Yakuma in The United Arab Emirates
Enterprise POS built for UAE VAT, the FTA Peppol e-invoicing mandate, corporate tax, and Arabic-first multi-emirate chain operations. Local fiscal compliance, payments, hardware, and deployment for The United Arab Emirates.
Talk to us about The United Arab EmiratesBuilt for United Arab Emirates
Yakuma delivers enterprise POS designed for the operational and fiscal complexity of The UAE market: the FTA Peppol-based e-invoicing mandate rolling out from 2026, 5% VAT with TRN-correct tax invoices, the new 9% corporate tax with free-zone vs mainland nuance, multi-emirate fiscal stacking, and the Planet tourist VAT refund. With true Arabic/RTL execution, from Dubai shopping malls to Abu Dhabi restaurant groups and multi-emirate franchises, Yakuma keeps every location fast, consistent, and compliant.
Regulatory compliance
- UAE VAT (5%) with TRN and Arabic tax-invoice formatting
- UAE eInvoicing: Peppol five-corner model via Accredited Service Provider (PINT AE)
- FTA e-invoicing phased mandate readiness (2026 rollout)
- Corporate tax (9%) revenue attribution per legal entity and emirate
- Free-zone vs mainland qualifying-income separation
- Tourist VAT refund scheme (Planet) capture at point of sale
- Multi-emirate municipality and service-charge stacking
- Federal Tax Authority audit trails and reporting
Payment integrations
- Visa and Mastercard support
- Apple Pay and Samsung Pay
- UAE payment processor and acquirer integration
- Contactless and QR-based payments
- Tourist-friendly multi-currency acceptance
- Local and regional card scheme support
Local integrations
- Regional and UAE accounting and ERP platforms
- Delivery aggregators (Talabat, Deliveroo, Careem)
- Tourist VAT refund integration (Planet)
- Accredited Service Provider (ASP) e-invoice exchange
- Local and regional e-commerce platforms
- Multi-emirate, multi-entity location management
Supporting UAE chains and franchises with VAT-correct, e-invoicing-ready, Arabic-first POS across retail and hospitality, from single-emirate operators to multi-emirate estates.
Local terminology:
The challenges of running a retail or hospitality chain in The UAE
Mandatory Peppol e-invoicing (2026 rollout)
The UAE eInvoicing programme makes structured B2B and B2G e-invoicing mandatory through the Federal Tax Authority's Peppol-based five-corner model. Invoices must be issued as structured XML (PINT AE) and exchanged via an Accredited Service Provider (ASP), with phased enforcement from July 2026 starting with larger taxpayers. Chains must appoint an ASP and produce compliant data at every till.
VAT discipline (5%) and TRN integrity
UAE VAT at 5% must be applied correctly on every invoice and receipt, with the supplier's Tax Registration Number (TRN), tax-invoice formatting, and clean, auditable trails. Errors lead to FTA penalties and failed audits, and the burden multiplies across hundreds of locations and legal entities.
Corporate tax (9%) and free-zone vs mainland nuance
Corporate tax at 9% now applies above the AED 375,000 threshold, while a Qualifying Free Zone Person can keep 0% only on qualifying income and loses it if non-qualifying revenue breaches the AED 5M / 5% de-minimis. POS revenue data must be cleanly attributable per legal entity, per emirate, and per free-zone vs mainland branch to support correct CT filing.
Multi-emirate fiscal stacking under one brand
The same brand operates under different rules across emirates and venues. A restaurant inside a hotel may stack 5% VAT, municipality fees, a 10% service charge, and tourism dirham per night, and rates differ across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. These must be calculated per item, per location, and per entity, then reported separately and transparently.
Tourist VAT refund (Planet) at the till
Retailers in the FTA tourist refund scheme, operated digitally by Planet, must be registered, validate the shopper, and capture compliant transaction data at point of sale so visitors can reclaim the 5% VAT on departure. Breaking this flow loses sales and risks scheme non-compliance across the estate.
Arabic/RTL, Ramadan trading, and digital-wallet demand
Staff and customers expect seamless Arabic and English with full right-to-left interfaces and Arabic tax invoices. Ramadan and the Hijri calendar drive sharp demand swings, with food-delivery volume rising several hundred percent, while a tourist-heavy, cashless market expects cards, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and multi-currency at every terminal.
How Yakuma solves UAE retail and hospitality challenges
ASP-ready Peppol e-invoicing
Generate structured PINT AE invoices and exchange them through an Accredited Service Provider on the FTA five-corner network. Delivered as a compliance layer, not a replatforming event, so the 2026 mandate goes live without disrupting store operations.
Correct VAT and TRN handling
5% VAT applied correctly with the supplier TRN, compliant Arabic tax-invoice formatting, and complete audit trails on every receipt and invoice. Clean records that stand up to FTA examination from day one.
Entity-clean data for corporate tax
Revenue captured per legal entity, per emirate, and per free-zone vs mainland branch, so qualifying and non-qualifying income are separable and the AED 5M / 5% de-minimis is monitored. Corporate-tax filings get clean source data without manual reconciliation.
Multi-emirate fiscal stacking, native
VAT, municipality fees, service charges, and tourism levies configured per item, per location, and per entity. Calculated correctly, printed transparently, and reported separately, with each emirate and venue following its own rules under one unified brand and loyalty layer.
Tourist VAT refund at point of sale
Integrated Planet tourist-refund flow so eligible shoppers are validated and compliant refund data is captured at checkout. Visitors reclaim their 5% VAT on departure while the chain stays inside the FTA scheme.
Arabic-first, cashless, Ramadan-ready
Full Arabic/English execution with right-to-left interfaces and per-user language switching, plus Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, cards, and multi-currency for tourists. Built to absorb Ramadan and Hijri-calendar demand swings across delivery and in-store.
Yakuma handles The United Arab Emirates's fiscal, tax, and e-invoicing requirements natively. See the full multi-country compliance breakdown on our Trust & Compliance page.
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