UAE gives suppliers 24 hours to pull counterfeit goods off shelves

The latest:

Counterfeit, adulterated or spoiled goods must be off UAE shelves and out of warehouses within 24 hours of an official notification, under executive regulations detailed by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism. Businesses must also stop selling or displaying the products immediately, and issue a public announcement in Arabic and English within 48 hours. Authorities can shorten the deadline where health or environmental risks are involved.

Details:

• The rule: Suppliers notified by authorities have 24 hours to pull offending items from shops and warehouses, and must halt any sale or display of them, according to the Ministry of Economy and Tourism. A public withdrawal announcement is required within 48 hours, issued in both Arabic and English.
• Faster deadlines: The ministry said authorities can impose a shorter window than 24 hours when a product poses a health risk or threatens the environment. The regulations do not set out a fixed minimum period for those cases, leaving the timeframe to the discretion of the notifying authority.
• Who is covered: The rules apply to retailers across sectors, including supermarkets and pharmacies, and extend to goods sold online. Safeya Al Safi, assistant undersecretary for the ministry’s commercial control and governance sector, linked the scope to the rapid growth of e-commerce and wider shifts in trade.
• The numbers: The ministry and local authorities carried out 10,023 inspections in the first three months of this year, according to the ministry, and recorded 189 breaches. That works out at fewer than two violations per 100 inspections, a ratio the ministry did not break down by sector or emirate.
• Seizure powers: Beyond withdrawal, the regulations set out procedures for seizing, holding and destroying counterfeit or adulterated products. The framework sits under the UAE’s Anti-Commercial Fraud Law, whose executive regulations the ministry has now detailed.
• Re-export option: Where goods qualify to be sent back to their country of origin or the exporting country, suppliers generally have 30 days to re-export them, under the regulations. The text does not specify which categories of goods are eligible for that route.
• Who pays: Costs tied to withdrawing, storing or disposing of the products can be billed to the supplier. If a business misses the deadline, authorities can remove the goods themselves and hold the supplier liable for the expense.
• Right of appeal: The regulations also create procedures allowing businesses to resolve disputes or challenge decisions taken against them. The ministry did not name the body handling those appeals or the deadline for filing one.
• Stated aim: Al Safi said the framework was designed to strengthen consumer protection and market oversight. The ministry described the broader objective as protecting consumers and reinforcing confidence in UAE markets.

Between the lines:

The 48-hour bilingual announcement requirement shifts enforcement from quiet removal to public disclosure, meaning a withdrawal now carries reputational cost alongside the financial liability for storage and disposal. Pairing that with the extension of the rules to online sellers suggests the ministry is targeting e-commerce channels, which Al Safi identified as a fast-growing part of the market.

What’s next

Watch for the ministry’s next quarterly inspection figures to show whether the 189-breach count moves once the withdrawal deadlines are enforced, and for the first public withdrawal announcements issued under the 48-hour rule.