The holiday season in the UAE is a paradox for logistics teams. On one hand, it is a time of increased trade, strong consumer demand, and major commercial opportunity. On the other, it is when even the most experienced supply chain professionals find themselves dealing with pressure points that do not exist during the rest of the year, especially at customs.
Anyone who has worked in freight forwarding or import/export in the UAE knows that customs clearance is usually efficient, digital, and well-regulated. But during peak holiday periods, December in particular, that efficiency is tested.
The first bump in the road is volume. Holiday shipping brings a big increase in inbound cargo as it all arrives within a short period of time which causes customs inspection queues to be longer in specific for the elements that require physical checks. Even a delay of 24–48 hours can disrupt an entire supply chain when retailers are working against hard promotional deadlines. Pre-planning in these cases is what saves the day but not everyone has the ability to organize themselves ahead of time.
Another common issue during the holiday season is documentation accuracy. When companies are going against the clock to meet deadlines, small errors become more frequent: wrong codes, missing certificates, incomplete invoices, or incorrect descriptions.
In non-festive seasons, these issues might be resolved fast and, on the spot, but in peak season, customs officers handle bigger workloads, and even minor issues can push shipments into manual review. The result is costly delays in time and money. Experienced logistics companies and gurus often spot these delays and errors before filing.
Another thing that may slow down operations would be regulations imposed on specific products. The UAE enforces strict compliance standards that need to be fully reviewed by importers who introduce new limited-edition products or SKUs during the holidays. Some of these products are F&B items that need municipality approvals, or electronics that require conformity certificates. When any of these elements are missing, customs clearance slows down significantly. Companies that handle regulated goods year-round are usually better prepared for these scenarios. Firms like Transcorp International, which work extensively with controlled and time-sensitive cargo, understand that compliance preparation is not optional during peak season, it is the entire strategy.
As we always say at Transcorp, humans are the core of it all, but with seasonal recruitment that happens since the UAE customs operations remain active during the holidays, staffing levels fluctuate which means inspection slots are limited and the industry faces longer physical checks. While it may seem like the challenge is inefficiency, it is actually human capacity versus volume and in order to manage it, teams need to have proactive communication with brokers and authorities to have a smoother experience.
Finally, and one of the biggest risks is the hidden cost of waiting from paying fees for storing inventory, detention and for example last minute re-routing. These while alone may seem insignificant, together make up a big amount which leads to an over-budget situation. Each company should treat holiday clearance as a project, not an off-season transaction – even if it may cost a little more in labor and checks, it will be saving much higher in fees.
In conclusion, planning is key. The companies that come out of the holiday season successfully are rarely the ones that moved the fastest. They are the ones that “pre-planned”. In the UAE market, this means submitting documentation well in advance, verifying HS codes and regulatory approvals before cargo arrival, choosing logistics partners who remain operationally present during peak season and building realistic delivery timelines for customers.
References
Clarion Shipping UAE. (2025, December). Practical strategies to stay organized during peak season (Blog). Clarion Shipping. https://www.clarionshipping.com/blog/warehouse-overload-in-december-practical-strategies/
eShipper UAE. (2025, June 23). Common shipping and delivery mistakes to avoid in the UAE. eShipper UAE. https://eshipperuae.com/Blog/common-shipping-and-delivery-mistakes-that-uae/
Fast n Accurate. (n.d.). Top challenges in freight forwarding in the UAE. Fastnaccurate.com. https://fastnaccurate.com/top-challenges-in-freight-forwarding-in-uae/
INC Shipping. (2025, October 17). Overcoming Dubai custom clearance challenges in 2025. INC Shipping. https://incshipping.com/blog/overcoming-dubai-custom-clearance-challenges-in-2025
WeFreight. (2025, November 19). Avoid Christmas shipping delays during the peak season. WeFreight.com. https://wefreight.com/avoiding-shipping-delays-during-the-christmas-peak-season/
