ADGM Company Setup 2026: FSRA vs Non-Financial, Legal Forms, Fees, Visas and Who It Suits

ADGM company setup is the process of incorporating or registering a company, partnership, foundation or branch in Abu Dhabi Global Market, a financial free zone established by Federal Decree No. 15 of 2013 under Federal Law No. 8 of 2004 on Financial Free Zones and governed by Abu Dhabi Law No. 4 of 2013. The ADGM Registration Authority registers and licenses every entity; firms carrying on regulated financial activities also need the Financial Services Regulatory Authority, and the ADGM Courts hear disputes. The jurisdiction covers Al Maryah Island and, since Cabinet Resolution No. 41 of 2023, Al Reem Island: 14.38 million square metres in the heart of Abu Dhabi city. On 8 September 2026 ADGM reported 13,974 active licences, 1,814 of them issued in the first half of 2026.

The ADGM free zone is Abu Dhabi’s answer to the DIFC, with one difference: instead of writing its own statutes, it applies English common law and equity directly. For founders that means familiar contracts and an English-language court, with fees and compliance closer to a financial centre than to a flexi-desk zone. Our overview of free zones in the UAE and the guide to Abu Dhabi free zones put it in context. We are based in Dubai, and most of our clients are weighing business setup in Dubai against a capital-city option like ADGM, so this guide makes that comparison wherever it matters.

This ADGM company setup guide is built from the Registration Authority’s fee schedule and checklists, the ADGM visa and government services fee schedule, Employment Affairs Office FAQs, FSRA pages, ADDED and federal tax sources, checked on 26 September 2026. Where ADGM’s own pages disagree, we show both.

ADGM free zone at a glance

What the ADGM free zone is known for

Most free zones compete on price and speed. The ADGM free zone competes on law and on capital. Federal Law No. 8 of 2004 exempts financial free zones from federal civil and commercial laws (federal criminal law still applies), and ADGM filled that space by importing English law wholesale. ADGM describes the result as “the direct application of English common law”, which it says makes it the first jurisdiction in the Middle East to take an approach similar to Singapore and Hong Kong. Three independent authorities run it:

• The Registration Authority: registration, licensing, data protection, employment affairs and, through Corporate Affairs, every ADGM visa.
• The FSRA: authorisation and supervision of regulated financial and virtual asset firms.
• The ADGM Courts: a Court of Appeal and a Court of First Instance.

ADGM’s first-half 2026 results (8 September 2026) report assets under management up 54% in a year, 190 fund and asset managers, 276 funds and a workforce of 49,027. Al Reem Island joined on 24 April 2023, adding more than 1,100 entities to the ADGM free zone by February 2025.

ADGM free zone vs rival zones

The closest peer is DIFC company setup in Dubai: the other financial free zone, with its own regulator (the DFSA) and its own courts. The choice is usually about where your clients, staff and investors are, and which regulator your group already knows. Inside Abu Dhabi, the other zones do different jobs: KEZAD for industry, logistics and trade with port access; Masdar City Free Zone for clean tech, research and cost-conscious service firms; twofour54 for media and gaming; and the Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone for aviation-linked trade. None of them gives you English law or the FSRA; the ADGM free zone gives you none of their customs or industrial advantages.

Hub71 is not a free zone

Many articles describe “Hub71 free zone company setup”. Hub71 calls itself “a global tech ecosystem of startups, investors, corporate trailblazers and future focused government entities”. It sits in ADGM and runs incentive programmes, but it does not license companies. A start-up that joins Hub71 still needs a licence from a real authority; for most, that is the ADGM Tech Start-up licence, for which a Hub71 eligibility letter has been compulsory since July 2024.

FSRA-regulated or non-financial: the first decision in an ADGM company setup

Every ADGM company setup starts with one question: will the entity carry on a regulated activity as the FSRA rulebook defines it? The answer decides the regulator, the sequence, the fee and the time.

The FSRA describes eight steps: initial contact, an enquiry meeting on your business model, a draft regulatory business plan, formal submission with the application fee, review and interviews of approved persons, then in-principle approval (IPA) with pre-conditions. Those conditions “will include obtaining a Commercial License from the ADGM Registration Authority, securing premises in ADGM, opening bank accounts and, if relevant, capitalizing your entity”. Only when they are met does the FSRA grant the Financial Services Permission.

FSRA fees are set in its Fees Rules (FEES), revised from 1 January 2024, and depend on the activities; the rulebook could not be read automatically when we checked, so ask the FSRA for your figures.

Designated non-financial businesses (real estate, precious metals and stones, legal, accounting and company service providers) are licensed by the RA but must appoint a money laundering reporting officer with a UAE residence visa and adopt an AML manual. Since 9 July 2026, some of them also face limits on cash payments.

ADGM legal forms: private company, SPV, foundation and branch

The ADGM free zone offers the widest menu of vehicles in the UAE outside the DIFC:

ADGM company setup for a private company limited by shares

The RA’s checklist asks for at least one director (a corporate director only alongside an individual one), an optional secretary and at least one individual authorised signatory who is a UAE or GCC national or holds a UAE residence visa; someone who has never entered the UAE cannot be a signatory. There is no minimum capital: “at least one share must be issued at the time of incorporation”. Owners of 25% or more are disclosed as beneficial owners.

The application includes a business plan (activities, target markets, three-year projections, ownership and organisation charts, headcount and office size), model or bespoke articles, an accounting reference date and a named data protection contact.

The ADGM SPV: passive holding vehicle

ADGM describes SPVs as “passive holding companies” that ring-fence assets and liabilities and “cannot be used to conduct operational business or hire staff”. Since 12 July 2021, a non-exempt ADGM SPV must appoint an ADGM-licensed company service provider (CSP) to incorporate it, provide the registered office and file for it. Some SPVs are exempt from the CSP rule; ADGM publishes guidance on exemptions and a tool to check which side of the line your structure falls. ADGM’s SPV page adds that corporate documents need no attestation and that ADGM entities can apply for an FTA tax residency certificate.

The ADGM SPV fee is USD 1,900 in year one: USD 200 name reservation, USD 700 registration (including the USD 300 data protection fee) and USD 1,000 for the commercial licence, then USD 1,400 a year on the 2025 schedule’s “Specialised” line. The CSP’s own fee is on top and not published by ADGM. If the SPV later needs to become an operating company, the RA charges USD 4,000 to move it to Category B or USD 15,200 to Category A.

ADGM foundation

A foundation has legal personality but no shareholders; a council acts like a board and a guardian supervises it (compulsory after the founder’s death). It “cannot carry out commercial activities, other than those necessary, ancillary or incidental to its purposes”. ADGM says a new foundation takes “about 3-5 days” once the Registrar has everything. Non-exempt foundations need a licensed CSP, and succession and tax effects need a private-client lawyer.

Branch of a foreign company

The RA’s branch checklist asks for the parent’s articles “certified as a true copy, not more than three months ago”, its latest audited accounts, licence and a board resolution, passports of every parent director, beneficial owners of 25% or more, a business plan and a signed lease for an office in the ADGM free zone. Since 9 July 2026, registered branches must also keep and provide beneficial ownership information about their foreign parent. For the mainland equivalent see our guide to a branch of a foreign company in Dubai.

ADGM licence categories and the permitted activities list

ADGM prices by activity category, not by package: “a business activity based methodology”.

• Category A, financial: any entity with an FSRA-regulated activity. FSRA approval comes first.
• Category B, non-financial: professional, corporate, technology and holding activities. ADGM’s setting-up page says activities in one licence must be “complementary/logically related”.
• Category C, retail: shops, restaurants, cafes and consumer services on the islands. Every retail business needs the relevant Abu Dhabi authority’s approval before it operates.
• Specialised (SPV), CSP and DLT foundation: separate fee lines.
• Incentivised: Tech Start-up, venture capital fund managers, social enterprises and carried interest vehicles.

The ADGM Tech Start-up licence

The Tech Start-up licence is “sector agnostic” but “not available for technology service providers”, so IT consultancies and agencies do not qualify. It has seed and emergent stages. You first need a Hub71 eligibility letter (about 21 days), then at least one dedicated desk (“hot-desk is not accepted”), which supports three ADGM visa slots.

On price, the RA’s 2025 schedule lists the Tech Start-up at USD 1,500, covering “the registration and two consecutive renewals”, after which non-financial start-ups revert to Category B fees and fintech start-ups to Category A. ADGM’s 2 January 2025 announcement confirms the move from USD 1,000 to USD 1,500. Hub71 members can also apply for its incentive programme, which ADGM says offers “up to 100% subsidies on housing, office space and health insurance for up to 25 employees, for up to three years”.

Checking your activity in the ADGM free zone

ADGM publishes a Permitted Business Activities list for non-financial and retail activities; financial activities are in the FSRA rulebook. Describe what you actually do: the RA has fined companies for exceeding the scope of their licence and for trading without one. If your activities could fall into more than one category, settle it with the RA before you apply: moving up later costs USD 3,100 (C to B) or USD 11,300 (B to A).

ADGM company setup process, step by step

ADGM calls its registry process “transparent and business-friendly” and runs it on the Online Registry Solution (registration.adgm.com). Here is the full sequence for a non-financial private company, with the clock ADGM publishes for each step.

1. Choose the category and vehicle. Financial firms contact the FSRA and obtain in-principle approval before anything else. Tech start-ups apply for the Hub71 eligibility letter (about 21 days).
2. Reserve the name. USD 200 on the Online Registry Solution. A reservation lasts 30 calendar days and can be extended twice by 30 days (USD 200 each); after that the Registrar’s consent is needed. Search the ADGM public register first, and check trade marks.
3. Secure the registered office. A signed lease or business centre agreement on Al Maryah or Al Reem Island. The fee schedule notes that every entity “must maintain a registered office address in ADGM and pay the associated lease registration fee”. Non-exempt SPVs and foundations use their CSP’s address.
4. Submit the application. Application for incorporation (USD 300), commercial licence and activity fees, and the data protection registration, with the documents below. Pay by Visa or Mastercard online or by bank transfer. Incorporation fees are “non-refundable in the event of withdrawn/rejected applications”.
5. Review and approval. The RA emails if it needs more. ADGM says that, once requirements are met, “the expected timeframe is to have your application approved within 10 business days”.
6. Incorporation and commercial licence. The Registrar incorporates the company and emails a soft copy of the licence; you can start trading within the licence scope.
7. Government services on ACCESSADGM. Register a company user, then apply for the establishment card (standard 5 working days) and the e-channels account (1 working day).
8. ADGM visa for each hire. About 7 working days, then medical test, Emirates ID and stamping. Employees also need an ADGM work permit.
9. Bank, tax, compliance. Open the account, register for corporate tax, and diarise the licence and data protection renewals.

On the published clocks, a simple non-financial ADGM company setup with a UAE-resident signatory and a signed desk agreement takes two to three weeks from a complete submission. Corporate shareholders’ documents, the residence rule for signatories, retail approvals and above all FSRA files stretch it.

Documents required for ADGM company setup

From the RA’s company set-up checklists. Foreign-language documents need a certified English translation, and certified copies and proof of address must be no more than three months old.

Individual shareholders, directors and signatories

• Passport copies, including all current and past nationalities for branch parents’ directors.
• Proof of residential address not older than three months, in English.
• Personal details and a service address.
• For the authorised signatory: evidence of UAE or GCC nationality or a UAE residence visa for at least one signatory.
• For an MLRO (designated non-financial businesses): passport, visa, CV and AML qualifications.

Corporate shareholders and directors

• Certificate of incorporation or registration, register of members and register of directors, as certified copies not older than three months.
• A resolution authorising the incorporation, signed jointly by all shareholders. ADGM’s FAQ says resolutions “do not require notarization”; witnessing is optional (USD 100).
• Ownership chart to the beneficial owners and their identification.

Company documents

• Articles of association (model or bespoke) and the resolution templates.
• Business plan (for Tech Start-ups, a brief plan in ADGM’s format or your own; for retail, a store concept document).
• Signed lease or membership agreement; trade name authorisation if you use a franchise or licensed brand.
• Source of wealth declaration and bank statements not older than three months, if requested.
• Third-party NOCs or approvals for activities that need them.

Certification rather than full embassy legalisation is what the RA asks for, and ADGM’s SPV page says “no attestation required for corporate documents”. Other steps can still need attestation: banks may want legalised parent documents, and immigration can ask for attested degrees for certain job titles. Our document attestation service handles those chains.

ADGM licence cost: the official fee lines

ADGM publishes a real fee schedule, not packages. The Registration Authority’s “Overview of Fees 2025” (effective 1 January 2025, still the current schedule linked from ADGM’s setting-up pages when we checked on 26 September 2026) is in US dollars; ADGM converts at AED 3.6725 per dollar. Government services fees are separate, in dirhams, on the Corporate Affairs fee schedule.

Other lines: confirmation statement USD 100 (accounts filing free); most changes and NOCs USD 100 each; continuance into or out of ADGM USD 7,500; strike-off free.

How the 2025 reset changed ADGM licence cost

ADGM cut non-financial and retail fees by 50% or more from 1 January 2025. Its announcement quotes figures without the USD 300 data protection fee: non-financial registration down from USD 10,000 to USD 5,500 and renewal from USD 8,000 to USD 5,000; retail from USD 6,000 to USD 2,500 and USD 4,000 to USD 2,000; financial up to USD 16,700 and USD 16,200; Tech Start-ups up from USD 1,000 to USD 1,500. Add data protection and you get the schedule totals, so the sources agree. Blog posts quoting an ADGM licence cost of USD 10,000 or more predate the change.

ADGM visa and government services fees

From the ADGM Government Services fee schedule (file dated 26 June 2026; figures in AED, VAT inclusive):

Medical, Emirates ID and health insurance are not on the schedule; budget for them separately.

What the fee tables do not show

• Space: desks and offices in the ADGM free zone are priced by landlords, usually the largest cost after year one.
• CSP fees for most ADGM SPV and foundation files.
• FSRA fees, capital and compliance staff for Category A firms.
• Audit, bank balances and health insurance for every resident employee.

Office options in the ADGM free zone and ADGM visa allocation

Every ADGM entity needs a registered office in the ADGM free zone, and the space you lease sets your ADGM visa quota. ADGM’s FAQ says the quota takes “business activity, office space and health and safety requirements” into account, “assessed individually”; the Corporate Affairs page publishes the ratios:

ADGM’s setting-up page allows offices on Al Maryah or Al Reem Island, but some older checklists still say Al Maryah; confirm Al Reem space with the RA before you sign. Plan ADGM visa space for 12 to 18 months of hiring.

ADGM visa and residency: establishment card, staff, owners and families

An ADGM visa is an Abu Dhabi residence visa, and ADGM company setup is not finished until the first one is issued. You do not apply to immigration yourself: ADGM’s Corporate Affairs team processes every service on the ACCESSADGM portal and submits it to the immigration authority. ADGM’s pages describe the establishment card as issued by the “General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs – Abu Dhabi” and, elsewhere, say the establishment card and e-channels registration trigger the entity’s registration with the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), which handles residency for Abu Dhabi. Residence files issued this way start with the digit 1, the Abu Dhabi code.

Establishment card and e-channels

Register a company user on ACCESSADGM, then apply for the establishment card (5 working days; AED 1,127.27) and e-channels account (1 working day; AED 4,197.27), both prerequisites for every ADGM visa service. One ADGM page gives the card three years’ validity and e-channels one. See our establishment card guide.

Employee ADGM visa: documents and timing

Documents for a new ADGM visa: a passport valid for six months, a white-background photo and the contract or offer letter on ADGM’s template. ADGM estimates 7 working days, “excluding any unforeseen delays from the competent authority”, then the medical test and Emirates ID. The fee schedule offers one- or two-year visas; the Tech Start-up FAQ mentions visas “for up to 3 years”, so check the term when you apply. For how free zone sponsorship differs from mainland sponsorship, see free zone vs mainland visas.

ADGM work permits: the step people miss

Separately from the residence visa, ADGM’s Employment Regulations 2024 require an ADGM work permit for each employee, issued only by the Registration Authority (AED 300). The employer must obtain it, or at least apply, before the employee starts, must pay for it and must not recover the cost from the employee. That includes staff who do not need an ADGM visa: UAE and GCC nationals, employees sponsored by a spouse or parent, and Golden Visa holders. Interns, secondees, outsourced staff and temporary freelancers working 30 days or more in a rolling 12 months need a temporary work permit (AED 1,200 for 12 months).

ADGM visa options for owners and investors

ADGM lists no separate investor visa. A working shareholder takes an ADGM visa as an employee; an owner with UAE residence already (Golden Visa, spouse’s sponsorship) needs only the work permit. ADGM’s Tech Start-up page says Hub71 entrepreneurs can access five-year business visas. Golden Visa routes are federal, through ICP; see our Golden Visa service.

Family visas for ADGM visa holders

ADGM-sponsored employees can sponsor dependants through the same portal: new dependant visas cost AED 2,094.89 to AED 3,519.74 depending on age and whether the family member is inside the UAE. Federal salary and accommodation rules for family sponsorship still apply. For the medical and Emirates ID steps, see our medical fitness test and Emirates ID pages; Abu Dhabi uses its own screening centres, so the location differs from Dubai.

ADGM free zone employment: Employment Regulations 2024

ADGM says it is “a financial free zone exempt from the UAE Federal Labour Law”. Its Employment Regulations 2024 replaced the 2019 regulations on 1 April 2025, and there is no MOHRE work permit or MOHRE contract. From the Employment Affairs Office FAQs (February 2025):

• Annual leave: at least 20 working days (section 21); at least 5 days can be carried forward for up to 12 months.
• Working time: 48 hours in a seven-day period unless the employee consents, and never more than 67 (section 15); Muslim employees’ hours cut by 25% in Ramadan with no pay reduction (section 17).
• Probation: up to six months, one week’s notice either way (section 8).
• Maternity and paternity: 65 working days’ maternity leave, 33 at full pay and 32 at half pay after 12 months’ service (sections 32 to 33); 5 working days’ paternity leave (section 34).
• Wages: within 14 calendar days of the end of each pay period; final wages and gratuity within 21 days of the last day (sections 12 and 14).
• End-of-service gratuity: after one year, 21 days’ basic wage per year for the first five years and 30 days’ for each year after (section 61), and basic wage must be at least 50% of total wages.
• Contracts: signed before work starts, governed by ADGM law, with the particulars section 5 lists.

Unlike the DIFC, which replaced gratuity with its DEWS savings plan, ADGM keeps a gratuity model. Breaches are fined under the ADGM standard fines scale. Employment claims go to the ADGM Courts’ Employment Division.

ADGM free zone data protection

Every ADGM entity that processes personal data, which means every entity with staff or customers, must register as a data controller with the Office of Data Protection and renew each year. The fee is USD 300 on registration and USD 300 on renewal, collected with the licence but filed separately. If the renewal fee is not paid within the one-month grace period after the anniversary of incorporation, a fixed penalty of USD 450 applies automatically (section 24(2) of the regulations). Processing sensitive personal data or transferring personal data outside ADGM can need a permit from the Registrar, and the RA’s checklist asks every new company to name a data protection contact person.

Bank account for an ADGM free zone company

ADGM’s Corporate Affairs team facilitates access to corporate banks and publishes SME-focused bank account information for start-ups, but the bank decides. Expect to provide the certificate of incorporation and commercial licence, articles, registers of members and directors, the beneficial ownership chart, passports and Emirates IDs of signatories, the lease or desk agreement, a business plan with expected transaction volumes and counterparties, and source-of-funds evidence. FSRA firms may also face client money rules and prudential expectations that shape which bank they use. See our corporate bank account guide for the full pack.

ADGM tax: corporate tax, VAT and beneficial ownership

Corporate tax. Companies in the ADGM free zone are within Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022. An ADGM company that is a Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income if it keeps adequate substance, prepares audited financial statements, meets transfer pricing rules and keeps non-qualifying revenue within the de minimis limit of 5% of revenue or AED 5 million, whichever is lower (Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023). Qualifying activities are now listed in Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025, issued on 28 August 2025, which repealed Ministerial Decision No. 265 of 2023 with effect from 1 June 2023. Several ADGM staples are on that list, among them regulated fund, wealth and investment management, holding shares and other securities, regulated reinsurance, and headquarter, treasury and financing services to related parties. Consulting, legal and most other professional services to third parties are not, so an ADGM consultancy should plan for 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000. Small Business Relief is not available to a Qualifying Free Zone Person. Register with the FTA within the deadline in FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024 or face an AED 10,000 penalty; see our corporate tax registration guide.

VAT. The ADGM free zone is not a designated zone. The Abu Dhabi entries on the Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2017 list (as amended by Cabinet Decision No. 35 of 2018) are the Free Trade Zone of Khalifa Port, the Abu Dhabi Airport Free Zone, Khalifa Industrial Zone and the Al Ain and Al Bateen international airport free zones. We used the FTA-published list because the FTA page could not be read automatically; check the current list. ADGM businesses register for VAT above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies like mainland firms.

Beneficial ownership. Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 does not apply to financial free zones; the ADGM free zone keeps its own beneficial ownership regime and register. Amendments published on 9 July 2026 took effect immediately: the public register now shows whether a shareholder or director acts as a nominee, the Registrar can demand beneficial ownership information on trusts connected to ADGM, and registered branches must hold beneficial ownership details of their foreign parent. Our UBO register guide compares the regimes.

Trading on the Abu Dhabi mainland from the ADGM free zone

An ADGM licence covers activity in ADGM. ADGM’s FAQ is direct: entities that want to do business outside the jurisdiction “will need to maintain, or if new then apply for, an Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) Licence”, and it is the firm’s responsibility to hold any licence needed elsewhere. The Department of Economic Development is now branded ADDED.

• ADGM and ADDED dual licence. Under an agreement announced on 14 November 2017, eligible ADGM entities can hold both an ADGM commercial licence and an ADDED trade licence and serve clients across the emirate “without the need of having an office presence in Abu Dhabi mainland”, operating from a single office in ADGM. Each licence has its own requirements and fees. ADDED’s current free zone page (updated 24 September 2026) still lists “dual licensing options” among the benefits of Abu Dhabi’s free zones.
• Tech start-ups. ADGM says Tech Start-up licensees are “eligible to apply” for dual licence recognition from ADDED if they meet the criteria, and the FAQ adds that certain categories can obtain a DED licence “without requiring an additional office space”.
• Financial services. The 2017 agreement says ADGM entities providing financial services to clients in the emirate remain subject to federal financial regulators and their licensing rules. Onshore regulated activity is not unlocked by a trade licence.
• Dubai and other emirates. Dubai’s Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025 was written for companies in Dubai’s free zones. An ADGM company that wants to operate from Dubai should ask Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism about a branch licence, or compare a separate mainland company formation.

If most revenue will come from Abu Dhabi mainland customers, price the dual licence into your ADGM company setup from day one.

ADGM Courts and English common law: why it matters to a small company

The Application of English Law Regulations 2015 make English common law, “including the rules and principles of equity”, directly applicable, with a set of English civil statutes. Your articles, shareholder agreements and contracts are read as an English lawyer would read them, and claims are heard in English. The Court of First Instance has commercial and civil, real property, employment and small claims divisions. Take legal advice on enforcing judgments against onshore counterparties.

ADGM licence renewal, cost and ongoing compliance

The RA publishes enforcement actions, including penalties against directors over accounts, fines for exceeding licence scope and licence cancellations, and it has publicly urged entities to keep strict control of licensing documents. A Qualifying Free Zone Person needs audited financial statements for corporate tax whatever the Companies Regulations allow.

ADGM free zone pros and cons

Who ADGM company setup suits

• Asset managers, fund platforms, brokers, banks and virtual asset firms that need an internationally recognised regulator in Abu Dhabi.
• Family offices, family holding companies and foundations wanting English-law structures and a financial-centre address.
• Holding, financing and structuring vehicles: the ADGM SPV costs USD 1,900 in year one and USD 1,400 a year.
• Professional firms whose clients are Abu Dhabi institutions, sovereign funds and ADGM firms.
• Tech start-ups admitted to Hub71 that can use the USD 1,500 licence and the incentive programme.

Who should look elsewhere

• Traders in physical goods and manufacturers: KEZAD, which includes Khalifa Industrial Zone, a VAT designated zone, or the Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone.
• Solo consultants and small service firms on a budget: Masdar City Free Zone or an ADDED mainland licence usually costs less.
• Media, gaming and content businesses: twofour54.
• Financial firms whose clients and staff are in Dubai: DIFC.

ADGM company setup: worked cases

These cases are built from the situations we see most often. Names and identifying details are left out, and the figures are the published ones.

Case 1: a two-partner advisory firm serving Abu Dhabi clients

Two partners, one resident in Dubai and one abroad, want an ADGM private company because their clients are Abu Dhabi funds. Route: Category B with a business centre desk (2 ADGM visa slots). Year-one ADGM licence cost: USD 5,800, then USD 5,300 a year, plus the establishment card (AED 1,127.27), e-channels (AED 4,197.27) and AED 3,237.39 for a two-year ADGM visa applied from abroad, with the AED 300 work permit. The Dubai resident is the UAE-resident signatory. Consulting is not a qualifying activity, so plan for 9% corporate tax above AED 375,000.

Case 2: a family holding structure

A family wants one vehicle to hold its companies and property abroad. An ADGM SPV costs USD 1,900 in year one and USD 1,400 a year, plus a licensed CSP’s fee because it is not exempt, and cannot trade or employ. Its lawyer compares an ADGM foundation (USD 1,000, then USD 500 a year) for succession planning.

Case 3: a Hub71 start-up

Three founders of a software product are admitted to Hub71. They lease two dedicated desks (six ADGM visa slots) and take the Tech Start-up licence at USD 1,500 a year for three years. They plan for year four, when the licence moves to Category B (USD 5,300 a year today), and settle the FAQ’s USD 4,000 emergent-stage figure with the RA in writing.

Case 4: a foreign asset manager

A European manager wants to run a fund from Abu Dhabi. The FSRA comes first: enquiry, regulatory business plan, fee, interviews and in-principle approval. Only then does the RA incorporate a Category A company (USD 17,000 in year one) or register a branch, with no fixed timeline. The regulatory work belongs with a specialist; the corporate documents, ADGM visa files, work permits and bank pack are what we take on after the IPA.

Case 5: an ADGM consultancy that wins mainland clients

An ADGM consultancy wins mainland clients who want a local trade licence on the contract. It applies for an ADDED licence under the dual licence arrangement from its existing office in the ADGM free zone instead of opening a mainland office.

What circulates online about the ADGM free zone that is not true

How to verify every figure in this guide

ADGM company setup: how MIRDXB PRO helps

We are an independent PRO and business-setup consultancy in Al Barsha 1, Dubai, and an Amer and Tasheel partner. We are not the ADGM Registration Authority, the FSRA or an ADGM-licensed company service provider, and ADGM does not list us as a partner. What we give you is a clear route, a written quote with official fees separated from ours, and the practical work around an ADGM file. It is part of our free zone company setup support, which covers Abu Dhabi as well as Dubai.

What we do

• Route check before you pay: ADGM free zone, DIFC, another Abu Dhabi zone or the mainland; category; LTD, branch, ADGM SPV or foundation; whether you need a lawyer or CSP first.
• Document pack: resolutions, certified copies, translations, ownership charts and business plan inputs, plus attestation where needed.
• Application support: the information for each registry section, so you, your lawyer or CSP submit a complete file.
• After the licence: establishment card, e-channels, ADGM visa and work permit files, medical, Emirates ID, dependants and Golden Visa.
• Tax, bank and mainland: corporate tax registration, bank pack, compliance calendar and the ADDED dual licence.

How it works

1. Message us on WhatsApp with your activity, owners, residence and hiring plans.
2. We send a written plan: route, documents, published ADGM licence cost, unpublished costs and our fee.
3. You approve; we prepare the pack and work with your lawyer or CSP where needed.
4. We finish the chain: visas, work permits, dependants, bank, tax and a compliance calendar.

What it costs

ADGM, FSRA and government fees are paid at cost against official invoices. Our fee depends on the vehicle, number of owners and visas and whether a regulated file is involved, and is quoted in writing before we start; see our fees page.

Why founders use us

• We publish our sources and show where ADGM’s own pages disagree, instead of hiding it.
• We tell you when ADGM is not the answer, or when you need a regulatory lawyer or CSP rather than us.
• We cover the whole chain from documents to visas, dependants, bank and tax, for Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
• We are easy to reach: Al Barsha 1, Monday to Thursday and Saturday 09:00 to 18:00, Friday 09:00 to 12:00; we act under power of attorney where a step allows.

What we will and will not do

We will check your route before you pay, prepare the documents the ADGM Registration Authority and Corporate Affairs team ask for, coordinate ADGM visas, work permits, dependants, Golden Visa, bank and tax, separate official fees from ours in writing, and tell you when a lawyer, FSRA specialist or licensed CSP is needed.

We will not give regulatory, legal or tax advice, write FSRA business plans or compliance manuals, act as your CSP, nominee director, nominee shareholder or resident signatory, describe a regulated activity as non-financial, or promise an ADGM licence, visa, bank account or timeline that the RA, FSRA, ICP or a bank decides.

Related guides

• Abu Dhabi free zones
• Free zones in the UAE
• DIFC company setup
• KEZAD company setup
• Masdar City Free Zone company setup
• twofour54 company setup
• Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone
• Free zone vs mainland visas
• Corporate bank account in the UAE
• Free zone visa services

Establishment cards, visas, work permits, attestation and government filings for free zone and mainland companies are what our PRO services in Dubai team handles every day.