The UAE has been a party to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GTAA) since 1994, joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1996 and began to fully implement its obligations in 2007.

The UAE is the Arab country with the most double taxation avoidance agreements and the second most in the world. From 1989 to 2020, the UAE has signed 251 agreements worldwide, including 117 double taxation avoidance agreements and 134 investment promotion and protection agreements.

According to the Gulf Daily on December 7, 2022, UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Tough said that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will play a key role in the development of the UAE's new economy, and the UAE plans to sign 26 such agreements in the next few years. So far, the UAE has signed CEPA agreements with India, Indonesia and Israel, and negotiations with Pakistan, Turkey, Georgia and Cambodia are underway or in the planning stage. This is part of the UAE's strategy to increase its economic size from 1.4 trillion dirhams to 3 trillion dirhams by 2030.

In terms of regional agreements, the UAE is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC, established in May 1981, headquartered in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Official members are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Yemen.), the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and other organizations. As a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the UAE is actively participating in the free trade agreement negotiations between the GCC and other countries and regions. At present, the UAE has signed free trade agreements with Singapore and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA, including Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), and has signed a free trade agreement with New Zealand; currently under negotiation are Japan, China, the European Union, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Australia, South Korea, and the Southern Common Market (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay).

Depending on the UAE's stable and secure political environment, convenient transportation and logistics, complete infrastructure, and relaxed trade policies, Dubai, UAE has become an economic and trade transit center in the Gulf and the Middle East. Dubai's market radiates to countries in the Red Sea and the Gulf region, with a consumer population of 1.5 billion. As a hub connecting the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, it plays a vital role in connecting the global freight and distribution system. Dubai's transit trade accounts for nearly 80% of the entire UAE's transit trade, playing a vital role in foreign trade.