Set up a company in Abu Dhabi: 100% online, all on one platform

Yes, if your investors, counterparties or lawyers expect English common law (funds, startups with investors, holding companies with shareholder agreements): ADGM has its own courts and, since the 2025 fee cut, costs less than DMCC. If you just need a trade licence for services, a Dubai or northern-emirates zone is simpler.

At ADGM, the tech startup licence costs USD 1,500 per year (≈ AED 5,510) and the standard commercial licence USD 5,500 initial registration with USD 5,000 annual renewal, per the official fee schedule in force since January 2025. KEZAD, the industrial zone, advertises setups from AED 9,350. Residence visas add federal steps quoted per case. Our service fee is quoted separately.

It is aimed at early-stage technology companies building or deploying tech products. ADGM assesses eligibility against criteria such as the activity, the stage and the founding team. We run the eligibility check before filing so you never pay the full commercial fee unnecessarily.

When the business trades in physical goods: manufacturing, processing, logistics and trade that needs warehouses, land plots or Khalifa Port access. KEZAD is advertised from AED 9,350 for entry setups with workstation-plus-visa packages from about AED 11,000, and prices by facility from there.

Yes. The residence visa an Abu Dhabi authority sponsors is a federal UAE visa: you can live in Dubai, rent, get a driving licence and bank anywhere in the country. Abu Dhabi is about an hour and a quarter from Dubai by road.

ADGM reviews take one to two weeks for standard applications, longer than the cheaper free zones. KEZAD licences typically issue within days once the facility is agreed. The residence visa adds 1 to 3 weeks and the bank account runs in parallel.

Yes. ADGM and KEZAD entities are 100% foreign-ownable, and since the 2021 reform of the Commercial Companies Law most mainland activities are too.

The same federal taxes as everywhere in the UAE: 9% corporate tax only on profit above AED 375,000 (qualifying free zone income can stay at 0% under the QFZP regime, which also applies in Abu Dhabi zones), 5% VAT above AED 375,000 turnover, and 0% personal income tax on salary and dividends.

Banks regard an ADGM licence well because the registry applies common law and requires economic substance. Even so, approval depends on the activity, the source of funds and the shareholders’ residency, and no provider can guarantee it.

ADGM renews at USD 1,500 per year for the tech startup licence and USD 5,000 for the commercial licence, less than the initial registration. KEZAD renews at zone rates by facility. Visas renew on the standard federal two-year cycle with the medical and Emirates ID steps per holder.

Yes. ADGM and KEZAD applications are processed remotely. You only need to enter the UAE when you activate your residence visa (medical test and biometrics), and some banks require one in-person meeting.

ADGM publishes its fees in dollars because it is an international common-law registry. The dirham is pegged at 3.6725 to the dollar, so the conversion does not change: USD 1,500 is about AED 5,510. We show both currencies in the quote.