AKDronix is a brand of A&K Worldwide Enterprises FZCO, a free zone company licensed in Dubai. Drones, thermal cameras and robots can be misused. This policy explains how we screen customers and orders and what we expect from buyers.
Professional use only
We supply registered businesses, public bodies and institutions for lawful civilian, professional, research and educational use. We do not sell to private individuals, and we do not supply any customer for military end use, weaponisation, activities connected with weapons of mass destruction, unlawful surveillance or human-rights abuse.
Legal framework
- UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 43 of 2021 on Commodities Subject to Non-Proliferation, its implementing Cabinet decisions and the UAE control list, administered by the Executive Office for Control and Non-Proliferation (EOCN). This law also applies in the UAE free zones.
- United Nations Security Council sanctions and the UAE Local Terrorist List.
- The export-control rules of the country of manufacture, including controls on certain drone components and thermal imaging equipment.
- For EU destinations and EU re-exports: Regulation (EU) 2021/821 on dual-use items (for example categories 9A012 for unmanned aircraft and 6A003 for thermal cameras) and the restrictions on Russia and Belarus.
How we screen every order
- Company verification: trade licence, registered address and authorised contact.
- Sanctions screening of the buyer, the consignee and the end user against the UN, UAE, EU, US and UK lists.
- End-use review: we ask what the product will be used for and where. Answers must be plausible for the buyer's business.
- Export permits: where an item is controlled, we apply for the permit before shipment. Permit decisions can take several weeks.
- Records: we keep screening records and transaction documents for at least five years.
End-user statement
A signed end-user statement is required before order confirmation for:
- unmanned aircraft with an endurance of 30 minutes or more, including all VTOL fixed-wing models;
- thermal imaging cameras and gimbals;
- heavy-lift drones with a payload of 25 kg or more;
- docking stations and long-range data links.
We may ask for an end-user statement for any other product. The statement names the end user, end use and location, and contains an undertaking not to re-export without authorisation and not to use the products for military purposes. A template is available for download.
Warning signs that lead us to refuse an order
- The end use or end user is vague, or the buyer is unwilling to name them.
- The buyer asks for modifications such as payload release mechanisms for harmful payloads, or for removal of identification or geofencing.
- The order does not fit the buyer's business, for example a reseller with no drone activity ordering long-endurance aircraft.
- Unusual routing, payment from third parties, or requests to split shipments to avoid permits.
We may refuse or cancel any order, request additional information, or report suspicious enquiries to the competent authorities.
Your obligations in your country
Owning and operating drones and robots is regulated almost everywhere. Main points to check before import:
- United Arab Emirates: approval of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and, in Dubai, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA); registration on the UAE Drones platform; product conformity issued by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT); TDRA type approval for radio equipment. Drone authorisations in the UAE can be suspended at short notice; check the current status before operation.
- European Union: drones without a class label fly in the specific category under an operational authorisation (Regulations (EU) 2019/945 and 2019/947). CE conformity, the Radio Equipment Directive and national rules on aerial spraying apply. The EU buyer usually acts as importer.
- Other countries: contact the national civil aviation authority, the telecoms regulator and, where relevant, the ministries of defence, interior or agriculture before import.
Re-export
Buyers must not re-export our products to Russia, Belarus, embargoed destinations or listed persons, and must pass this obligation on to their customers. Re-export from the UAE of controlled items needs an EOCN permit.
Contact
Questions about this policy or about a specific order: contact@aok-enterprises.com.