1. How to read this list

The list is grouped by the reason for refusal, because the reason determines whether there is any way around it. An air-safety prohibition is absolute — there are no exceptions. A government permit requirement is satisfied once you hold the permit. A Company policy decision can sometimes be handled case by case for a corporate account.

This list is not exhaustive. The final decision on any specific shipment is governed by the airline’s conditions of carriage, UAE export law, Hong Kong export law for a Hong Kong-origin shipment, and the import law of the destination country — and all four change independently of this page.

If you are unsure, ask before you pack, not after intake. Checking takes us minutes; goods held at customs take weeks.

2. Documents: what we carry and what we do not

Carrying documents is one of our core services — but not every kind of document.

We accept business and legal documents:

• contracts, agreements, annexes and completion certificates;
• powers of attorney, including notarised ones;
• corporate documents: articles, resolutions, extracts, certificates;
• notarised, apostilled and legalised documents;
• commercial documents: invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin;
• diplomas, transcripts and other education and qualification documents.

We do not accept personal identity documents: passports, national ID cards, Emirates ID, driving licences, residence visas, sole original birth and marriage certificates, or any other identity document issued by a government authority. The reason is straightforward: a carrier cannot replace such a document, its loss or delay creates disproportionate risk for the holder, and in many countries sending identity documents by commercial carrier is expressly restricted. For passports, use the channels intended for them — consular services, visa centres, or courier services holding the relevant authorisation.

3. Never accepted — air carriage safety

Dangerous goods under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, the classification every airline we fly with is bound by. This is not our decision but a condition of the load being allowed on board. There are no exceptions, for any shipment, any volume or any customer.

• Class 1 — explosives, pyrotechnics, fireworks, cartridges and ammunition;
• Class 2 — compressed and liquefied gases, cylinders, pressurised aerosols, gas cartridges;
• Class 3 — flammable liquids: petrol, solvents, acetone, alcohol-based technical fluids, paints;
• Class 4 — flammable solids, matches, lighters and refill canisters;
• Class 5 — oxidisers and organic peroxides, including industrial-strength bleach;
• Class 6 — toxic and infectious substances, biological and medical samples;
• Class 7 — radioactive material;
• Class 8 — corrosives: acids, alkalis, mercury and instruments containing mercury;
• Class 9 — magnetised material above the field-strength limit for air carriage, and lithium batteries or power banks sent separately from a device.

4. Not accepted outright — UAE export law

Contents whose export from the UAE is prohibited under the Common Customs Law of the GCC States and UAE federal and local regulation, regardless of how they are packed or declared. This sits alongside, not instead of, the air-safety list in section 3 — an item can be perfectly safe to fly and still be illegal to send. The categories below follow the prohibited-goods lists published by Dubai Customs and Abu Dhabi Customs.

• narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors, and cannabinoid or CBD products;
• gambling tools, machines and devices of any kind;
• counterfeit currency, and counterfeit or intellectual-property-infringing goods;
• publications, artwork, recordings and other material contrary to Islamic teachings or public morals;
• ivory, rhino horn and other products of species protected under CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;
• ozone-depleting substances, asbestos, hazardous waste and radiation-contaminated material;
• goods originating from a country subject to a UAE trade boycott.

Attempting to send any of these is not simply a refused intake — it is grounds for reporting to the UAE Federal Customs Authority.

5. Restricted — needs a UAE government permit

These are not banned outright, but UAE law makes carrying them conditional on an import or export permit issued by a named authority — a requirement we cannot waive or obtain on a customer’s behalf. Bring the permit at intake, or the shipment is treated as undocumented and refused.

• live animals, plants, seeds and agricultural inputs — Ministry of Climate Change and Environment;
• weapons, ammunition, explosives and fireworks — Ministry of Interior;
• pharmaceuticals, medicines and medical devices — Ministry of Health and Prevention;
• publications, recorded media and broadcasting equipment — UAE Media Council;
• radioactive material and nuclear-related equipment — Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation;
• e-cigarettes, heated-tobacco devices and new tyres — Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology;
• radio-transmitting equipment, satellite phones and drones — Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority;
• alcoholic beverages — Dubai Police and the relevant emirate’s liquor licensing authority;
• rough diamonds — the UAE Kimberley Process Office.

A permit is issued to a person or a licensed business, not to a carrier — we carry the shipment once you hold it; we do not obtain it for you.

6. Not accepted outright — Hong Kong export law

Applies when a shipment originates at our Hong Kong warehouse. Hong Kong regulates exports under the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60) and a set of item-specific ordinances — the chapter number below identifies exactly which one applies, in case your supplier or freight forwarder asks.

• dangerous drugs and psychotropic substances without a Department of Health export authorisation — Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134);
• certain bladed and impact weapons — throwing darts, knuckle-dusters, gravity knives, gravity-operated steel batons — Weapons Ordinance (Cap. 217);
• smokeless tobacco products;
• counterfeit goods and items infringing copyright.

The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department enforces this independently of UAE rules — a shipment can clear Dubai and still be stopped on the Hong Kong side.

7. Restricted — needs a Hong Kong government permit

Conditional in the same way as section 5, but under Hong Kong law: a licence or certificate from the named department, presented at intake.

• endangered species and CITES-listed products — Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586);
• firearms and ammunition — Hong Kong Police Force, under the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance (Cap. 238);
• controlled and hazardous chemicals — Environmental Protection Department and Trade and Industry Department, under the Control of Chemicals Ordinance (Cap. 145) and the Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance (Cap. 595);
• mercury and mercury-containing instruments — Environmental Protection Department, under the Mercury Control Ordinance (Cap. 640);
• ozone-depleting substances — Environmental Protection Department, under the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance (Cap. 403);
• radio-transmitting equipment — Office of the Communications Authority, under the Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106);
• strategic and dual-use commodities — Trade and Industry Department, under the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Cap. 60G);
• rough diamonds — Trade and Industry Department, Kimberley Process Certificate;
• live animals and specified food, meat and poultry — Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

8. Not accepted as a matter of Company policy

Items that could formally be carried once licensed, but where the risk to the customer is disproportionate: they cannot be replaced, or their value is out of proportion to a carrier’s liability limits — 22 Special Drawing Rights per kilogram absent an applicable convention with a different figure, per the terms of carriage — regardless of what the goods are actually worth.

• personal identity documents — see section 2;
• jewellery, precious metals and stones, investment coins and bullion;
• antiques, works of art and collectibles with unique value;
• alcohol and tobacco products;
• e-cigarettes, heated tobacco devices and their liquids;
• prescription medicines and preparations containing controlled substances;
• perishable food, chilled and frozen goods;
• drones and their components;
• erotic and pornographic material;
• anything whose carriage requires a licence the Company does not hold.

For some items in this section, a case-by-case arrangement is possible for a corporate customer under a separate agreement, where all permits from sections 5 and 7 are already in place. Ask before dispatch.

9. Accepted with conditions

We carry these, but only on the conditions below. The condition is not a formality: without it the goods stop at customs.

• Lithium batteries installed in a device: the device must be switched off and protected against accidental activation, and the number and capacity must be within air carriage limits. You must tell us the shipment contains a battery at intake.
• Perfume and cosmetics: limited volume, original packaging, alcohol content within air carriage limits.
• Over-the-counter medicines for personal use: original packaging, reasonable quantity, and a prescription where needed.
• Food: dry, industrially packaged, long shelf life only, and subject to the destination country’s import rules.
• Branded goods: proof of purchase — invoice or receipt — is required, otherwise destination customs may treat the goods as counterfeit.
• Goods subject to mandatory labelling or certification in the destination country: labelling is done at our warehouse before dispatch as a separate service.
• Commercial consignments: invoice, packing list, commodity code and declared value are mandatory.

10. Packaging

Packaging is the sender’s responsibility. It must withstand normal conditions of air carriage, including transhipment and stacking — not merely careful handling.

Fragile contents need internal cushioning and must not touch the walls of the box. Liquids need a sealed container plus an outer waterproof layer. A "fragile" marking does not substitute for packaging and does not by itself extend a carrier’s liability.

Where packaging is clearly inadequate we will offer to repack at the warehouse as a separate service. A refusal to repack is recorded in the intake document.

11. What happens if prohibited contents are found

Before intake: we refuse the shipment and explain why. No charge is made.

After intake, before dispatch: carriage is suspended, we notify the sender and act on their instruction — return or removal of the item — so far as the law allows.

After dispatch: the rules of the carrier and of the competent customs authority apply — the UAE Federal Customs Authority, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, or the destination country’s own customs service. The shipment may be held, seized or destroyed without compensation, and the details reported to the competent authorities.

Costs arising from prohibited contents — including return costs, storage and carrier penalties — are for the sender’s account.

The sender is responsible for describing the contents accurately. Writing "gift" or "personal effects" instead of the actual contents does not reduce that responsibility — it is itself a reason for a shipment to be held at customs.

12. If you cannot find your case

Write to us before you pack: describe the contents, the quantity, the approximate value and the destination country. We will check the item against the airline’s dangerous-goods rules, UAE export law, Hong Kong export law where relevant, and the destination country’s import rules — together with our customs broker — and give you an answer.

It is free, and faster than dealing with a hold at customs.