Customers in the UAE pay by card — cash is becoming a thing of the past. We break down three payment gateways that actually work, calculate the real fees, and explain how to pass verification on the first attempt.
Three options work reliably for small businesses in the UAE: Tap Payments, Telr, and Stripe. Tap and Telr are locally registered and accept UAE company documents directly. Stripe has been available since 2023 but requires thorough documentation preparation. Transaction fees range from 2.75% to 2.9% plus a fixed charge. Setup time is 3 to 14 business days depending on the gateway and licence type.
Key parameters of all three gateways, current for 2025–2026. All figures are in AED or as a percentage of the transaction amount.
| Parameter | Stripe | Tap Payments | Telr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | 2.9% + 1 AED | 2.75% + 1 AED | 2.85% + 1 AED |
| Monthly fee | 0 AED | 0–99 AED | 99–299 AED |
| Supported currencies | 135+ | AED, SAR, KWD, USD and others | AED, USD, EUR, GBP and others |
| Setup timeline | 3–7 days | 5–10 days | 7–14 days |
| Apple Pay / Google Pay | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Website builders support | Yes (native block) | Yes (API + plugin) | Yes (iframe / API) |
| Document requirements | UAE licence, passport, bank account | Trade licence, MOA, bank account, website | Trade licence, MOA, bank account, website |
| Arabic-language support | No | Yes | Yes |
Tap and Telr charge a chargeback fee of 150–250 AED per incident. Stripe holds a rolling reserve of up to 10% of turnover for the first 60–90 days for new accounts.
The right choice depends on your turnover, customer profile, and website platform.
The process follows the same structure for all gateways; the document requirements differ.
If you are a sole trader on the mainland with modest turnover, start with Tap — they are more accommodating to small businesses and tend to approve accounts with lower transaction volumes.
After a rejection, do not reapply immediately. Address all issues, wait 7–10 days, and submit a cover letter explaining the changes you have made.
Formula for the real cost: (turnover × fee%) + (number of transactions × fixed charge) + monthly fee + reserve. At a monthly turnover of 50,000 AED through Tap, total fees come to approximately 1,375–1,475 AED, giving an effective rate of 2.75–2.95%.
The technical side of connecting a gateway is straightforward — the real challenge is passing verification on the first attempt and avoiding integration errors that cost you customers. Norvalio handles the entire process:
A website with a payment gateway starts from 3,500 AED with a turnaround of 7 business days. See the details on our website development page or in our ready-made packages. An SEO audit of an existing website is available as a standalone service from 800 AED — learn more on the SEO promotion page.
No. Stripe requires a valid UAE trade licence and a corporate bank account — individuals without a licence cannot pass verification.
There is no native integration, but Tap can be connected via an HTML widget or iframe — this requires basic coding knowledge or help from a developer.
On average 7–14 business days: 3–5 days for document review and up to 7 more days for underwriting by the partner bank.
Telr or Tap — both work with UAE medical licences and support Pay Links for invoicing clients without a full online store.
Yes, but the available currencies are limited to those on their supported lists — AED, USD, EUR, GBP, and select regional currencies. Payments are processed in the currencies each gateway officially supports.
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