Two-digit Etisalat #Tag codes almost never reach the open market. Etisalat released a limited set through Emirates Auction in 2022, most went to buyers who intended to keep them, and the pool of two-digit codes is finite by definition — there are only ninety of them between #10 and #99. Two are currently listed on MobileNumber.ae: #95 and #85, each at an asking price of AED 550,000.
This page exists so that a serious buyer can do proper diligence before making contact. It sets out precisely what a #Tag is, what transfers to a buyer and what does not, what it costs to hold, and where the service will not work. If you are new to the concept and want the general background first, our full Etisalat #TAG explainer covers the service from scratch.
What Is Being Sold
Direct answer: two Etisalat #Tag short codes — #95 and #85 — are listed at AED 550,000 each. A #Tag is a short dialling code linked to an existing Etisalat postpaid mobile number, not a mobile number in itself. The buyer receives the right to use the code, transferred through an Etisalat business centre.
Both codes are two digits, which is the shortest format Etisalat issues. Longer #Tag codes exist — four-digit and seven-digit codes were part of the same 2022 release — but the two-digit range is the one that is structurally scarce. There are ninety possible two-digit codes in total, and only a portion of those were ever released.
A #Tag is not a mobile number and does not come with an ownership certificate. It is a usage right on a service that carries a monthly fee and only works for voice calls inside the UAE. Every one of those points is set out below. If any of them is a dealbreaker for your use case, it is better to know now than after a transfer.
What a #Tag Is — and What It Is Not
Etisalat describes the service in its own words as “not a new mobile number – it is a code that will be attached to your existing postpaid mobile number”. That single sentence contains most of what a buyer needs to understand.
In practice: you keep your existing 050, 054 or 056 line and everything about it. The #Tag sits on top as a second, much shorter way for people to reach you. Someone in the UAE dials #95, and the call routes through to the linked mobile number. Your own number does not change, does not stop working, and is still what appears on the recipient’s bill.
What it is not: it is not a replacement line, not a second SIM, not a landline, and not a number you can port. It is a dialling shortcut with real scarcity value, and it should be evaluated as that rather than as a phone number in the ordinary sense. Our UAE mobile number glossary covers where #Tag sits alongside the other terms in this market.
Why 95 and 85
Among two-digit codes, the market has generally treated lower numbers as more desirable — #10 attracted the strongest bidding in the 2022 release. But that is not the only logic buyers apply, and Etisalat’s own marketing points at the other one: the company suggests customers associate their code with a meaningful number such as a birthday or a wedding year.
On that reading, 95 and 85 are not high numbers in a ranking — they are years. #95 reads as 1995 and #85 reads as 1985, which places them squarely with buyers in their thirties and forties, the age band that dominates business ownership in the UAE. A code that doubles as your birth year is memorable in a way an arbitrary two-digit code is not, and it is the kind of detail that gets mentioned when someone hands over a card.
The two also work as a pair. A family business, or two partners born a decade apart, can take one each — and a pair of matched two-digit codes is a materially rarer thing to assemble later than it is to buy together now.
What a Buyer Actually Receives
This is the section that matters most at this price level, so it is worth being exact.
Emirates Auction, which operates the official #Tag sales channel, states plainly: “You will have the right to use the #Tag, and no ownership certificate will be issued.” A buyer therefore acquires a transferable usage right, not a titled asset. That is a genuine legal distinction and it should inform how you price the purchase and how you account for it.
Transfer is expressly permitted. The same source states that a “#TAG can be transferred separately or along with the postpaid line by visiting Etisalat business center” — so the code can move to a new holder independently of the mobile line it currently sits on. That is what makes a private sale possible at all.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I get a certificate of ownership? | No. Etisalat issues a usage right, not a title |
| Can the code be transferred to me? | Yes, at an Etisalat business centre |
| Does my existing mobile number change? | No. The code attaches to it |
| Can I transfer it on to someone else later? | Yes, by the same process |
| Do I need a particular type of line? | Yes — an active Etisalat postpaid line |
The Running Cost
A #Tag carries a subscription. After an initial complimentary period of twelve months, the service costs AED 375 per month, which is AED 4,500 a year, for as long as you hold the code. There is no exit charge if you stop, but if you do stop, the code is quarantined for twelve months before it can be reissued — so lapsing is not a reversible decision.
Purchase at AED 550,000, then AED 0 in year one and AED 4,500 in each following year. Over five years of ownership that is AED 568,000 in total; over ten years, AED 590,500. The subscription is a small fraction of the purchase price, but it is permanent and it should be budgeted rather than discovered.
This is the same total-cost-of-ownership question that applies to any premium UAE number, and we cover the general version of it in the real cost of a UAE VIP number.
The Limitations, Stated Plainly
A #Tag is a narrower product than most buyers assume on first contact. According to e&’s own service description:
- UAE only. Calls from international operators and roaming customers cannot reach a #Tag.
- e& callers. The service operates within the e& network. It is not a universally dialable number in the way a standard mobile number is.
- Voice only. SMS to a #Tag is not supported. That also means no WhatsApp registration, no OTP delivery, and no messaging apps.
- Postpaid only. The linked line must be an Etisalat postpaid line. See prepaid versus postpaid for what that implies day to day.
None of this makes a #Tag less valuable as what it is — a scarce, memorable, high-status voice shortcut. It does mean a #Tag cannot serve as your primary business line. It complements a mobile number; it does not replace one. If your requirement is a single number that does everything, a premium mobile number is the right product, and our business number guide covers that case.
How the Transfer Works
The process is straightforward but it is in-person and it involves both parties.
- Buyer confirms eligibility. You need an active Etisalat postpaid line on 050, 054 or 056. If you are on prepaid or on another operator, that has to be arranged first.
- Both parties attend an Etisalat business centre. Transfer of a #Tag is handled by Etisalat directly, not by the marketplace and not by a private agreement between buyer and seller alone.
- Etisalat reassigns the code to the buyer’s postpaid line. The seller’s line reverts to being reachable only on its full number.
- Subscription continues under the new holder at AED 375 per month once the complimentary period is exhausted.
- Settlement. As with any high-value number transaction, payment should be structured so that funds and the transfer are exchanged together rather than on trust. Our guidance on buying safely and on ownership transfer applies here.
Buying a number or a code from another party in the UAE is lawful when the reassignment is completed through the operator. We cover the regulatory position in the TDRA rules guide.
Who This Suits — and Who It Does Not
A good fit
- UAE-focused businesses with walk-in or call-in demand — showrooms, clinics, restaurants, brokerages. A code a customer can recall from a hoarding or a radio spot has obvious utility.
- Owners who already run Etisalat postpaid and want a status marker that very few people can obtain.
- Buyers for whom 1995 or 1985 means something — the year is the reason the code is memorable to them and to everyone they give it to.
- Collectors of scarce UAE assets who already hold plates or premium numbers. See the most expensive UAE numbers for the wider market.
Not a good fit
- Anyone needing international reachability. The service does not accept calls from abroad or from roaming.
- Anyone needing SMS, WhatsApp or OTPs on the code. It is voice only — see our WhatsApp business number guide for what actually solves that.
- du or Virgin Mobile subscribers who do not intend to hold an Etisalat postpaid line.
- Buyers looking for a resale-driven investment. Two-digit codes are scarce, but the resale market for them is thin and there is no published index of transactions. Treat it as a purchase, not a trade.
Price and Availability
Both codes are listed at AED 550,000 each. That figure is the owner’s asking price. It is not a valuation, an appraisal, or a market index, and buyers should form their own view.
The only public pricing that exists for this product comes from the launch auction Etisalat and Emirates Auction ran in June 2022, when forty codes were offered. On the closing night, Khaleej Times reported #10 at AED 1.5 million across 191 bids, #15 at AED 800,000, and #69 at AED 651,000 across 299 bids.
#69 is the most useful of those figures here. It is a high two-digit code with none of the “lowest available” prestige that drove the bidding on #10, and it still attracted AED 651,000 from 299 separate bids. #95 and #85 sit in that same structural band. Treat this as context rather than a valuation: those were live bids on a closing night, not confirmed settlements, Emirates Auction has not published consolidated final prices, and we are not aware of any public record of private #Tag transactions since 2022.
We publish the asking price rather than hiding it behind “price on request”, because concealing a price mostly costs a listing its audience — a point we make in our analysis of POA listings. Publishing it does not mean it is fixed. Serious offers are considered.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly am I buying for AED 550,000?
The right to use a two-digit Etisalat #Tag code, transferred to your Etisalat postpaid line at an Etisalat business centre. Etisalat does not issue an ownership certificate for a #Tag; what you hold is a transferable usage right on the service.
Does a #Tag replace my mobile number?
No. Your existing 050, 054 or 056 number continues to work exactly as before. The #Tag is an additional, shorter way for people inside the UAE to call you.
Can someone on du or Virgin Mobile call my #Tag?
The service is described by e& as operating within the UAE on its own network. If reachability from every UAE caller regardless of operator is essential to you, a standard premium mobile number is the safer product. Confirm current behaviour with Etisalat before purchase.
Can I receive WhatsApp messages or OTPs on a #Tag?
No. The service supports voice calls only. SMS is not supported, which rules out WhatsApp registration, two-factor codes and app verifications on the code itself.
What happens if I stop paying the monthly fee?
There is no exit charge, but the code is quarantined for twelve months after cancellation before it can be reissued. In practical terms, lapsing means losing it.
Can I sell the code on later?
Yes. Etisalat permits a #Tag to be transferred separately from or together with the postpaid line, through a business centre. How quickly you could resell is a separate question — the buyer pool for a two-digit code is small.
Do I need to be a UAE resident?
You need an active Etisalat postpaid line, which in practice requires the documentation Etisalat asks for when opening a postpaid account. Confirm your specific situation with Etisalat before committing.
Why are #95 and #85 priced the same?
They are equivalent products: both two-digit codes, both on the same service, both with the same rights and restrictions. Neither has a structural advantage over the other, so the owner has priced them identically.
Can I buy both?
Yes. They are listed separately and can be bought individually or together. A matched pair of two-digit codes is considerably harder to assemble on the open market than to acquire in one transaction.
Is the price negotiable?
The listed figure is the owner’s asking price. Serious offers are put to the owner. Our negotiation guide sets out how buyers in this market usually open.
How were these codes originally issued?
Etisalat released #Tag codes through Emirates Auction, beginning with the launch auction in 2022. Our Emirates Auction guide explains how that channel works for UAE numbers generally.
Is a #Tag better value than a premium mobile number?
They solve different problems. A premium mobile number is universally reachable, works for SMS and WhatsApp, and has an established resale market. A #Tag is shorter and scarcer but restricted to UAE voice calls. Our #TAG explainer compares the two in detail, and the Etisalat VIP number guide covers the alternative.
How do I verify the seller actually holds the code?
Ask for evidence of the current assignment before any funds move, and complete the reassignment at an Etisalat business centre where the operator confirms it directly. That verification step is the entire protection in a transaction of this size.
How do I enquire?
Use the WhatsApp or call button on either listing. Enquiries that state your intended use and whether you already hold an Etisalat postpaid line can be answered fastest.
Closing
Two-digit #Tag codes are one of the few genuinely finite things in the UAE numbering market — ninety exist, a subset was ever released, and holders rarely part with them. #95 and #85 are available now at AED 550,000 each, with the constraints of the service set out above rather than left for a buyer to discover afterwards.
Enquire or compare: view #95 and #85, browse the full UAE mobile number listings, or read the background in our Etisalat #TAG explainer.