Everything you need to ship to Dubai in one place. Whether it’s a couple of boxes, your luggage, a student’s belongings or the contents of a home, we collect from your door anywhere in the UK, handle Dubai Customs, and deliver across Dubai and the wider UAE. Air freight in 3–6 working days to Dubai (DXB), or economical sea freight in 4–7 weeks to Jebel Ali, subject to space and flight availability with the carriers. Shipping to Dubai since 1998.
We’ve been shipping to Dubai from our Heathrow-side base since 1998 — boxes and bags for students and individuals, personal effects for people relocating, and cargo for businesses. Dubai is one of the most import-friendly destinations we ship to: used personal effects are generally duty-free for residence-visa holders. The two things to get right are your visa paperwork and knowing what Dubai does not allow in a shipment. This page is everything we’d tell a friend sending their things to Dubai. Shipping to the rest of the country too? See our shipping to the UAE page.
Not sure which service you need? Start here — each links to full details, transit times and what’s included.
A few boxes or bags, shipped door-to-door without airline excess fees. The most popular option for students and individuals.
Furniture and a home’s contents by sea freight to Jebel Ali, with your residence-visa paperwork handled with you.
Moving more than a bag or two? See why shipping beats airline excess-baggage charges — often by a wide margin.
The fast option — your consignment flies from Heathrow to Dubai (DXB) in a matter of days.
The economical option for volume — shared (LCL) or full-container (FCL) to Jebel Ali.
Sending a term or a year’s belongings to a Dubai university, without the airport queue.
On a budget? Compare the most economical routes and consolidation options to Dubai.
Tell us what you’re sending and where. We give you a clear quote up-front — and as long as your shipment is what you told us, that’s the price you pay, subject to airline rates at the time of booking.
We collect from your address anywhere in the UK. No need to get anything to a depot or the airport.
Goods are export-packed and we prepare an itemised packing list, with copies of your passport and UAE residence visa for clearance.
Air freight from Heathrow to Dubai (DXB), or consolidated sea freight to Jebel Ali.
Dubai Customs assesses the shipment at Jebel Ali or Al Maktoum. Used personal effects for visa-holders clear duty-free; every shipment is subject to inspection.
Your goods are delivered to the Dubai address, or ready to collect from the arrival depot.
Dubai is refreshingly straightforward on personal effects — but the duty-free treatment depends on your residency status, and everything is inspected on arrival.
The UAE has strict cultural, religious and safety rules on imports. Some things that are ordinary in the UK are restricted or prohibited — and getting caught out is far more costly than declaring up-front.
Most UK–Dubai shipments clear quickly. The ones that don’t nearly always come down to the same short list of things. Here’s what actually trips people up, and how to stay on the right side of it:
An illustrative example of a common scenario — your own quote is always specific to your exact shipment.
Dubai is our busiest UAE lane, but we deliver right across the Emirates. Each links to local delivery detail, ports and transit times:
Air to Dubai (DXB) and sea to Jebel Ali — our busiest UAE lane.
Air to Abu Dhabi (AUH) and sea to Khalifa Port for the capital.
Air to Sharjah (SHJ) and sea via the northern Emirates.
Delivery to RAK and the northern Emirates.
Our full country guide — every emirate, ports, duty and customs.
Air freight suits a few boxes, urgent items or anything you need within a week — 3–6 working days to Dubai, priced on weight and size. Sea freight suits volume — a room, a family’s contents or a whole home — at a fraction of the per-kilo cost, over 4–7 weeks to Jebel Ali. These sea transit times are approximate — the actual time depends on when your LCL container finishes loading and consolidating, the vessel’s sailing date and route, any transhipment hub before the final destination, and customs clearance, so please allow a week or two either side. Many customers split the two: air for the essentials, sea for the rest.
“Since the first day Excess Luggage has been a great help, communicating with me throughout the entire time and updating me on the important details. I would 100% recommend this company to anyone transporting baggage abroad.”
— Neide · Verified review on Trustpilot ↗