For online stores and marketplaces
An online store selling in the UAE and abroad
The short answer
An online store takes cards from customers in the UAE and abroad through a merchant agreement with a licensed acquirer that supports online payments, and the acquirer reviews the website as closely as the company. We prepare the application, make the site acquirer-ready — terms, refund policy, privacy notice, an activity that matches what is sold — and coordinate the integration through to the first settlement.
An online merchant is reviewed twice: once as a company and once as a website, and the card-payments service prepares both. The acquirer will read the licence for an activity that covers online sale of what the store sells, look for a corporate settlement account, and then open the site itself — the product pages, the prices in a currency it can settle, the terms of sale, the refund and delivery policy, the privacy notice and a way to contact the business. A checkout on a site that fails that reading is declined or restricted whatever the company's standing.
International cards are the other half. Cards issued outside the UAE carry a higher rate and a higher dispute risk, so the acquirer will ask where the customers are and how the goods reach them. A store that can show its customer geography, its delivery arrangements and its dispute handling is priced on facts rather than on the acquirer's caution.
At a glance
- Indicative cost
- Gateway and transaction charges, including the international-card and conversion surcharges, are the acquirer's; the VelaroZone service fee is itemised in your engagement letter.
- Timing
- The website review and the application in days; the acquirer's review and the integration on their own clocks.
- What's included
- The website read page by page as the acquirer reads it
- The licence activity checked against what is sold online
- The integration and the first settlement coordinated
This is for you if
- You run, or are launching, an online store, a booking site or an app that takes payment at checkout.
- Your customers are in the UAE and abroad, and you want both to pay by card on the same checkout.
- You need settlement in dirhams to a UAE account, alongside anything a platform already pays you elsewhere.
- You want the licence, the website and the merchant application to agree with each other before the acquirer reads them.
This may not be the right route if
- You sell only in person — the counter terminal is the right page.
- You want a checkout without a UAE licence or a UAE settlement account.
- Your store sells something the acquirer or the licence cannot cover, and you would rather not hear that first.
At a glance
- Indicative cost
- Gateway and transaction charges, including the international-card and conversion surcharges, are the acquirer's; the VelaroZone service fee is itemised in your engagement letter.
- Timing
- The website review and the application in days; the acquirer's review and the integration on their own clocks.
- What's included
- The website read page by page as the acquirer reads it
- The licence activity checked against what is sold online
- The integration and the first settlement coordinated
What this service includes
- The merchant application prepared from your corporate file and your website.
- A website readiness review: terms, refund and delivery policy, privacy notice, contact details, entity name.
- The licence activity checked against what is sold online, and the amendment coordinated where it does not match.
- Coordination of the acquirer's review, the gateway integration and the first settlement.
- International-card pricing, currency conversion and the dispute process explained before you sign.
What it does not include
- The acquirer's decision, its pricing or its timeline.
- Website development or the integration code itself; we coordinate with your developer or platform.
- Gateway, transaction and dispute charges, which are the acquirer's under the merchant agreement.
Process
How the work is sequenced
Each stage has its own dependencies — activity approvals, document legalisation, authority processing, and bank review — and we report progress against them rather than against one overall date.
- 01
Website and licence review
Every page the acquirer will open, read the way the acquirer reads it.
- 02
Application
The merchant application lodged with the site, the licence and the settlement account aligned.
- 03
Review and integration
The acquirer's questions answered; the gateway integrated by your developer or platform.
Selling through a marketplace as well? Its payout is the marketplace's; your own checkout needs your own agreement.
Prefer to start in writing? Send the details through the contact form.
Start with a structure assessment
In an initial consultation you receive a plain-language decision summary, a document-preparation list, and the next actions for your situation. Current figures are confirmed within your adviser-reviewed route comparison.
What the acquirer reads on the site
The website, line by line
These are the pages an acquirer opens before it prices an online merchant.
What an acquirer checks on an online store's website and licence.
Licence activity
- What the acquirer expects
- An activity that covers online sale of the goods or services listed
- What we prepare
- The activity check and, where needed, the amendment before the application
Terms of sale
- What the acquirer expects
- Published terms naming the legal entity on the licence
- What we prepare
- Terms that match the licence, the registered name and the contact details
Refunds and delivery
- What the acquirer expects
- A refund, cancellation and delivery policy the customer can find
- What we prepare
- A policy written for what is sold and how it is delivered
Privacy
- What the acquirer expects
- A privacy notice covering payment data
- What we prepare
- A notice that says what is collected and by whom
Currency and settlement
- What the acquirer expects
- Prices in a currency the acquirer settles, to a UAE corporate account
- What we prepare
- The settlement account and the pricing currency agreed before integration
Customer geography
- What the acquirer expects
- Where customers are and how goods or services reach them
- What we prepare
- A plain statement of markets and delivery, so international pricing is set on facts
| Item | What the acquirer expects | What we prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Licence activity | An activity that covers online sale of the goods or services listed | The activity check and, where needed, the amendment before the application |
| Terms of sale | Published terms naming the legal entity on the licence | Terms that match the licence, the registered name and the contact details |
| Refunds and delivery | A refund, cancellation and delivery policy the customer can find | A policy written for what is sold and how it is delivered |
| Privacy | A privacy notice covering payment data | A notice that says what is collected and by whom |
| Currency and settlement | Prices in a currency the acquirer settles, to a UAE corporate account | The settlement account and the pricing currency agreed before integration |
| Customer geography | Where customers are and how goods or services reach them | A plain statement of markets and delivery, so international pricing is set on facts |
The service
Card payments: POS machines, payment links and online checkout
The channels, the indicative rates and the comparison with Stripe, Ziina and Checkout.com are on the service page.
See the card-payments service
Every route is planned against how the business will actually operate in the UAE.
Short answers
Two questions about the activity behind the checkout
The acquirer reads the licence for an activity that covers what the store sells; these are the two questions that decides.
After the licence
What you may also need
The four services most founders in this situation ask about next, each on its own page.
Visas & PRO services
Residence visas for owners, staff and family, Emirates ID and medicals, and the PRO work that keeps a licence and its people in good standing. Eligibility and approval stay with the authority.
→UAE bank account setup
A bank-ready file and an introduction to the bank whose appetite matches your profile. Approval and timing stay with the bank.
→Accounting & bookkeeping
Monthly bookkeeping, VAT and corporate-tax filings, and year-end accounts, with statutory audit referred to a registered auditor.
→Legal services
Contracts, corporate documents, disputes and regulatory matters, advised by licensed law firms from our network.
→
Questions
Frequently asked
- Can I take payments from customers abroad?
- Yes, where the acquirer supports international cards on your merchant agreement. Cards issued outside the UAE carry a higher rate and, where the customer pays in another currency, a conversion charge; both are the acquirer's and are in its schedule.
- I already sell on a marketplace that pays me. Do I still need this?
- Only for sales on your own site or app. A marketplace collects on its own merchant agreement and pays you under its terms; your own checkout needs your own agreement.
- Does my licence need an e-commerce activity?
- The licence needs an activity that covers selling what you sell, and the authority's rules on online sale differ by jurisdiction and activity. We check the list before the application rather than let the acquirer find the gap.
- How long does the acquirer's review take?
- It is the acquirer's process and its timeline. What we control is that the file is complete and the website ready on the day it is lodged, which is where most of the delay usually sits.
- What about subscriptions and saved cards?
- Recurring billing and card-on-file are features the acquirer enables on review; they change what the terms of sale must say and what the customer must consent to. Say so at the start and the application is prepared for them.
Sources
- Central Bank of the UAE — the UAE banking and payments regulator
- CBUAE — customer due diligence standards
- UAE Ministry of Economy & Tourism — establishing companies
- Federal Tax Authority — VAT registration
Regulations, fees, and eligibility can change. Every regulatory statement is re-checked before publication and dated above.
Legal notes and scope
Velarozone provides setup and operational-readiness coordination. This page is general information, not legal, tax, immigration, or banking advice.
This page is general information about UAE business setup, not legal, tax, immigration, or banking advice. Rules, fees, permitted activities, and bank policies can change. Final eligibility depends on your facts and the applicable rules at the time of application.
Acquiring is provided by a licensed acquirer under its own merchant agreement. The acquirer decides whether to onboard an online merchant, may restrict categories or countries, sets its pricing after its review and may decline an application. Velarozone prepares and coordinates and never guarantees an outcome, a rate or a date.