Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What activity code do I apply for under Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis?
Code 4610.00, under Wholesale trade except for motor vehicles and motorcycles. It is a single ISIC code covering the full scope of commission agency work across the sectors listed in this activity.
2. Do I take ownership of the goods I broker under this license?
No. The model is intermediary by design. You facilitate transactions between sellers and buyers, or carry out commercial activities for a principal, and earn fees or commissions on the trade rather than margin on inventory.
3. Can I sell across multiple sectors with one license?
Yes. The 4610.00 code covers a wide range of sectors under one activity, including agricultural raw materials, textiles, fuels, ores, metals, industrial chemicals, food and beverages, machinery, ships, aircraft, furniture, household goods, and hardware. You do not need separate licenses to operate as an intermediary across these categories.
4. Are wholesale auctioneering houses covered?
Yes. Wholesale auctioneering activities are included in 4610.00, with the specific exception of motor vehicle auctions, which are excluded.
5. Does Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis require third-party approval?
No. This activity does not require third-party approval from any external regulator.
6. Is this activity subject to AML regulations?
No. Businesses operating under Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis are not required to adhere to AML regulations, meaning they fall outside the AML oversight that applies to certain other activity categories.
7. What activities are explicitly excluded from this license?
Wholesale trade conducted in your own name without specialisation, all commission agent activities involving motor vehicles, retail sales by non-store commission agents, insurance agent activities, and real estate agent activities.
How To Start a Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis Business with Meydan Free Zone
The UAE has climbed into the world's top ten goods exporters for the first time, ranking ninth globally in 2025 with total goods and services trade reaching USD 1.637 trillion, up sharply from seventeenth place five years ago.
According to The National¹, citing World Trade Organisation data, this is the trade footprint a Dubai-based intermediary now sits inside. Every commission negotiated, every cross-border match between supplier and buyer, happens against that backdrop of record volume and rising re-export activity.
Wholesale and retail trade contributes over 10 percent to UAE GDP, with the food wholesale and distribution sector alone surpassing AED 100 billion in turnover. According to 6Wresearch² citing the UAE Ministry of Economy, the wholesale market is forecast to grow at a 3.5 percent CAGR through 2031. Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis fits squarely into this ecosystem.
This growth continues to attract entrepreneurs establishing trading and intermediary businesses through jurisdictions such as Meydan Free Zone, which offers a streamlined route to obtaining the required business licence in Dubai.
The activity covers commission agents and intermediaries who broker transactions between manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers without taking ownership of the goods themselves, earning fees or commissions on the trade rather than margin on inventory.
It is a low-capital, high-leverage model built for founders who can move products through relationships rather than warehouses.
Source: The National (April 2026), citing the World Trade Organisation; 6Wresearch, UAE Wholesale Market (April 2025), citing the UAE Ministry of Economy.
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4610.00 - Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis
Apply for your trade license under Wholesale trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles, and choose the business activity Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis with code 4610.00.
This covers the full breadth of commission agency work, from agricultural raw materials to industrial chemicals, machinery, ships, aircraft, and wholesale auctioneering houses, all conducted on behalf of a principal without taking title to the goods.
Under 4610.00, a commission agent or intermediary can broker trade across a wide range of sectors, online or offline. The table below maps the sector categories the source code authorises against the kinds of goods each one typically covers.
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Inclusions
With this license, you can:
- Operate as a commission agent or intermediary, facilitating the buying and selling of goods between manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and other businesses without taking ownership of the stock yourself
- Represent principals and negotiate trade on their behalf, including through online platforms
- Earn fees or commissions on each transaction rather than margin on inventory
- Act as an agent specialising in any of the following sector categories:
- Agricultural raw materials, live animals, textile raw materials and semi-finished goods
- Fuels, ores, metals and industrial chemicals such as fertilisers
- Food, and beverages
- Textiles, clothing, fur, footwear and leather goods
- Timber and building materials
- Machinery, including office machinery and computers, and industrial equipment
- Ships and aircraft
- Furniture, household goods and hardware
- Operate as a wholesale auctioneering house
Exclusions
The activity Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis excludes wholesale trade conducted in your own name. In practice, this carves out the following from the license:
- Wholesale of various goods without a particular specialisation, such as grains and seeds, oily fruits, flowers and plants, live animals, hides and skins, leather, agricultural material, and waste, residues and by-products used for animal feed
- Commission agent activities for motor vehicles, including wholesale and retail sales of new and used vehicles
- Wholesale and retail sale of off-road vehicles, including Jeeps and similar
- Wholesale and retail sale by commission agents in the motor vehicle category, including car auctions
- Auctions of motor vehicles
- Retail sales by non-store commission agents
- Activities of insurance agents
- Activities of real estate agents
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Third-Party Approvals
The Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis business activity does not require third-party approval.
Anti-Money Laundering (AML)
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations exist to prevent the illegal practice of disguising the proceeds of illicit activities as legitimate funds, ensuring businesses are not involved in money laundering and that they have adequate preventive measures in place.
Businesses operating under Wholesale on a Fee or Contract Basis are not required to adhere to AML regulations, which means they are not subject to the same scrutiny and oversight as activities explicitly included in the AML framework.
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Citations
¹ The National, Abu Dhabi's non-oil foreign trade up 36% in 2025 amid economic diversification push (April 2026), citing World Trade Organisation data on UAE's 2025 global goods export ranking and total trade value.
² 6Wresearch, UAE Wholesale Market 2024-2030 (April 2025), citing the UAE Ministry of Economy on wholesale and retail trade contribution to GDP and the food wholesale and distribution sector turnover.
