Market · UAE dirham (AED)
A UAE retail POS with VAT built in and Arabic on the receipt
RetailPOS Studio is a hosted point-of-sale system for retail, gift and mobile-phone shops in the UAE. Prices are shown VAT-inclusive, your TRN and the 5% VAT breakdown print on every receipt, and the interface runs in Arabic, English, Urdu and more for multilingual staff. It tracks IMEI and serial numbers, prints barcode labels and runs several shops across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi from one account. Plans start at AED 119 per location per month including VAT, with a 21-day trial.
The facts
Selling in United Arab Emirates, at a glance.
- Currency
- UAE dirham (AED)AED 1,234.50
- Dates
- DD/MM/YYYY
- Tax
- VAT is 5% on most goods and services. Retail prices shown to consumers are expected to include VAT, and VAT-registered businesses print their TRN on tax invoices.
- Week
- Government and many offices work Monday to Friday with a Saturday–Sunday weekend; malls and souqs trade seven days, busiest on Friday evenings and weekends.
- How shops sell
- WhatsApp first, then phone and walk-in visits.
- Languages
- Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam, Tagalog, Chinese
- Payments (works with)
- Credit and debit cards through your own acquirer
- Apple Pay and Google Pay through your card terminal
- Cash
- Bank transfer for trade customers
- Store credit via custom payment methods
Prices in UAE dirham (AED)
What it costs in United Arab Emirates.
All prices include 5% VAT. Prices are set for United Arab Emirates, not converted from another currency.
How does VAT work on a UAE retail POS?
The UAE charges VAT at 5% on most retail sales. Prices displayed to shoppers are expected to include VAT, so in RetailPOS Studio you enter prices VAT-inclusive and the software works out the VAT portion for each line. Receipts show your business name, your Tax Registration Number (TRN), the VAT amount and the total, in Arabic, English or both. This is general information, not tax advice; the Federal Tax Authority's guidance is the reference.
VAT-registered businesses issue a full tax invoice for larger sales and may issue a simplified tax invoice for smaller retail sales. You can keep separate invoice layouts for each, choose which one a sale uses, and print bilingual Arabic–English layouts. Zero-rated or exempt items get their own tax rate on the product.
The FTA is phasing in electronic invoicing, starting with business-to-business transactions. RetailPOS Studio prints your TRN and VAT breakdown and exports VAT reports for your accountant, but we make no e-invoicing certification claim; if e-invoicing applies to you, ask about it on your demo.
Source: UAE Federal Tax Authority — VAT. General information, not tax advice.
Local habits
How do UAE shops actually sell?
Malls and souqs, seven days
Shops in malls and souqs trade every day, often until late, with Friday evenings and weekends the busiest. Cash registers are opened and closed per shift, so each shift's cash, card and other takings reconcile on their own.
WhatsApp does the selling
Customers ask for prices, stock and photos on WhatsApp before they visit. Your auto-generated online store gives you a link per product to share, showing the VAT-inclusive price and whether it is in stock.
Tourists and residents at one counter
A Dubai counter may serve a resident regular, a visitor from the Gulf and a tourist from Europe within minutes. Receipts in Arabic and English, clear warranty terms and fast serial lookups keep each sale simple.
Multilingual staff
Shop teams often speak Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam or Tagalog. Each staff member can use the interface in their own language while the receipt stays in the customer's.
In UAE retail the customer may speak Arabic or English while the staff speak Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam, Tagalog or Chinese. RetailPOS Studio separates the two: each user picks an interface language, and receipts can print in Arabic, English or a bilingual layout with right-to-left Arabic text set properly. Languages
Cities
Where we look closer.
Dubai
Al Ain Centre, Bur Dubai · Naif and Deira souqs · Al Fahidi Street and Meena Bazaar · Karama and Dragon Mart
POS in Dubai 02Abu Dhabi
Hamdan Street · Electra Street · Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre · Mussafah
POS in Abu Dhabi 03Sharjah
Rolla · Al Ghuwair market · Al Wahda Street · Sahara Centre and Al Nahda border
POS in SharjahSpec sheet · FAQ