Documentation process for import-export made easy

The growth of the import-export business in Dubai has created a need for a fast-track tool to help traders process their transactions efficiently, accurately and quickly. Dubai Trade – part of Dubai World – has been set up to meet this demand. In an exclusive interview with Emirates Business, Director Mahmood Al Bastaki explains how the initiative works.


What was the main motivation behind the launch of Dubai Trade?

Dubai's non-oil trade grew by 25 per cent in the first half of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007. Dubai wants to provide one of the world's best business environments in every part of the business process, starting with issuing licenses, establishing a company of whatever kind and dealing with documentation. Dubai Trade was set up to facilitate the third of these operations, which in the past has taken up a lot of time.

And what is Dubai Trade's role?

Dubai Trade is working hard to facilitate the transfer of goods to and from Dubai in terms of dealing with the documentation that is essential for traders, their representatives and any other party related to the shipping process, such as shipping and transport companies, banks and others.

Import and export companies deal mainly with Dubai Customs, Dubai Ports and, if the company is located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, the free zone authority. Dubai Trade provides all the electronic services involving these three government bodies at www.dubaitrade.ae , our online hub. We are looking forward to reducing the number of documents needed for the trade process between Dubai and the rest of the world to the minimum. We noticed that different departments were asking traders for the same documentation and are trying hard to get over this obstacle to enable faster and more efficient processing. We also facilitate communication through our call centre. Traders can call and determine exactly what the requirements are for exporting and importing to and from Dubai. Our objective is to make it possible for traders to access online 100 per cent of the services they need in the near future instead of the 90 per cent available now.

How have the other departments involved in the process responded to Dubai Trade?

We are receiving very good co-operation from the DP World companies and at the same time are encouraging other departments in Dubai to put more services online and minimise the number of documents needed. For example we noticed that companies wishing to export goods are asked for a certificate of origin from the Chamber of Commerce or documents issued by other government bodies. We at Dubai Trade provide these papers through our online gateway, which saves customers' time.

How can firms use your services?

Customers are asked to register with us. We have more than 10,000 registered companies and more than 16,000 actual users – each company can have more than one user. And we are looking forward to tripling these figures soon.

Why triple and not double?

A considerable number of companies still use the old processing system, but this is changing very fast. We have started to charge companies for using counter services instead of the online services, and some transactions tend to cost more at the counter. For instance, obtaining entry permits to the port costs Dh35 at the counter but is free online. We are aiming to become a department that does not receive customers and a paperless one at the same time, in other words we are trying to stop customers visiting our physical offices and encouraging them to use the online services instead.

In that case it seems there will always need to be extra room on your portal for new firms.

Exactly. Early in 2008 we added more than a 1,000 transportation companies with more than 6,000 trucks on the roads as a new category because they are a crucial part. And we will soon add new segments like packing companies and banks in terms of guarantees.

How does it work financially for you and your customers?

Dubai Trade's objective is to be a self-financing and profitable company and this will come happen in three or four years.


PROFILE: Mahmood Al Bastaki Director, Dubai Trade

Mahmood Al Bastaki was Chief Information Officer of Corporate Services at Dubai World before taking up his current position at Dubai Trade. He was selected as a government technology leader by the Who's Who of Government Technology - Middle East in 2006.

Al Bastaki was formerly Acting Director of e-Services at Dubai e-Government where he formulated the 2005 e-Government strategy. He managed critical projects such as the electronic payment gateway, and the Ask Dubai Service contact centre and hosted several websites for government departments in Dubai. Al Bastaki is a graduate of the Dubai Leaders Programme and the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Programme. He began his career in the public sector as a speaker recognition expert at the forensic laboratory of Dubai Police, where he set up a voice analysis division.

He has a BSc with honours in electronic engineering technology from the University of Arkansas and a master's in electrical engineering from Oregon Graduate Institute.