Dubai Customs posts 10% surge in transactions during first half of 2023 after trade growth

The entity processed 14 million transactions in first six months of the year

Dubai Customs made 1,059 seizures and filed 908 customs cases in the first half of 2023. Reem Mohammed / The National Reporter: Section:

Dubai Customs cleared 14 million customs transactions during the first six months of 2023, a 10 per cent increase from the 12.7 million transactions in the same period last year, amid trade growth.

Dubai Customs said business registration service transactions rose 7 per cent to 143,000 service requests during the first half of this year, a statement on Sunday said.

Customs declarations stood at 12.3 million transactions, accounting for 88 per cent of the total.

"The strong performance is a clear indication of the business sector’s mounting recovery and how Dubai has reinforced its stature as a leading global hub for trade, finance and logistics," the statement added.

“Trade is among the key sectors that have led the growth of the local economy during last year and this year," said Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, director general of Dubai Customs and chief executive of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation.

The first-half performance comes amid a strong recovery in Dubai's economy and its position as a major global hub for trade, finance and logistics.

Dubai's economy is estimated to have grown 5 per cent last year and is forecast to increase by 3.5 per cent in 2023, according to Emirates NBD.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements that the UAE is concluding with various countries is also stimulating trade flows and increasing the value of non-oil foreign trade, strengthening the UAE’s position as a major global trading hub.

Stepping up its efforts in the fight against counterfeits to ensure protection of businesses’ intellectual property interests, Dubai Customs handled 194 cases of IP disputes during the first half of 2023, involving 10.7 million counterfeit items with a total value of Dh53.277 million.

The government department also continued to organise recycling operations for counterfeit and IP-infringing goods, which saw the recycling of 176,000 items belonging to 65 global trademarks.

Dubai Customs also made 1,059 seizures and filed 908 customs cases, thereby contributing to "an attractive investment environment" and enhancing the country's position as a leading global business hub, it said.

Dubai strengthened its status as a major global economic centre in the first half of 2023, as it continued to perform strongly across sectors from tourism to property, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, said last week.