How to choose an Odoo partner in Dubai: 8 questions to ask

Same software, same licences, very different results: the outcome of an Odoo project depends largely on who implements it. In Dubai the choice is wide. Odoo's own directory lists more than a hundred partner companies for the UAE, alongside independent integrators. Before comparing day rates, check two things: what the official directory says about a provider, and how that provider answers eight concrete questions about your project.

Step 1: check Odoo's partner directory

Odoo publishes its partner list at odoo.com/partners. Choose "United Arab Emirates" as the country, then narrow by industry or company size if you wish. Each listed partner shows:

• A grade: Ready, Silver or Gold.
• Published references: the number of customer references, broken down by industry.
• Certified experts: how many consultants passed Odoo's certification, and on which version (for example "Certified v19").
• Project size: the partner's average and large project, in number of users.

How to use it:

• Check that the company you will sign with appears under that exact name.
• Look for references in your industry, not only a high total.
• Check that certifications cover a recent Odoo version.
• Compare the average project size with yours. A team used to 200-user projects and a team used to 10-user SMEs do not work the same way.

What the directory does not tell you: who will actually work on your project, whether they know UAE VAT and e-invoicing, how they migrate data, or what happens after go-live. A listing is a useful starting point, and the eight questions below apply to listed partners and independent integrators alike.

Step 2: ask these 8 questions

1. Have you configured Odoo for UAE VAT and corporate tax?

Odoo ships an official UAE localisation: the accounting package (l10n_ae) and the reports module (l10n_ae_reports), which produces the VAT return in the FTA's VAT201 format and a corporate tax report. One detail reveals experience quickly: the corporate tax report needs your accounts to be classified, and no classification is configured by default.

Ask how they will set up your taxes (5% standard rate, zero-rated, exempt, reverse charge), how they classify accounts for corporate tax (9% on taxable income above AED 375,000), and how they handle bilingual invoices with Arabic and the difference between tax invoices and simplified tax invoices. A good answer is concrete and can be shown on a demo database. Background on our UAE accounting and VAT setup in Odoo.

2. What is your plan for UAE e-invoicing?

E-invoicing becomes mandatory for B2B and B2G transactions: from 1 January 2027 for businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more (ASP appointed by 30 October 2026), and from 1 July 2027 below that threshold (ASP by 31 March 2027). Odoo is not an accredited service provider (ASP). It connects to one through a connector.

Ask which connector they use, for which Odoo versions, which ASPs they have already connected, and how they test: invoice, credit note, supplier invoice received, rejection and correction. Ask who monitors rejected invoices after go-live. Be wary of an answer like "Odoo does it natively": Odoo is not on the Ministry of Finance list. Our page on UAE e-invoicing with Odoo details the mandate, and our guide to choosing an accredited service provider covers the ASP side.

3. Do you work standard first, or custom first?

Every line of custom code has to be maintained and migrated at each new Odoo version. A provider who proposes custom modules for needs that Odoo covers natively is building future costs into your project.

Ask what share of your needs standard Odoo covers, what they plan to build with Studio and what in code, and who maintains that code at upgrade time. Remember the licence impact: Studio, multi-company and the external API need the Custom plan, while Standard runs on Odoo Online without custom modules. Budgets are covered in our article on what an Odoo implementation costs in the UAE.

4. How will you migrate my data?

Migration is where projects slip. Ask what will be migrated (customers, suppliers, products, opening balances, open invoices, history), who cleans the data, how many test imports are planned, how opening balances are reconciled with your accountant, and on which accounting date you cut over. Ask what happens to the old system afterwards. Here is how we approach migration to Odoo from Zoho, QuickBooks, Tally, Sage or spreadsheets.

5. How will you train my team and make sure they adopt Odoo?

An ERP nobody uses is a cost with no return. Ask for role-based training (finance, sales, warehouse, management), named key users on your side, written procedures, and a plan for the moment people drift back to their spreadsheets. Ask which change management method they use. We work with Prosci ADKAR, which follows adoption person by person: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, reinforcement.

6. Who owns the licences, the data and the code?

This question protects you if the relationship ends. Ask:

• Is the Odoo subscription in my company's name? If the integrator invoices the licences, ask to see the Odoo price next to their line.
• Do I have administrator access to the database and to the hosting?
• Who owns the source code of custom modules, and where is it stored?
• Will I receive documentation of the configuration and procedures?

You should be able to change integrator without rebuilding your ERP.

7. What happens after go-live?

The first weeks after go-live decide whether the project sticks. Ask how long the hypercare period lasts, which support channels you get (email, WhatsApp, video calls, tickets), what response times they commit to, how support is billed, and who runs version upgrades. Get the answers in writing, in the scope or in a support agreement.

8. Who will I work with, in which language and in which time zone?

Ask who your day-to-day contact is, whether the same person follows the project from scoping to support, and where the delivery team sits. Remote delivery can work, as long as you know who does what. Check that the team works on UAE time (GST, UTC+4), can come on site in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah when needed, and speaks the languages of your teams.

How to compare proposals

Send the same written brief to two or three providers and ask each one the eight questions. Then compare:

• the licence cost (paid to Odoo) separately from the services cost;
• the scope: modules, migrated data, integrations, training, support;
• what is fixed and what is billed on time spent;
• the deliverables you sign off at each step.

If you lack the time or technical background to run this selection, a fractional CTO can write the requirements and review proposals with you.

How KENOBIZ answers these questions

KENOBIZ is an Odoo integrator based in Dubai (Meydan Free Zone), founded in 2025 by Cyrille Benac, who brings 28 years of IT experience and is Prosci ADKAR certified. Our answers to the eight questions:

• a free audit first, then a written scope with deliverables;
• standard first, custom second;
• licences paid directly to Odoo, with no resale margin or commission;
• data migration tested and reconciled with you;
• role-based training with the ADKAR method;
• documentation and access handed over at the end;
• one senior contact, in English or French, on UAE time, in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

See our Odoo services in Dubai and our Odoo implementation method, or book a free audit to put these questions to us directly.

FAQ

Is a listed Odoo partner always a better choice than an independent integrator?

The listing on odoo.com/partners tells you a company has an agreement with Odoo, its grade, its references and its certified consultants. It does not tell you how your project will be run. Ask the same eight questions to every provider, listed or not.

Should I pay the Odoo licences to my integrator or to Odoo?

Either way, the subscription should be in your company's name and you should see the Odoo price. Paying Odoo directly makes this simplest.

Can I change Odoo partner after go-live?

Yes, if you hold the subscription, administrator access, the source code of any custom modules and the documentation. That is why question 6 matters before you sign.