trade agreement.
Research status and caution
Legal-status and source verification for this package was carried out on 2026-09-08. UAE federal legislation frequently operates together with Executive Regulations, Cabinet resolutions, ministerial decisions, regulator guidance and Emirate-level rules. The current official source should be rechecked before a live filing, licence application, tax position, clinical/veterinary decision, enforcement step or court submission.
The cover is an editorial design supplied by the user. Its visual wording is not used as the sole basis for legal status. Where the cover and current official materials differ, the manifest and legal files record the verified/current framework used for this package.
Practical notes
- Use the current official Arabic text for interpretation and application; the English material in this package is a structured legal-information rendering.
- Verify the latest consolidated law, Executive Regulation, Cabinet/ministerial decisions and relevant Emirate-level rules immediately before case-specific reliance.
- Exact penalties, thresholds, exceptions, licence conditions, medical/technical criteria and procedural deadlines must be checked against the current article and implementing instrument.
- The supplied cover artwork is editorial artwork and does not constitute an official UAE Government publication or legal-status certificate.
Legislation text
Text and provisions
Official-text notice. This file is a comprehensive structured English legal-information rendering based on the official/current sources listed in this package. It is not represented as the controlling verbatim English text. For interpretation and application, the official Arabic text prevails. Exact offence elements, penalties, thresholds, exceptions, licence conditions, technical or medical criteria and deadlines must be checked against the current article and implementing instrument.
Federal Law No. (11) of 2019 on the Rules and Certificates of Origin
Verified legislative metadata
| Instrument | Federal Law No. (11) of 2019 |
|---|---|
| Issued | 2019-12-19 |
| Effective | 2020-01-31 |
| Status | Active / in force |
| Official Gazette | Official Gazette No. 669 |
| Official source | UAE legislation source |
Purpose and scope
Sets UAE rules for determining the origin of goods and governs certificates of origin, preferential and non-preferential origin, verification, record-keeping, objections and enforcement.
Structured legislative map
Definitions and scope
Defines origin, certificate, exporter, producer and relevant authorities.
Origin determination
Sets the framework for wholly obtained goods and sufficiently processed/transformed goods.
Preferential origin
Links preferential treatment to applicable treaties/agreements and product-specific rules.
Non-preferential origin
Provides the general national origin framework where preferential rules do not apply.
Certificate issuance
Regulates who may issue certificates and what information/documentation is required.
Electronic systems
Allows regulated electronic issuance, data exchange and verification.
Exporter/producer obligations
Requires truthful information, supporting records and cooperation with verification.
Verification
Allows checks of declarations, production data, supporting documents and foreign verification requests.
Correction/cancellation
Provides mechanisms to refuse, correct, suspend or cancel certificates where requirements are not met.
Records
Requires retention of origin-related evidence for the prescribed period.
Objections and appeals
Provides administrative routes against certain origin/certificate decisions.
Penalties
Creates consequences for false, misleading or forged origin documents.
Executive Regulation
Cabinet Resolution No. (43) of 2022 supplies procedural detail.
Trade-agreement interaction
Specific FTA/CEPA origin protocols prevail for preferential treatment where applicable.
Key statutory points
- Creates national rules for determining the origin of goods.
- Distinguishes wholly obtained/produced goods from goods whose origin depends on sufficient processing or transformation.
- Provides a framework for preferential origin where an applicable trade agreement grants tariff or other preferences.
- Provides rules for non-preferential origin used for ordinary trade-policy and customs purposes.
- Regulates issuance and authentication of certificates of origin.
- Allows electronic certificate and origin-information systems subject to the statutory framework.
- Requires applicants/exporters to provide accurate origin information and supporting documents.
- Requires record-keeping to support origin claims.
- Allows the Ministry/competent bodies to verify the truth of origin declarations and certificates.
- Provides cooperation with customs and foreign authorities for verification where applicable.
- Regulates correction, suspension, cancellation or refusal of certificates in relevant cases.
- Provides objection/grievance procedures against specified decisions.
- Creates offences/penalties for false certificates, misleading origin information and other violations.
- Cabinet Resolution No. (43) of 2022 is the active Executive Regulation.
- Trade agreements may impose product-specific origin rules that must be applied in addition to this general law.
Amendments, regulations and interaction with other legislation
No amendment to the principal law was identified in the official portal review. Cabinet Resolution No. (43) of 2022 remains the active Executive Regulation; preferential cases also require the current origin protocol of the applicable trade agreement.
How this text should be used
This package is designed for website publication, internal research and client-facing orientation. It maps the instrument's operative subject matter and the current regulatory context verified for this batch. It does not replace article-level reading. Where the answer depends on a defined term, scheduled disease or product, professional qualification, technical standard, licence category, tax period, limitation period, consent requirement, offence, penalty, exemption, transition rule or deadline, open the current official legislation and the relevant Executive Regulation or competent-authority decision before relying on the conclusion.
Source priority
For legal interpretation, the official Arabic legislation is controlling. The official English portal is useful for research but itself states that the Arabic text prevails in case of conflict. Local Emirate rules, regulator circulars and technical decisions may add operational requirements without replacing the federal framework.
Verification
Official source & references
Official legislation sourcehttps://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1552Open ↗Official Gazette: Official Gazette No. 669
This page is a research and educational resource. Legislation can be amended, repealed, supplemented by regulations or interpreted by courts and authorities. Obtain advice before relying on it for a live matter.