Arabic Website Development for Businesses in the Gulf
We build Arabic and bilingual websites, apps and AI features for businesses in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. We serve Gulf clients remotely from Lahore, one to two hours ahead of the Gulf.
Serving Gulf businesses remotely from Lahore
We have no office in the Gulf. We serve clients there remotely from Lahore, and with only one or two hours between us, most of the working day is shared.
Projects for Gulf markets have a few needs that generic templates don't handle well: Arabic and right-to-left layouts, payment methods people actually use, and data protection laws that have arrived in most GCC countries in recent years. This page covers each of them.
Countries we serve
Each GCC country has its own data protection framework and payment habits.
United Arab Emirates
The federal Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) applies outside the financial free zones; DIFC and ADGM have their own data protection laws.
Saudi Arabia
The Personal Data Protection Law, overseen by the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), became fully enforceable on 14 September 2024 and also applies to organisations outside the Kingdom that process residents' data. Mada is the national debit card network.
Qatar
Law No. 13 of 2016 on the protection of personal data privacy was one of the first data protection laws in the region.
Kuwait
The communications regulator CITRA issued Data Privacy Protection Regulation No. 26 of 2024, which applies to the service providers it licenses. KNET is the local debit network.
Bahrain
The Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 30 of 2018) sets the main rules. BenefitPay is a widely used local payment app.
Oman
The Personal Data Protection Law, issued by Royal Decree No. 6 of 2022, covers the processing of personal data.
Arabic and right-to-left design
Arabic reads right to left, so a bilingual site needs more than translated text. We build layouts that switch direction properly:
- The page direction set in the HTML, so text, menus and forms flow right to left
- Layout rules that mirror automatically, instead of a separate copy of every page
- Icons that should point the other way (arrows, back buttons) mirrored; icons that shouldn't (logos, play buttons) left alone
- Arabic web fonts chosen for readability at small sizes, with matching weights for headings
- Numbers, phone fields and mixed Arabic-English text tested so they display in the right order
Arabic copy should be written or reviewed by native speakers. Our job is to make sure the site displays it correctly on every screen. See our website design and UI/UX service.
Payments and e-commerce
Card payments and digital wallets such as Apple Pay are common across the Gulf, alongside national schemes: Mada in Saudi Arabia, KNET in Kuwait and BenefitPay in Bahrain. Many stores also offer cash on delivery.
We set up checkout with a payment provider that supports the local methods in your market, show prices in your currency, and build order flows that work with cash on delivery where you offer it. For larger stores, see our enterprise e-commerce service.
Data protection in the Gulf
Gulf data protection laws differ in detail, but they share themes that affect a website or app: a clear legal basis for collecting personal data, privacy notices, limits on transferring data abroad, and the rights of individuals to access their data. Some also expect certain data to be stored in the country.
Because we work from Pakistan, the limits on transferring data abroad matter for us too. Where data is stored, who can access it and from where are decisions to make early with your legal adviser. We then design the forms, analytics, hosting and our own access to match.
Time zones and working days
Lahore runs on Pakistan Standard Time (PKT, UTC+5), and Pakistan doesn't change its clocks for summer. None of the GCC countries use daylight saving time either, so the gap stays the same all year.
Weekends differ. The UAE's federal government moved to a Saturday–Sunday weekend in 2022, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman keep a Friday–Saturday weekend. Monday to Thursday are working days in every GCC country, so regular calls are best placed then.
| Your location | Difference from Lahore | When it's 3pm in Lahore |
|---|---|---|
| UAE and Oman | 1 hour behind | 2pm |
| Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain | 2 hours behind | 1pm |
How we work with you remotely from Lahore
Every project follows the same steps, with calls scheduled inside the hours and days we share.
Intro call
A video call at a time agreed with you, to understand the project, your users and your deadline constraints.
Written scope
A short document that lists what we'll build, what's out of scope and what we need from you, so nothing depends on a call someone missed.
Shared workspace
One project board and one message thread for your team and ours, so every decision is written down.
Working previews
A staging link you can open at any time, in your own time zone, to review progress.
Regular check-ins
A scheduled call at a time that works for both sides, plus written updates in between.
Launch and handover
Final checks, launch, and the access and documentation you need to run the product.
Services for Gulf projects
- Mobile app development for iOS and Android, in Arabic and English
- Enterprise e-commerce with local payment methods
- AI chatbots and assistants that answer from your own content
- Branding and graphic design for bilingual brand identities
Also see how we serve clients in South Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom and USA & Canada.
Frequently asked questions
No. We're based in Sabzazar, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, and serve Gulf clients remotely.
Yes. We build bilingual sites with proper right-to-left layouts for Arabic. The Arabic copy should come from native speakers.
Monday to Thursday, which are working days in every GCC country. Lahore is one hour ahead of the UAE and Oman, and two hours ahead of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Yes, through a payment provider that supports them in your country, such as Mada in Saudi Arabia or KNET in Kuwait.
Plan your Arabic or bilingual website
Tell us about your business, your market and the languages you need. We'll explain how we'd build it.