I run an online store in the UAE — what do I actually need to know about taxes?

If you sell through your own website, you're responsible for VAT registration once your taxable supplies cross AED 375,000 over 12 months (or earlier, voluntarily, from AED 187,500), and for issuing proper tax invoices on every domestic sale. A sale to a customer inside the UAE with goods delivered here is standard-rated at 5%; genuine export to a customer outside the country can qualify for the zero rate, but only with real shipping and export evidence — not just a foreign-looking billing address. If you sell through a marketplace, who collects the VAT depends on the actual contractual relationship with that platform.

For Corporate Tax, store profit falls under the same general regime: the first AED 375,000 of net profit is exempt and 9% applies above it, and you may qualify for Small Business Relief if annual revenue stays within roughly AED 3 million — which simplifies compliance but doesn't remove the registration and filing obligation. RASEEKH reviews how you actually sell (own site, marketplace, or both) and sets up your tax position accordingly.