Cabinet Decision Cabinet Decision No. 56 of 2017 Cabinet

CD 56/2017 — Zero-rated medications and medical equipment

Cabinet Decision No. 56 of 2017 on Medications and Medical Equipment Subject to Tax at Zero Rate

In force Issued 28 December 2017 In force from 1 January 2018

Official Arabic text (opens in a new tab) English translation (unofficial) (opens in a new tab)

Official Arabic title
قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (56) لسنة 2017 في شأن الأدوية والمعدّات الطبية الخاضعة للضريبة بنسبة الصفر
Document type
Cabinet Decision
Number
56
Issued by
Cabinet
Administered by
Federal Tax Authority
Issued
28 December 2017
In force from
1 January 2018
Applies to
Suppliers and importers of medications and medical equipment registered with, or imported with the permission or approval of, the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
Current position
In force as far as known. No official text amending or repealing it was found among the sources.
Topics
VAT ·
Official text
Official Arabic text · English translation (unofficial)

Factual summary

Defines Medications (acting by biological effect) and Medical Equipment (acting without medicinal, immunological or metabolic effect) for VAT purposes. Their supply is zero-rated where they are registered with the Ministry of Health and Prevention or imported with its permission or approval. The Minister of Finance may issue implementing decisions.

What it means in practice Professional insight

Who: pharmacies, hospitals, distributors and importers of medicines and medical devices. What to check: the product's MOHAP registration or import permission, that it meets the Medications or Medical Equipment definition, and the zero rate applied on invoices and returns.

Key provisions

  • Art. 1 Medications are products containing a substance or substances that achieve their intended objective in or on the human body via biological effect and are used for diagnosing, treating, healing, relieving or preventing diseases, or renewing, correcting or rehabilitating the function of body organs; Medical Equipment is a medical product (substance, device, instrument, motor, implant, detector or system, including accessories and operating software) that achieves its objective without medicinal, immunological or metabolic effect, for diagnosing, treating, relieving, controlling or preventing diseases, injury or disability.
  • Art. 2 The supply of Medications and Medical Equipment registered with the Ministry of Health and Prevention, or imported with its permission or approval, is subject to tax at the zero rate.
  • Arts. 3–4 The Minister of Finance issues the decisions required to implement it; any provision violating or conflicting with it is abrogated.
  • Art. 5 Implemented as of 1 January 2018.

What changed

  1. 28 December 2017 Issued
  2. 1 January 2018 In force

Relationship chain

Law → decisions made under it → amendments → guidance and announcements; oldest first within each level.

  1. 23 August 2017 Federal Decree-Law FDL 8/2017 — VAT Law In force — amended
    1. 26 November 2017 Cabinet Decision CD 52/2017 — VAT Executive Regulation — Executive Regulation of this law In force — amended
      1. 24 July 2018 Cabinet Decision CD 41/2018 — Introducing the VAT refunds for tourists scheme — Made under Art. 68 In force
        1. 29 August 2018 FTA Decision FTA Decision 1/2018 — Retailer requirements for the VAT refunds for tourists scheme — Made under it In force
        2. 28 April 2019 FTA Decision FTA Decision 1/2019 — AED 7,000 cap on cash VAT refunds to tourists (repealed) — Made under it Repealed
        3. 26 May 2022 FTA Decision FTA Decision 4/2022 — One-year time limit for tourists to claim VAT refunds — Made under it In force
        4. 21 July 2022 FTA Decision FTA Decision 6/2022 — AED 35,000 cap on cash VAT refunds to tourists — Made under it In force
      2. 6 November 2018 FTA Decision FTA Decision 2/2018 — VAT refunds for tourists (consolidated 2026) — Made under Art. 68 In force — amended
      3. 17 December 2018 FTA Decision FTA Decision 4/2018 — No tax invoice for supplies through vending machines — Made under Art. 59(7) In force
      4. 26 May 2019 FTA Decision FTA Decision 7/2019 — Combined tax invoice/credit note and mailing addresses — Made under Arts. 59, 60 In force
      5. 22 February 2023 Ministerial Decision MD 26/2023 — When a supply counts as electronic commerce for VAT records — Made under Art. 72(5) In force
      6. 14 July 2026 Directive on Tax Transactions DTT 4/2026 — VAT on fees within life insurance contracts — Made under Art. 42 In force
      7. 1 September 2026 Cabinet Decision CD 149/2026 — VAT Regulation amendments — Amends Arts. 4, 29, 41, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 60 In force
      8. 9 September 2026 FTA Decision FTA Decision 17/2026 — Input tax on employee expenses — Made under Art. 53(1)(c) In force
    2. 28 December 2017 Cabinet Decision CD 55/2017 — Charities that may recover input tax (list as amended to Dec 2024) — Made under it In force — amended
    3. 28 December 2017 Cabinet Decision CD 56/2017 — Zero-rated medications and medical equipment — Made under it In force
    4. 28 December 2017 Cabinet Decision CD 59/2017 — Designated Zones for VAT (with the FTA list) — Made under it In force — amended
    5. 22 May 2018 Cabinet Decision CD 26/2018 — VAT refund on exhibition and conference services — Made under it In force
    6. 22 May 2018 Cabinet Decision CD 25/2018 — VAT on gold and diamonds between registrants (repealed) — Made under it Repealed
    7. 2 January 2020 Cabinet Decision CD 1/2020 — VAT refund for Expo 2020 Dubai official participants — Made under it In force
    8. 1 September 2020 Cabinet Decision CD 9/12 O of 2020 — Temporary zero rate on COVID-19 protective equipment — Made under it Spent
    9. 16 August 2022 Cabinet Decision CD 82/2022 — Refund of input tax on building and operating mosques — Made under it In force
      1. 29 October 2022 Ministerial Decision MD 162/2022 — Deadlines for mosque input tax refund requests — Made under it In force
    10. 25 August 2023 Cabinet Decision CD 91/2023 — Reverse charge on mobile phones, computers and tablets — Made under it In force
      1. 25 October 2023 Ministerial Decision MD 262/2023 — Which parts and pieces of electronic devices fall under the reverse charge — Made under it In force
    11. 1 November 2024 FTA Decision FTA Decision 8/2024 — Correcting VAT return errors that do not change the tax due — Made under it In force
    12. 16 December 2024 Cabinet Decision CD 127/2024 — Reverse charge on gold, precious metals and precious stones — Made under it In force
    13. 12 September 2025 Ministerial Decision MD 243/2025 — E-invoicing system — Made under e-invoicing provisions In force — amended (see E-Invoicing)
    14. 4 November 2025 Cabinet Decision CD 153/2025 — Reverse charge on metal scrap between registrants — Made under it In force
    15. 8 July 2026 Directive on Tax Transactions DTT 1/2026 — VAT on judicial expert services — Made under Art. 13 In force
    16. 8 July 2026 Directive on Tax Transactions DTT 2/2026 — VAT adjustments after leaving a Tax Group — Made under it In force
    17. 14 July 2026 Directive on Tax Transactions DTT 3/2026 — Converting digital-currency consideration to AED — Made under it In force
    18. 20 July 2026 Directive on Tax Transactions DTT 5/2026 — Valuing deemed supplies of services — Made under Art. 37 In force
    19. 22 July 2026 FTA Decision FTA Decision 13/2026 — Verifying suppliers before deducting input tax — Made under it In force

Official sources

Official Arabic text (opens in a new tab) English translation (unofficial) (opens in a new tab)

Related services: VAT Services · VAT Health Check

Last verified against official sources: 26 October 2026 · اقرأ بالعربية

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General information, not tax advice. Each record is checked against the official source; where they differ, the official Arabic text prevails.