Montaji • Dubai Municipality • EDE pathway

Health & Food Supplement Registration in the UAE

Vitamins, minerals, protein and herbal supplements registered correctly the first time — with formula screening, claims review and compliant labelling done before anything reaches the portal.

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First question: is your product a supplement or a medicine?

This single decision determines your authority, your dossier and your timeline — and it is where most supplement registrations go wrong. A protein powder with no therapeutic claims and no prohibited ingredients is a food supplement, and registers with Dubai Municipality through the Montaji portal. Attach a claim about recovery from injury or a medical condition to the same product, and it can be reclassified onto the pharmaceutical pathway — a different authority, a different dossier, and a far longer route. Some herbal combinations need a classification decision before a municipal registration can even proceed.

We settle classification first, in writing, before a single document is prepared.

Registering through Montaji

Montaji is Dubai Municipality's registration platform for health supplements, cosmetics, personal care products, biocides and detergents. Registration is mandatory under Local Order No. 11 of 2003 for every consumer product placed on the Dubai market, whether imported or made locally, and an approved registration authorises sale across the UAE. Your company needs a valid UAE trade licence carrying the right product trading activity before it can file. There is no limit on how many products you register under one licence — but each product runs its own application and receives its own certificate, valid for five years.

Ingredient screening — before you commit to a formula

This is the step most consultants skip. Many botanicals and actives that are perfectly legal in European or American markets are restricted or prohibited in the UAE, and herbal products are examined closely for banned substances. Finding that out after submission means a rejected file, a reformulation and a lost launch window. We screen your full ingredient list against UAE restricted and prohibited lists at the start, and tell you what needs to change while changing it is still cheap.

Claims review — the wording that changes your pathway

Unauthorised health claims are one of the most common reasons supplement labels are rejected. Wording that states or implies a product treats, prevents or cures a condition will either fail review or push your product onto the pharmaceutical pathway. We review every claim on your label and marketing copy against the conditions that apply, flag what will not pass, and give you compliant alternative wording that still sells the product.

Label and nutrition panel, built to standard

Supplement labels must be bilingual Arabic–English, with the ingredient list in descending order of weight, correct declarations, and artwork that matches what you submitted. We produce the compliant Arabic label copy and, where a nutrition panel is required, calculate it from your formulation rather than leaving you to guess.

What you will need

Valid UAE trade licence with the relevant product activity
Free Sale Certificate from the country of origin
Full ingredient breakdown with concentrations and functions
Certificate of Analysis from an accredited laboratory
GMP or equivalent manufacturing certification
High-resolution artwork showing every side of the pack
Halal certificate where the product requires one
Additional documentation for animal-derived ingredients

Why supplement applications get rejected

The pattern is consistent, and every item on it is avoidable: an incomplete Arabic label; an ingredient list not in descending order of weight; unauthorised health claims; a Certificate of Analysis from a laboratory the authority does not accept; a missing Halal certificate; a restricted botanical nobody screened for; artwork that does not match the submitted file. Depending on composition, the Municipality may also request laboratory testing before approving — more likely with herbal products carrying active plant extracts.

When your product is not a supplement

If classification puts your product on the pharmaceutical pathway, that route now runs through the Emirates Drug Establishment, which took over medicine registration from MOHAP at the end of 2025. It requires a licensed local applicant and a full dossier. We handle those files with UAE-licensed pharmaceutical partners, so a reclassification does not leave you starting again with a new consultant.

Coverage

Dubai through Montaji, Abu Dhabi through ADAFSA, and the municipal authorities across the other emirates. Taking the same product to Saudi Arabia? That runs under SFDA, and we prepare both markets from one file.

Why CorpBridge

Most product registration firms are business-setup or PRO companies that submit your file and hope. We are food safety and regulatory specialists — 15+ years across the GCC, IRCA Lead Auditor credentials, M.Sc. Applied Microbiology — which means the technical work that decides whether your application passes happens in-house: formula screening, claims review, label production, nutrition calculation. Then submission.

How it works

Send your formula, draft label and any claims you intend to make

We classify the product and confirm the authority and pathway

We screen ingredients and review claims, and tell you what must change

We prepare the technical file and compliant bilingual label

We submit and manage authority queries through to certificate, then handle renewals and variations

The full supplement compliance workflow

Nutrition panel required?

We calculate compliant nutrition facts panels from your formulation, to GSO 2233.

Nutritional Facts Calculation →

Need the label in Arabic?

Compliance-grade Arabic label copy produced from scratch, artwork-ready.

Arabic Label Translation →

Already have a label?

Have an existing label checked against authority requirements before you submit.

Label Assessment UAE →

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register health supplements in Dubai?

Yes. Registration is mandatory before a supplement can be imported, sold or distributed. Applications go through Dubai Municipality's Montaji portal, and an approved registration authorises sale across the UAE.

Is my protein powder a supplement or a medicine?

Claims and ingredients decide. Without therapeutic claims or prohibited ingredients it is a food supplement and registers through Montaji. Claims tied to injury recovery or medical conditions can move it onto the pharmaceutical pathway.

Which ingredients are restricted in the UAE?

Many botanicals and actives that are legal in European and American markets are restricted or prohibited here, and herbal products are reviewed closely for banned substances. We screen your full ingredient list before anything is submitted.

How long is a registration valid?

Five years from approval, after which renewal is required. We manage renewals and any product variations.

Will my product need laboratory testing?

Sometimes. Depending on composition the Municipality may request testing, which is more likely for herbal products containing active plant extracts.

Can I register multiple products under one trade licence?

Yes, there is no limit. Each product runs its own application with its own documents and receives its own certificate.

Can you register the same supplement in Saudi Arabia?

Yes. KSA runs under SFDA rather than Dubai Municipality, and we prepare both markets from a single file.

Get your supplement registered without the rejection cycle

Formula screened, claims reviewed, label built, file submitted — by specialists who do the technical work in-house.

WhatsApp us your formula Email sales@thecorpbridge.com