If you import tiles to the UAE, Oman, Qatar or Kuwait from India, the customs tariff and the anti-dumping duty are shared across the Gulf Cooperation Council. What differs is the conformity check, the documents your clearing agent asks for and the port.
Start from what you can rely on, then check the one or two national points with your agent. Saudi Arabia is a stricter case and has its own article: import tiles to Saudi Arabia.
What is shared across the GCC?
The six GCC states apply a common external tariff, though each publishes its own schedule and national exceptions exist. They have also applied anti-dumping duties to ceramic and porcelain tiles from India and China since 6 June 2020. A sunset review opened in March 2025 and the duties were extended in 2026. Rates are set exporter by exporter.
That means the factory you choose changes your landed cost in all four markets. Which countries have anti-dumping duties on Indian tiles gives the dated position, and import duties on Indian tiles explains how the two duty layers add up.
What differs between the four?
Each state runs its own import control, product conformity and customs system. These points are where buyers are caught out:
- Conformity: some states ask for a certificate of conformity from an approved body for regulated products, and the list differs by state. Ask your agent whether tiles are covered and which body issues it.
- Documents: some Gulf customs offices ask for a certificate of origin and may ask for attestation by a chamber of commerce. Check this before the documents are couriered.
- Labelling: Arabic labelling and country-of-origin marks can be requested on cartons. Agree the carton print with the factory before production.
- VAT: the states levy import VAT at different rates, and not every state levies it. Ask your broker for the current position.
- Ports: the UAE is served by Jebel Ali, Oman by Sohar and Salalah, Qatar by Hamad, and Kuwait by Shuwaikh and Shuaiba. Transit and charges differ.
How long does shipping take?
Gulf ports are among the closest to Gujarat, which is why the region is such a large market for Morbi. Exact transit depends on the service, the transhipment and the season, so ask your forwarder for the current schedule. Sea freight times from India explains the factors.
A regional distributor often splits one factory order across several Gulf ports. Check whether the factory can load separate lots for separate consignees in one container or needs separate containers, and agree who holds the paperwork for each. Splitting late in the process is a common cause of mismatched documents.
How should you organise the paperwork?
Use one company name from contract to certificate of origin, because the anti-dumping rate follows the exporter. Build the pack in this order: invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin and test report. The document list for tile exports shows the base set, and your Gulf agent adds the national items.
Do not assume a document accepted in one state will be accepted in the next. A tile order for a regional distributor often splits across several ports, so confirm each destination separately.
Next step
We confirm the exporter rate, the carton print and the document list for each destination before production, and we check the container against them at loading. To plan a Gulf order, book a free sourcing review.