Shipping From Australia to Dubai/UAE

Last Reviewed: 21th Oct 2026

Shipping to Dubai from Australia is handled by PACK & SEND as one managed job: we match the mode, pack the goods, prepare the customs documentation and select the carrier, using air freight, sea freight or express international shipping through a network of leading international carriers.

Dubai and the wider United Arab Emirates sit at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, which makes the UAE one of the busiest trade and re-export hubs in the world and a well connected market to reach from any Australian capital.

Whether you are sending a personal parcel to family, a laptop or tools for a project in Abu Dhabi, or a pallet of stock for a client in Sharjah, start with a personalised quote from your local PACK & SEND Service Centre. We pack with precision, send with confidence, and handle everything in between.

Shipping from Australia to Dubai/UAE

Shipping from Australia to Dubai and the wider UAE runs on three modes: sea freight for household relocations and bulky cargo, air freight for commercial cargo and bulk stock, and international express courier for documents, parcels and time-critical goods.

The right way to move a consignment from Australia to the UAE depends on what you are sending, how quickly it needs to land and the handling it needs. PACK & SEND draws on leading international express carriers alongside air and sea freight partners, so each shipment is matched to a mode, not a single default route.

Air Freight

Air freight to Dubai suits larger or heavier consignments, commercial cargo, machinery parts and bulk stock that need to move faster than a sailing without express handling.

Dubai is one of the world's largest air cargo hubs, with freight clearing through Dubai International Airport, and Zayed International Airport serving Abu Dhabi. It sits between sea freight and express courier on speed.

Sea Freight

Sea freight to Dubai is the practical choice for bulky or heavy consignments, vehicle parts, furniture and household relocations, travelling as a shared or full container load.

• Jebel Ali Port: the UAE's main deep-water gateway and one of the busiest in the Middle East.
• Port Rashid and Al Hamriya: also serving Dubai.
• Khalifa Port and Zayed Port: serving Abu Dhabi.

Whether a sailing runs direct or transships through another hub makes a real difference to how long it takes, so a Service Centre will confirm the routing before anything is booked.

International Express Courier

For documents, samples, parcels and time-critical goods, international express courier is generally the quickest courier service to Dubai, running door to door through our carrier network. Clients follow progress through the tracking system, with up-to-date tracking and milestone updates from collection through to delivery.

Same day and other time-critical work is planned through a Service Centre on 1300 668 000, not booked online.

How Long Does Shipping to Dubai/UAE Take?

Typical transit times

As a guide, typical transit times from Australia to Dubai are:

• Express courier: around 3 to 6 business days door to door
• Air freight: around 5 to 10 business days once cleared for departure
• Sea freight: around 4 to 7 weeks depending on the sailing

These timeframes are a guide only, as factors outside PACK & SEND's control may affect delivery schedules.

What can affect delivery

• The origin city, with Perth the shortest flight and the eastern seaboard longer
• Whether a sailing runs direct or transships through another hub, as a transshipped sailing runs well beyond a direct one
• Customs clearance, which rests with customs in the UAE and sits outside our control
• Incomplete paperwork
• Peak periods such as Ramadan and Eid, and congestion at Jebel Ali

How to Send a Package from Australia to Dubai/UAE

The procedure to send a package to the UAE through PACK & SEND follows five steps:

1. Talk to your local Service Centre for a personalised quote, or, if your shipment is eligible, you may be able to book online.
2. Have the goods professionally packed for the mode, since freight to the UAE has to survive handling across an air or sea leg and a local delivery leg.
3. Supply the customs documentation so UAE customs can assess and release the consignment rather than hold it.
4. Confirm the carrier and service level, matched to your timeframe and the level of handling the goods need.
5. Follow the shipment through to delivery in the UAE with up-to-date tracking with milestone updates.

Documents You'll Need

Clearance into the UAE depends on accurate details about the goods. You'll generally need to provide:

• An accurate description of the goods.
• A declared value.
• The full contents of the consignment.

Additional customs documentation or permits may be required depending on what you're sending. Requirements change from time to time, so your local PACK & SEND Service Centre can advise you on the documentation needed for your shipment.

Online Self-Service or a Personalised Service Centre Quote

A personalised quote from a Service Centre is the right path for almost everything bound for the UAE, because it covers professional packing, carrier selection, Freight Plus Warranty options and the documentation customs in the UAE will require.

If you are an individual sending a pre-packed parcel under 20kg and valued up to $1,000, and you are not sending on behalf of a business or shipping regularly, you may be able to book online instead. Anything heavier, unpacked, fragile, high-value, above $1,000 or carrying lithium batteries is arranged through a Service Centre.

Shipping Luggage & Excess Baggage to the UAE

Shipping luggage to Dubai is handled as excess baggage, a Service Centre managed service rather than an online booking.

Your bags and belongings

• Send your own suitcases and bags, or have the contents repacked into cartons and cases chosen for the journey.
• A Service Centre will advise which is better once it has seen the goods.
• Freight is assessed on chargeable weight across the whole consignment, which is the greater of actual and volumetric weight.
• Flying Emirates or Etihad? See our Emirates excess baggage and Etihad Airways excess baggage services, and a Service Centre can plan sending the bags ahead around your actual load.

Relocating by air or sea

For a relocation, many clients send excess baggage by air or sea, or split the move across both:

• Air freight: suits the smaller set of bags you need soon after you land.
• Sea freight: suits a household volume where you can wait for the vessel.

Personal effects and household moves

• Unaccompanied personal effects are treated differently from an ordinary parcel.
• Used personal effects and household items for someone relocating to the UAE may qualify for duty relief, depending on the type and value of the goods and the circumstances of the move.
• Additional customs documentation may be required, and other charges, including import taxes, may still apply.

Shipping luggage to United Arab Emirates addresses, along with oversized, unpacked and fragile pieces, can only be arranged through your local PACK & SEND Service Centre, where personal goods packing and the inventory are prepared together, and the team can explain what your move is likely to need.

What You Can Send from Australia to Dubai/UAE

Individuals ship to UAE addresses mostly for personal effects, gifts, electronics and clothing going to family, friends or colleagues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Gifts & personal items

• Personal effects, gifts, electronics and clothing for family, friends or colleagues.
• A laptop, a bag of belongings or a large awkward parcel, each packed to suit the journey rather than the box that came to hand.
• Marking a shipment as a gift does not necessarily remove import charges, which depend on the type and value of the goods.

International relocation

• Clients relocating for work use the same route for an international relocation, where the household move and the documentation are handled as one job.

Businesses shipping to the UAE commonly send:

Business goods

• Samples, stock, spare car parts for UAE workshops and equipment for projects, given Dubai's standing as a trade and re-export hub.
• Regular senders shipping on an ongoing basis can set up an account so every consignment is packed, booked and documented the same way.

Export Packaging & Crating for UAE Shipments

Export packaging for Dubai starts with the mode the goods will travel on. A carton built for an express courier network is not the same build as a crate that spends weeks in a container, so packing is assessed against the route, the number of handling legs and the value of the contents before anything is sealed.

Packing is where PACK & SEND earns its keep as a retail logistics company, which is why boxes, cases and crates are specified per consignment rather than pulled off a shelf. The build depends on the goods:

• Timber crates: machinery, equipment and oversized pieces usually travel this way, and solid timber packaging crossing borders generally needs to meet treatment requirements, which a Service Centre can advise on.
• Custom foam: fragile and high-value pieces are better served by custom foam packaging, cut to the shape of the item so it is held in place rather than loosely cushioned across multiple handling legs.

To request a packaging quote for Dubai or anywhere else in the UAE, bring the item to your local Service Centre or call 1300 668 000, and personal goods packing for a household move can be arranged at the same time.

Restricted & Prohibited Items for Dubai/UAE

Certain items are restricted or prohibited for the UAE, and whether something can travel depends on the goods and the destination. The broad categories that need checking are:

• Dangerous goods
• Alcohol and tobacco
• Food, plant and animal products
• Medicines
• Weapons
• Currency and valuables

Dangerous goods such as lithium batteries, aerosols and flammables are assessed at a Service Centre rather than booked online, so they can be packed and documented correctly. Our dangerous goods page explains how we handle them.

Check a specific item with your local PACK & SEND Service Centre, and the team will confirm what can be sent to Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE.

Duties & Import Taxes on Shipments to Dubai/UAE

Customs duty and import taxes may apply to goods entering the UAE, depending on the type and value of the goods and the circumstances of the shipment. Some goods may qualify for duty relief, and other charges, including customs fees, may still apply. Final assessment rests with customs in the UAE.

Your local PACK & SEND Service Centre can assist with the requirements and charges for your specific shipment before it leaves.

Cost of Shipping to Dubai/UAE

PACK & SEND does not publish rates for this route, because no two consignments to the UAE are alike. A quote depends on:

• Chargeable weight, the greater of what the consignment weighs and what it measures.
• Mode, since express courier, air freight and sea freight are three different service levels on the same lane.
• Packing, from a carton through to timber crating or custom foam for fragile and high-value pieces.
• Documentation the goods require.
• Delivery emirate or free zone, because a Dubai city address, an Abu Dhabi address and a free-zone consignment are three different final legs.

Duties and import taxes may apply depending on the goods and are not part of the freight quote. A Service Centre will assess your goods, set out the drivers that apply to your consignment and prepare a personalised quote, with Freight Plus Warranty available for added cover on higher-value shipments.

Where We Deliver in Dubai/UAE

PACK & SEND arranges UAE delivery across all seven emirates and major free zones. The final delivery leg inside the UAE is completed by our carrier partners once the consignment has cleared.

Emirates and cities

• Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain, along with Al Ain.
• Shipping to Abu Dhabi runs as its own lane, served by Zayed International Airport for air and by Khalifa Port and Zayed Port for sea freight.

Free zones

• Delivery covers free zones including Jebel Ali and Dubai South.
• Free-zone addresses need a little more planning, as requirements can differ from a standard city delivery.
• Your Service Centre will confirm the consignee's documentation requirements before booking.

Why PACK & SEND for This Route

UAE shipping is a documentation job as much as a transport one, particularly for commercial goods, regulated categories and higher-value items. As a retail logistics company, PACK & SEND manages the whole job:

• We pack the goods and prepare the paperwork.
• We choose the right carrier from our express, air and sea freight network.
• We provide up-to-date tracking with milestone updates through to delivery.
• Freight Plus Warranty is available for added cover.
• Restricted and dangerous goods are assessed and documented rather than declined by default.

A Service Centre team will talk through packing, timeframes and customs before anything is booked. Local reach, global scale, with a UAE courier and freight route run by people you can speak to. Call 1300 668 000 or visit your local Service Centre for a personalised quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to ship a parcel from Australia to Dubai?

As a guide, express courier typically takes around 3 to 6 business days door to door, air freight around 5 to 10 business days, and sea freight around 4 to 7 weeks depending on the sailing. These timeframes are a guide only, as factors outside PACK & SEND's control may affect delivery schedules.

Customs clearance in the UAE sits outside our control, and incomplete paperwork, peak periods such as Ramadan and Eid, and congestion at Jebel Ali can add days.

Can I book shipping to the UAE online?

Only in limited cases. You may be able to book online if you are an individual sending a pre-packed parcel under 20kg, valued up to $1,000, and the shipment is not for a business or part of regular sending. Unpacked, fragile, high-value, oversized and lithium battery shipments are arranged as a personalised quote through a PACK & SEND Service Centre.

What documents do I need to send a shipment to Dubai or the UAE?

When sending a shipment to Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE, you'll generally need to provide accurate details about the goods, including a description and value. Additional customs documentation or permits may be required depending on what you're sending. Your local PACK & SEND Service Centre can advise you on the documentation needed for your shipment.

Are there items I can't send to the UAE?

Yes. Some items are restricted or prohibited for the UAE, and what applies depends on the goods and the destination. Weapons, alcohol and tobacco, medicines, and food, plant and animal products are among the categories that need checking.

Lithium batteries, aerosols, flammables and other dangerous goods are arranged through a Service Centre rather than booked online, and the team there can confirm whether a specific item can travel.

Does PACK & SEND deliver to Abu Dhabi and Sharjah as well as Dubai?

Yes. Delivery is arranged across all seven emirates, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain, plus Al Ain. Call 1300 668 000 to confirm coverage for a specific address.

How is chargeable weight worked out for a shipment to Dubai?

Carriers charge on the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight, which reflects how much space the consignment takes up. Your local PACK & SEND Service Centre can measure and pack the goods and confirm the chargeable weight for your shipment.

How much does it cost to send a parcel to Dubai?

The quote is built from chargeable weight, the mode, the packing the goods need, the documentation required and the delivery emirate or free zone. PACK & SEND does not publish rates for this route because no two consignments are alike. A Service Centre will assess your goods and prepare a personalised quote, with Freight Plus Warranty available for added cover.

When does shipping luggage to Dubai as excess baggage make sense?

It depends on how much you are moving and when you need it. Shipping luggage to Dubai as excess baggage is assessed on chargeable weight across the whole consignment, and suits suitcases, bags and personal effects you want sent ahead.

Excess baggage, oversized items and unpacked goods can only be arranged through a PACK & SEND Service Centre, where the goods are packed and documented for customs.

Will my shipment be charged customs duty and import taxes in the UAE?

It may be. Customs duty and import taxes may apply, depending on the type and value of the goods and the circumstances of the shipment. Some goods may qualify for duty relief, while other charges may still apply. Your local PACK & SEND Service Centre can assist with the requirements and charges for your specific shipment.

Can you deliver into a UAE free zone such as Jebel Ali?

Yes. Free-zone deliveries can have different requirements from a standard city delivery, depending on the goods and the consignee. Your local Service Centre will confirm what the consignee needs before booking.

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